Page 5 of Masked Hearts

The next second, she’s dripping water all over me and my new copy ofLethal Infatuationby Isabella Amaryllis.

“Hey, watch it! Go drip on your towel!” I yell.

“Theá, aren’t your days so much brighter now that I’m home from school for the summer?” Noelle asks.

“No.”

Yes.

My days are always better when my sister is home from boarding school in Paris. The house is even brighter. Usually, it’s just me, the boys, and whatever men my father has on guard, but they barely speak to me. So, as much as Noelle irritates me, I’d rather be in her company when she’s home than alone like I usually am for the other days of the year.

“Well, you’ll be here all the time now that you’ve graduated from university.” I look up at her.

A chicken strip drowned in mayo freezes mid-way to her mouth. “About that…”

My heartbeat increases. I was so excited to finally have her around more permanently, but I should’ve known it was too good to be true.

“I’m going back to study my masters…” she trails off.

Fucking genius.

As long as it’s for studying, my father will let her stay away from home. And away from home means justslightlymore freedom, because he won’t be directly breathing down her neck.

“What are you going to do it in?” My voice cracks towards the end of the sentence, and immediately she looks up at me with concern.

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you yet.” She sighs.

“I’m fine, I promise.” I focus on my wrap.

“You know it’s not because I don’t want to see you. I just don’t want to be here…” she whispers.

And I don’t blame her. I don’t want to behere,either. No one other than my younger brother Kylian does, and that’s only because he has the new, shiny badge of underboss, thanks to my older brother, Pierre, getting ‘demoted’.

“There’s my favourite siblings,” his voice rings out.

Speak of the devil and watch him appear.

“I’ll tell you more later, no one else knows,” Noelle whispers as Pierre approaches us.

“Who’s in the mood to head into town?” he asks, clear overexcitement leaking into his words.

Noelle and I stare at Pierre with a mixture of alarm and confusion. “But Dad said no trips to town until next week,” Noelle says.

“Slight change of plans, we’re going shopping.” And with that, Noelle dashes off.

“I don’t want to go,” I snap, grabbing my book.

“Stubborn as ever, Theá.” He sits down on the lounger next to me, but immediately jumps up when he feels how wet it is. “It’s not an option, it’s an order straight from Daddy dearest himself.”

“What are you now? His messenger pigeon?”

“I prefer hawk,” he counters back.

“What doesn’t he want us seeing this time? Torture? His new side piece?” I ask, my mouth full of food while I lower my sunglasses and stare up at him.

“For a Mafia princess, you’re disgusting. No wonder no one wants to date you.” He pulls his face in disgust.

“No.” I hold up a finger. “No one wants to date me because I’mTheá Auclair, daughter of Gabriel Auclair, the current head of the French cartel. And besides, I never leave the house enough to meet anyone, anyway.”

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