Page 29 of Goldsin

She has no clue what she’s getting herself into. The question is, why?

“What were you doing in that hotel room?” I ask.

She raises a brow. Her gaze falls behind my shoulder. “Who says I was even there?” she continues, her eyes narrowing to slits like the cuts of a gemstone. “You’re grasping at straws here, Julian. Just admit you don’t have any proof and move on.”

“If you won’t tell me, then give me the diary.”

“Absolutely not.” She clutches the book even tighter to her chest.

It’s cute, the way she thinks I won’t be able to take it from her with little to no force. But she knows me. She knows I don’t use force to get what I want. I prefer to use ... different means.

“Do you know what you’ve caused?” I ask, taking a step closer to her. “The Inferno Consortium wants retaliation. They won’t grant you the same mercy you gave DeMarco. They will rip your soul. You’ll wish you were dead.”

“Your precious Consortium, huh?” She scoffs, her lips pulling downward as she tilts her chin up, her gaze frozen on mine. “You really think I give a damn about that cesspoolof corruption and crime? If you’re so worried about me attending Victoria’s party, maybe you should be more concerned with what kind of people you associate with.”

“Cut the shit, golden one. You can’t seriously be shocked that I’m involved in my family’s business.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“No?” I move an inch closer.

Her neck strains to maintain eye contact.

“What should I call you then? The orphan? The motherless bitch? Or I could call you what some of my father’s guards call you. Wasted rat’s cum.”

The depths of her eyes blaze with untamed fury. Her body tenses to support the onslaught of emotion. Then, in a swift movement, her hand connects with my cheek in a piercing slap.

It’s strong enough to turn my face to the side and reach whatever softness I have left in me, cracking it.

“I may be the daughter of a whore,” she breathes, low and thunderous, “but at least I’m no son of a merciless killer who would watch youdiebefore his empire.” Her voice is low but harsh enough to cut. “I may be motherless, but so are you, by your mother’s choice.” She stands on her toes, close enough for me to taste her words. “I may be wasted rat’s cum, but I live among you.” She smiles. “Now tell me, how fucking beneath you am I really?”

“Not even close enough for what I want.”

Her lips part, eyebrows mirroring mine as they meet in the middle.

Why does she want to attend tonight’s party? It doesn’t add up. It reeks of danger. Makes anger simmerinside of me. If I can’t convince her to stay away from Victoria’s party, then I need to steel myself for whatever chaos awaits us.

I need to be there too. Not because of Victoria, but for Aurelia. I need to shadow her steps. Shield her from unseen threats.

And maybe, while I’m at it ... dig deeper into the secrets she’s keeping from me. Learn the reason why she did what she did.

“I’ll pick you up at eight.” I force myself to take a step back.

Striding over to her dresser, I yank open the top drawer. I’m already dreading what Victoria has in store for everyone. If Aurelia is so determined to attend, then she’ll do it in the correct way. But fuck, the last thing I want is to watch her get eye-fucked.

Rummaging through Aurelia’s delicate garments, I pick the first set of lingerie that fits the dress code but won’t reveal too much to the old scumbags.

“Here.” I toss the black lace teddy at her. “Wear this. You want to go to Victoria’s party? This is the kind of shit she expects her guests to wear.”

Aurelia catches the lingerie, and when she looks down at it, her cheeks turn a light shade of red. “You’re unbelievable, Julian,” she hisses. “I can’t believe you think I’d actually wear something like this just because Victoria fucking Marlowe says so.”

“Welcome to our world.” My voice drips with sarcasm. “You wanted to go to the party?That’sthe price of admission. If you don’t like it, stay home.”

“Nice try. But I’m going with or without you.” She glares up at me, her eyes blazing with defiance.

“Please, don’t let me stop you.” I fix her with a hard stare, hoping to convey just how serious I am.

There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s hiding something from me. Something that has to do with DeMarco’s death. From the moment she walked into that ballroom to the moment she rushed away from Adrian, I never took my eyes off her.

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