Page 50 of Wicked Prince

She snorts. "I don't have control over what other people do."

I just stare at her pointedly. I’m not even going to dignify that bullshit with an acknowledgment.

She clenches her jaw, glaring even harder. "Fine. But I swear, if you breathe a word of this to anyone—"

"Don't worry. You can continue being Lorenzo's secret mistress for the next fifty years for all I care. I just want to be left the hell alone by all of you. Him included."

Her eyes narrow again, and for a second, I think she's about to call my bluff. Maybe she's a little more perceptive that I give her credit for, even if it is only on a subconscious level.

When she relaxes, I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fine,” she says. “Just stay the hell out of my way. I don't want to see you unless it's another family event Dad feels like bringing you to for whatever reason."

"Trust me, it's mutual," I shoot back as she stands from the table, grabs her purse, and storms off.

I stare down at my uneaten food, unable to help feeling a wave of disgust that overwhelms my short-lived relief that we've come to something of a truce. Especially since it's based on a lie.

Then again, what part of my life isn't these days?

Once I toss the contents of my tray, I decide I am going to ditch class the rest of the day, after all. Bainbridge has an Olympic-sized pool and tons of other amenities that make it a glorified spa, so I might as well make the most of it while I'm here. I'm done sitting and pining over a guy who has zero respect for me, and I'm done hiding from all the bitches who say I don't belong here.

Even if they're right, Iamhere for the time being, and I'm sick and tired of letting other people make me feel like shit. I'm tired of apologizing for my existence. My time at Bainbridge isn't going to define the rest of my life, and in a few years, maybe it'll just be something I look back at and laugh.

A girl can hope, right?

ChapterTwenty

AMELIA

My Tuesday classes go off without a hitch, and there's still no sign of Lorenzo, which makes it feel like I won some kind of lottery.

Or lost it. My heart and head are still not on the same page where he's concerned.

By the time Wednesday rolls around and he's still not in class, I'm not really sure what to make of it. I'm starting to think something else is going on, because there's no way little old me would be enough of a deterrent for him to interrupt his daily routine.

Then again, it's no secret that even though Lorenzo hasn't yet taken the reins of the family in any official sense, that doesn't mean being a student is his only job. I don't know what the hell it is he gets up to for the family business, and I don't want to care. I certainly don't want to be concerned about him.

Kayleigh is right about one thing. I really am pathetic. It's just not entirely for the reasons she thinks.

If nothing else, she seems to have kept up her end of the agreement. It's still pretty early on, but I'm halfway through the school week without being cornered in the bathroom or subjected to anything other than the usual looks of disdain. I can't fully blame her for those, as much as I might like to.

Honestly, I'm not even sure what the rest of them have against me—other than the fact that I dare to exist outside their tight-knit circles.

I'm also not sure if things would be better or worse if they knew who I was. I'm not even sure “niece-in-law” is higher than illegitimate daughter according to mob rankings.

After I'm finished with all my classes for the day, I'm actually looking forward to going to work. Back in high school, I never thought I would've missed menial tasks, and I'm sure waitressing is going to come with a unique host of challenges, but it'll be the first time since I got here that I actually feel like I am taking a concrete step toward a future I have control over.

The first time since Mom got sick, really.

I've been in survival mode for so long, the idea of moving forward seems so far out of reach.

When I arrive at work, the restaurant is twice as busy as it was when I was there the first time, despite it only being a weeknight, so I can't help but feel like I bit off more than I can chew.

There's another waitress named Tonya who seems nice enough and takes me under her wing as soon as I show up to don my new uniform. It's definitely not high fashion, just a tight blue T-shirt with the restaurant logo on the left breast pocket, some khaki shorts, and an apron for tips and condiments, but I'm not about to complain.

I need this gig, and by the end of my first shift, as tired as I am and as much as my feet ache, I actually feel like I stand a chance at pulling this off.

The hardest part isn't the customers or the complex orders, it's going to be keeping my moonlight gig a secret from my family. I guess that's another perk of invisibility. But hopefully, I can prove myself reliable long enough that I won't get fired the first time I have to request time off to attend whatever family function Dad pulls me off the shelf for next.

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