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My eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when Michelle finished working magic on my hair and face, transforming me into this pretty creature that could be considered…worthy of someone like Octavius. The dress somehow finished the whole composition and presented my average height and body in the most flattering light.
Maybe I should have invested in some makeup classes back in the day instead of saving every penny to go to police school. Little good it did me anyway. My mood sours as I squeeze my phone, checking it once again and finding nothing new.
The Church Killer’s had at least three hours now to contact me and give me the clue, but he hasn’t, which means he’s not going to do it. I should go home. The little boy got the key from me so he could get inside without me. Staying here any longer is just rude at this point.
The girls tried to entertain me as much as they could, although Jimena fell asleep around twenty minutes into the whole transformation, so Briseis kept singing her husband’s praises and how they enjoyed their mini honeymoon in Italy.
“Ah, my darling. Now this is what I call finding a diamond in the rough!” Atlas says the most offensive things, but his tone and delivery make it seem as if he truly cares about your well-being, and you don’t feel angry. “Beautiful.” He scans me from head to toe and grabs my hand, raising it to his mouth and placing a kiss on it, winking at me, and I can’t help it. A chuckle escapes me when he adds, “Now I can flirt with you.”
“Grandpa Atlas, you’re a bit too old for her,” Jimena teases him, her cheeks rosy after her hour-long nap, and she pops another strawberry in her mouth. She has cravings for those.
“There is no such thing as being too old for romance, child,” he fires back, glaring at her, but then his gaze softens. “Do you feel better now?” She nods. Apparently, she was sick on the way here. He frowns. “Since when do you like strawberries?”
“Since forever.”
“You hated them your whole life. Florian can’t live without them.” He rolls his eyes. “As a kid, he was unbearable if we didn’t have them at home.” He leans closer to me. “The boy would throw a tantrum if you didn’t do what he wanted.” He straightens up, puffing his chest as pride drips from his every word. “A true heir of mine. Never been more proud.”
Okay.
The Price family is weird as hell. I’ve yet to meet Jacob Price, his wife, and their child, but so far…they are so eccentric and value things that most people hate.
And then I see it.
Jimena paling a little, the strawberry pausing midway to her mouth while she swallows hard, and it takes me five seconds to understand what unsettled her so much.
Oh my God.
Florian is the baby daddy?
He touched his best friend’s little sister?
Scratch that.
His parents’ goddaughter.
Scratch that again.
His godparents’ daughter?
He broke so many codes, I won’t be surprised if he ends up dead somewhere in the river once the truth comes out.
However, I don’t have time to reassure her or whisk her away so she can digest the fact that her baby already takes after their father when it comes to food preferences as Atlas claps his hands, and a guy appears next to us, holding a velvet box. “I designed this back in the day. It was one of my first collections I created myself without my father’s help, and it was a success. They especially loved my emerald pieces. I believe the magazines called them jewelry of gods.” He flips the box open, and I gasp at the emerald earrings surrounded by countless diamonds. They are so big they must be the size of my thumb. They glisten under the light, sending colorful squares on the floor. “The only thing I kept were these earrings. I had a sentimental attachment to them.”
“They’re…magnificent.” These are some of the clearest stones, and the Price vintage pieces are an art form in and of themselves that they will probably grace museums in the future. “Congratulations.” I’m not sure why he’s showing them to me, but then, it’s his birthday. He’s got a right to gush about his talents and successes.
However weird and out of the blue that might be.
He picks them up and steps closer, ordering, “Give me your ear, child.” I blink at him. “We can’t have you walking around without jewelry.” My heartbeat speeds up because these earring cost a fortune, and if I lose them, I won’t ever be able to pay him back.
“I’d rather not wear something so expensive,” I say, glancing at my phone and deciding to leave in a few minutes. “Besides, I’m going home soon.”
His eyes become frigid, sending coldness into every bone in my body while his voice turns so furious I wince inwardly, and Jimena sighs heavily. Oh, I think I’m about to see the infamous Price temper. “Isla Evans, let me teach you a lesson. When a man like me offers you gifts, you accept them with a smile. Do you understand?”
Gifts?
“I can’t accept a gift like that. It must cost a million.”
He huffs. “Never insult a Price piece like that. It cost fifteen million dollars.” Is he insane for giving them to me? However, he’s already putting them in my ears one by one, and I’m so shocked and afraid to ruin them that I stand still.
