Page 94 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I
“What do you mean by ‘interacted’?”
“You know what I mean.”
My head hurts as sensations from last night make my body tingle. It all feels so inappropriate now. I close my eyes to massage the bridge of my nose.
“Wow… okay, then. You banged him already?”
“Treasure,” I scold.
“Oh God, Pais. What are you doing?”
I swallow as tears rush to my eyes. For the first time since I’ve infiltrated VTI, I don’t feel so alone in this dastardly act. “I don’t know,” I mutter.
“This is Max’s evil, not yours. I swear, your brother is the devil.”
“No, he’s not,” I quickly retort.No one criticizes my brother but me.
“Yes, he is. And I can’t believe you’re still jumping through his hoops after all of these years. Why? Please tell me why?” It's like she's pleading for an answer.
“Grandfather. That's why.”
“Grandfather? Do you really think Grandfather would have you lying and scheming? And to what end?”
“Did you call to beat up on me?”
“No. I called to warn you.”
She doesn’t know the whole story, and I’m sworn to secrecy, so I can’t tell her what the Valentines have done. But I’m sure she wouldn’t be so forgiving if she knew that they broke into Grandfather’s library and stole code only weeks before he died. However, I’m surprised by Treasure’s severe reaction—or maybe not.
“He’s quite stunning,” I say.
“Who’s stunning?”
“Orion.”
I jump when there’s knocking on my window. I quickly turn. Mason is standing there, mouthing, “Morning meeting.”
I nod, frantic on the inside but holding it together on the outside. I fake a smile. “You said Orion knows?”
“I think he does.”
“Does he, or doesn’t he?”
“He pretended to be convinced by my explanation. But I know him, Pais.”
My gaze darts around the room as I think about what to do next. I could make my escape. But I have a meeting with Hercules this afternoon, and I’m sure as hell am not going to miss it.
“We’ll talk later,” I say, extending my bogus smile to Mason.
“End this,” she warns.
“Goodbye.” I finish our call and view my team beyond the window, scrambling, preparing for our meeting.
Suddenly, a mood overtakes me. I feel as though the life I’ve been missing out on is occurring all around me. Since forever, I’ve only done what Max and Leo wanted me to do. I should have yelled back at Treasure that if my brother is the devil, then so is her father. Max can’t make a major decision without Leo’s approval. To them, there's nothing more important than business. I am a mere object to Max and Leo. I'm not a human being who can learn and feel and want.Who am I, anyway?
I shake my head. I'm not ending this. Orion Valentine will have to drag me out of here, kicking and screaming and begging him to let me stay.
I keepmy eyes on the door all during our morning meeting. Fortunately, Orion doesn’t show up to validate his theory about my identity. I wonder why. I can’t believe he asked Treasure if I was Paisley Grove.
