AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slide my arm behind my back, but not fast enough for Mia to miss the movement.
She’s across the room in a heartbeat with her claws latched around my wrist, holding it up for her scrutiny.
“You accepted a gift from someone.” She’s resigned. “That’s what happened, isn’t it?”
I yank my arm back. “None of this would be a problem if you’d let me in and told me what to expect! If Mia can be a part of the business, then why can’t I? I’m an asset, and you know it. No one else can schmooze our employees like I can.”
“My employees,” Edward corrects. “Stop avoiding the subject.”
“Why don’t you just ask Ricardo? He was there. He knows better than I what actually happened. Mia already knows. Doesn’t she?”
My oldest sister scoffs, shaking her head, her spine straight and her gaze fixed out the sliding glass windows. “Don’t bring me into this conversation, Isabella,” she says. “I’m only here to clean up after your mess. Which is a waste of my time.”
“It wouldn’t be a waste of your time if you gave me more responsibility. Most families would think that’s something to applaud. A child actively seeking out responsibility and a reputable occupation with their family.”
Lucia barks out a laugh and quickly tries to swallow the sound. “You seriously think what Dad does is reputable? Where have you been living? In a hole in the ground?”
“I think there is a niche, and he’s managed to fill it,” I snap back, refusing to be ashamed of the dirty underground dealings our family partakes in. Daddy doesn’t hurt kids, and he donates a lot of money back into the community through local animal shelters and the hospital. A lot of good can come from embracing the darkness, at least in my mind.
He’s shaking his head hard. “End of discussion. You’re not coming in, and that’s the end. Now get out of here while I figure out what to do about the mess you caused last night.”
“But Daddy—” I start to say, my heart clenching.
“Goodbye, girls. I’ve got to get to work. Mia? I’ll expect you back here in five.”
Just like that, we’ve been dismissed. A tingle of awareness slithers down my spine, and I wonder, not for the first time, if I’ve irrevocably damaged not only my future prospects but my family’s business.
By accepting a bracelet.
A fucking bracelet.
Mia bobs her head in agreement before turning to us, and ushering us out the door. There’s nothing I can say or do to stop this from happening, but the second the door closes behind her, I turn on her.
“Come on!” I beg. “Let me in and tell me what to do. I can help! You have to see what an asset I’ll be.”
Her gaze is hard and she stalks down the hallway toward the living room without waiting for me to follow. “Do you understand how hard I’ve had to work to keep you out of this? Both of you. I’ve had to beg and plead to make sure Papa sees reason, and he has. He agrees it’s best for you to not be involved. Don’t undo it all now.”
She might not know the details of the conversation leading up to the bracelet exchange, but Mia has seen enough to be able to put the pieces together. She knows enough to figure out the next step, and apparently, I am not going to be a part of it.
She probably thinks her point has already been made.
I fucked up, and now I’m an even greater liability. I’ll never get a chance to prove myself. Which seems unfair in the face of the entirety of my life. They’ve never even given me the chance.
Automatically, I was taken off the board without my say-so.
When did I get a chance to step up? To show them what an asset I can be?
The way Mia eyes me, she suspects there is so much more to what’s going on than anything she’s managed to find out, and although I’ve kept my tongue tied, she’ll figure out a way to get me to talk.
There’s no way for me to get out of this conversation.
“Come on.” She loops her arm through my elbow and marches me off toward the sunroom jutting off the living room.
“What about Lucia?” I cast a glance over my shoulder.
“She has her own business to handle.” Mia closes us off in the sunroom, sliding the glass doors closed behind us, and my gorge rises. Not because I’m afraid of her but because I’d do anything to avoid what she no doubt has to say to me.
“Can we do this another day? I’m tired.” I rub at the achy spot on my arm where Ricardo manhandled me. “I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep.”
