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“I did.” A familiar voice belonging to no other than my sister said from behind us.
I turned to find her walking close to us, majestically, with her hands behind her. She was wearing an unreadable expression, but as she walked closer, I could make her out now, and on it was zero indication that she was in the least remorseful for breaking the number one rule of the Mason household.
“Hello, brother.” She smiled as she reached toward me, “I presume you had a great flight.”
“Excuse me, sir. I need to check something in the kitchen quickly,” Jonah muttered, and before I could respond, he had turned and was literally running toward the nearest exit.
“There was just one rule, Ella.” I groaned, putting my hands in my pocket.
“There is never just one rule with you, Mason. You and I know that well enough, don’t we? And well, I think it will be ridiculous and far-fetched of me to think that my brother, who hasn’t seen me in what, six months, would be filled with joy, hands outstretched for a hug the first moment he sees me.”
“That would not have been a problem if you hadn’t brought someone into my home.”
“Lucy is my best friend. She’s not the problem. Your lack of love, empathy, and emotions is the problem.”
“Those qualities of mine have never been questioned before, so I guess I don’t have to take your disrespect to heart.”
Ella scoffed and folded her hands. “Very bold of you to think your staff, and those who hover over you, have the guts to tell that to you to your face.”
I smiled and dug my hands in my pants, enjoying the little banter I had with my sister, who, as she rightly said, was the only one with the guts to say anything to my face. “But you do have the guts don’t you, huh?”
“Fortunately, someone has to be close enough to push your over-bloated ego down a little bit.”
“You do know you talk too much, don’t you?” I asked, the smile leaving my face.
“And you do know, my dear brother, that you know how to push even the gentlest spirits past their very limits.”
“No thanks to y . . .” I paused as I looked down the hallway, and found a head poking out gently from beside one of the guest rooms, “Who’s that?”
Ella turned but saw no one before she turned back to me. “Who’s who?”
“Down the hall, who is that? Is that your friend?” I asked, my voice a little bolder and my shoulder up a little higher to exert dominance.
A few seconds later, one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen moved out of the wall and into the open. Ella’s groan gave away who she was even before she looked up to look at us.
That must be Ella’s friend, but I wouldn’t make this easy for her. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Christ, Mason, I thought I had already told you who she was?”
“Shhhh,” I sputtered, my gaze not leaving the girl who didn’t seem bothered.
“It’s not fair speaking to someone like that, much less your sister.” The woman finally responded.
I scoffed and shook my head. “Oh, the guidance patrol telling me how to speak in my own home. How lovely.” I turned toward Ella, who glared at me and scowled. “By any chance did I leave you off in a sister’s covenant, where you are taught to be the judge of human behavior?”
“No, but our school does talk about the human conscience quite often,” Ella replied with a wink.
I stared at Ella, furious she was talking to me this way in front of a stranger, but she didn’t look in the least chastised, making me even more mad.
“I think I need to go back to my room and give you two some privacy.”
“Stay!!!” Ella and I said in perfect sync, not breaking eye contact.
Ella sighed and looked away, “I am tired. No, actually WE, my best friend and I, are tired after a hard day’s work which you put us up to. So, right now, we do not have enough luxury or strength to keep this exchange up. Why don’t you go to your suite to rest, and we can call it a day, huh?” Ella asked as she looked at me and patted me lightly on the arm. “See you later.” She moved away and headed toward her best friend, who hadn’t stopped looking at me the whole time I had the heated exchange with my sister.
Slowly, I watched Ella touch her tiny arm, and they began to move toward the side of the wall which Lucy had appeared from.
With both out of sight, I muttered a curse, turned, and walked toward my room. Surely this would not be the end of it, but first, I needed to know all I could about Ella’s friend under my roof.
