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“Hey, let go!” Caleb shouts, beating at Damon’s arm.
“Don’t be rude to her again,” Damon warns him in a grim tone.
I almost move forward to interfere but Julian mutters, “Choke him harder.”
Raiden grins at me, absolutely at ease as he watches his brothers bicker and fight. Gesturing at me, he invites me to take the chair next to him.
When I sit down, he places a toast on my plate that’s been generously slathered with orange marmalade.
“Thanks,” I say softly and bite into the toast.
Julian pushes a glass of apple juice from across the table. “Drink up. We need you healthy and strong so that we won’t starve without your delicious food.”
I chuckle and take a sip. It’s just scrambled eggs and toast but everyone’s praising me. There’s adoration gleaming in every eye around me.
I was used to doing so many more chores at home. My parents never bothered praising me or saying anything nice to me.
A pang goes through me when I think of them. Despite everything, I can’t help missing them.
I’m utterly unprepared to face the truth.
While I feel fine physically, my mind is trapped inside a vortex of stress.
Everyone has warmed up to me. It’s the best feeling to be accepted by Caleb and his brothers. There’s no way I can mess things up by announcing my secret.
I need more time, I decide. It’s the only way I can figure out how they’ll react to me in the future.
“What’re you thinking so hard?” Julian asks.
“Nothing,” I say at once.
His eyebrow quirks. “You haven’t touched your food yet. Eat before everything gets cold.”
I look down at my half-eaten piece of toast. Picking it up, I take a bite and chew while my mind is still churning.
“Stop fighting and finish breakfast,” Julian mutters. “Iris and I need to go through the stuff I bought for her yesterday.”
“You want us out of the way so you can hoard all her attention,” says Raiden.
Julian shrugs. “Well, yeah. So, hurry up!”
Raiden is the first to get up from the table. He drains the last of his coffee, stands up, and drops a kiss on the top of my head before walking out.
I sit in my chair, feeling a surge of warmth swirling in my chest.
Damon and Caleb leave together. Julian allows them to peck his lips but when Caleb moves in for a deeper kiss, he steps back, and shoos him away.
I chuckle and take a large sip of my juice.
I can’t believe how they’re able to make me smile despite the shitstorm I’ve landed up in. Deep inside, I want to come clean but that deep-seated fear of losing them makes me stay quiet.
Finishing up my food, I move toward the sink with my plate and glass.
“Leave the dishes be,” Julian says as I’m about to put on gloves. “Ineedyou to come to my room and tell me whether you like the gowns I got for you.”
I turn around to face him and grin. “I’m sure I’ll love them. We already know your fashion sense is a thousand times better than mine.”
“That’s not true,” he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “You never got the chance to explore fashion. No worries, though. I’ll help you discover your style.”
