Page 117 of Reflections of Peonies
It felt suspiciously like guilt, which couldn’t be true.
Curse that stupid white tiger. She was the one who didn’t understand.
I’d been named after my mother, and she was dead. The entire time, myex-best friendknew about this! He’d hid this from me. How was I supposed to feel?
How much more was I supposed to take?
I couldn’t face anyone, not right now. I didn’t need to since Damen had given me a refuge. Instead of socializing, I spent the morning setting up base. And really, my new room was quite pretty. I had been too exhausted and distracted to notice the more minor details of Damen’s craftsmanship.
The man had even decorated the walls and trimmings with gold. Hopefully, it was fake. Otherwise, he really was that terrible with money.
Either way, I hadn’t technically accepted this finery as a gift. I was simply a resident of this establishment. So, there was no reason not to enjoy the riches life had bestowed upon me.
I was quitting school—no more French class for me. I had a space all to myself. I had money—no matter that I couldn’t access it yet. Finally, my little introverted heart was at peace. And now, no prying eyes stalked my every movement.
I lay back on my beanbag chair and studied the strange cherubic paintings on my ceiling. They almost seemed like something from an art history book. Did Damen hire an artist?
I should probably ask him, but then he might flirt with me.Some of the angels were naked, and I’d rather not bring attention to that aspect. Anything with nudity and Damen should be avoided at all costs. What if he grinned crookedly and tempted me to kiss him again?
I had to be ever vigilant.
Ignoring these things was for the best. Life was bliss—
There was a loud knock on my door, and I glanced up as Bryce popped his head into my room.
“Hey,” he said in his usual commanding way. “I need to talk to you.”
I raised my eyebrow, disappointed at the rudeness. Was it not clear that I was busy?
“Brayden wants to talk to you, too,” he added, and the other man followed behind him, smiling apologetically.
Brayden did? Well, if Brayden needed something, it might be important.
I turned onto my stomach, watching as they entered my space.
“You’ve been hiding in your room all day. We’ve been waiting for you to come out.” Bryce gestured around the space, ending at the window seat. “Go sit over there so you’re not sprawled all over the floor.”
“I’m not on the floor,” I argued. I was sitting on a bag filled with polystyrene beans. “And what do you mean ‘all day’? We just had breakfast an hour ago,andI was sleeping before that. I haven’t been hiding.”
“You were sleeping?” Bryce scowled, his eyes tailing over me in disapproval. “That’s even worse. It’s the middle of the afternoon. Is that why you’re still wearing those unsightly pajamas?”
“Finn was there,” I said, not commenting on his lack of fashion sense. “So it wasn’t that late.”
“Finn was there because he was waiting for you.” Brayden rolled his eyes.
“Which, by the way, was also something I wanted to talk to you about.” Bryce crossed his arms, bracing himself on the corner of my vanity. “Nobody outside of the family should be seeing you in your pajamas.”
I made a face at him, noting the warning look that Brayden shot in his direction, but decided not to comment. Why was he so obsessed with what I wore?
Anyway, it didn’t matter. Finn hadn’t even looked at me anyway.
“Sit over there, please.” Bryce changed the subject and looked between me and the window seat. “Properly.”
I sighed and stood. There was nothing better to do, and the quicker we got this over with, the faster he’d leave. Therefore, I dutifully obeyed.
Bryce cleared his throat as he began, “Brayden and I were discussing some of our previous oversights regarding you—”
My alertness sharpened, and I sat up straighter.
