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"So it has," Noelle strained a smile.
Before she could protest, Yuyu placed her arm in the crook of her elbow, steering her towards the exit and to the parking lot.
Since it had been confirmed that Noelle was to marry Sergio Villanueva, Cisco, Yuyu and Val had moved back upstate. Noelle supposed it was to keep a closer eye on her since her brother was intimately acquainted with her stubborn streak and the fact that she was capable of doing something—arather drastic something—in order to escape her marriage.
Alas, she might be stubborn, and she might be the type to defy authority, but she was also smart. And being smart in this instance meant acting against herself and planning every little step of the way carefully—not only to avoid that fate, but also to prepare for the worst in case it did come to pass.
She'd already started learning Spanish. With her background in Italian, and the fact that Blue himself was taking Spanish classes, it made everything easier. She'd also been studying the culture and history of the country. Since Blue's interest was in the pre-Columbian Americas, he'd been sharing things with her, and she'd been learning everything alongside him.
And that was her backup plan.
If you can't stop a train from collision, the least you can do is change its course.
If she couldn't escape her marriage—despite the fact that it was her main goal—she would do everything in her power to prevail even in such a dire situation.
At the end of the day, knowledge was her best ally.
Know thyself, as the Greeks said. But in Noelle's case, it was know thy enemy; then turn yourself into their biggest nightmare.
Coming upon the parking lot, Yuyu headed to a pink sports Lamborghini in the back, beckoning Noelle to take a seat by her side.
"I haven't seen this car before," Noelle said as she took in the pink interior of the car.
Everything was…pink.
"Cisco gifted it to me for my birthday. Do you like it?" Yuyu's eyes sparkled as she ran her hands over the equally pink steering wheel.
"It's…very pink."
"It is, isn't it? He had it custom made for me since he knows how much I love it."
"But," Noelle paused as she frowned. "I've never seen you in pink before. I didn't know you liked it."
"I can't say I have too many opportunities to indulge in it," Yuyu sighed. "As a Deville wife, people have expectations of me, just as they have a preconceived idea I have to meet. I can't engage in frivolities."
"But if you like it…" Noelle continued.
Yuyu gave her a sad smile.
"You should see our room. I have free rein there and I decorated it to my taste. Unfortunately, that is the extent of what is allowed of me. Well, that and now this," she returned her attention to the car, her eyes gleaming as a blinding smile spread across her face.
"Is it because of my brother? Is he forcing you to live like this?" Noelle suddenly asked, never having entertained the idea before. She knew Cisco could be a tyrant when he wanted—the way he managed the family business being proof enough of it. But was he a tyrant to Yuyu as well?
Noelle bit her lip in worry, because just as the thought came to mind so did the fear that Yuyu could have been coerced into this situation. After all, she'd started out as her brother's bodyguard, assuming a male identity in doing so. Had Cisco forced her to do that, too?
"Cisco, forcing me?" Yuyu laughed, shaking her head. "No, he would never force me to do anything, much less give up on things I love because it's therightthing to do."
"Then?" Noelle blinked, more confused than ever.
"It's because I respect him and his position and I know that my actions and the way I comport myself reflect on him and our family. Yes, I love this car and it's a small extravagance. But I'm not likely to drive it in an official setting, for a business meeting or an important social event. This is just for me to have fun," she explained. "I knew when I married your brother that my life would change. Hell, I knew it when I first met him. But I'm willing to make these small sacrifices to be by his side."
"So he's not…controlling your life?" Noelle probed further, somehow still unconvinced.
Her brother was the definition of a control freak with a good dose of OCD. Maybe she hadn't recognized that in the past since she'd been too young to see it for what it was, but since he'd moved back into the house, Noelle had noticed just how peculiar her brother was.
He always ate the same breakfast, at the same time, with the same type of cutlery and always with stark white dinnerware, devoid of any embellishment. The one time his plate had been mistakenly swapped with a white one that had slight decorations around the corners, he'd simply stared at it for the longest time, his eyes narrowed, his body tense. Breakfast had come and gone and he hadn't eaten one thing.
Not. A. Single. Thing.
