Angelica Curtis returned faster than I thought, his mouth practically watering. “Can I have my breakfast now?” He asked, but instead of taking his seat, he slid up behind me and grabbed my waist. For a second, I wasn’t sure whether he was talking about the pancakes or something else. Pretending not to understand his double meaning, I scooted away and plated his pancakes. “Here. Do you want anything with it?” “Jasmine syrup.” He answered without flinching. I eyed the jasmine tea he had asked a maid to bring earlier and raised a brow. Was he addicted to jasmines? What an odd preference. Keeping that in mind, I took my seat just as Maverick walked into the dining room. “Maverick?” Curtis was as puzzled as I was. “Hey Ricky.” I waved at him. The elderly man tried his best to ignore me but his face still cracked a smile. I took that as a chance to win him over. “Do you want to join us for breakfast? I accidentally made too much.” That was a lie. I knew Maverick was on his way over t
I should have covered my hair up before coming down here. Spider would roast me for ages if I told him that but this room was so white and sterile that I was certain a strand of my hair would stand out if it dropped anywhere. I was relieved when I found a light switch and turned it on. After taking more pictures, I set a timer for ten minutes and got to work. Within two minutes, I couldn’t decide whether Curtis was less cautious than he appeared or arrogant as fuck. I had found a vault and its passcode wasn’t even activated. For a moment, I thought that was because there was nothing inside but that was until I saw the photo album lying inside. After cautiously checking for booby traps, I took it and set it on the nearest counter to open it. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the photos. Some of them were poor quality from many years ago and I needed to take a closer look but they were mostly pictures of the Arciero family. There was a myriad with Curtis and Crystal—Jeez, s
The drive to Silverwood Psychiatric Hospital was nerve-wracking. It should have been the time I got to bug Spider for more information about the vault because he was just that kind of human being. He wouldn’t tell me anything without hours of back-and-forth and eventually coercion. However, I couldn’t do any of that in Curtis’s car when I couldn’t be sure whether or not there was a hidden camera. Biting my tongue, I pulled into the hospital and checked in, then let Gia show me to the garden where Crystal supposedly was. She was visibly uncomfortable around me so I didn’t try to strike up a conversation, only following her lead. Crystal was sitting on a bench next to a patch of roses, head cast down as she mumbled something to herself. She looked nothing like she was the previous two times. I had been scared she would be disappointed when I got out of Curtis’s car instead of him but this was worse. Seeing her like this was gnawing at me. “Feel free to call me if you need me.” Gia of
Curtis I couldn’t care less what happened to Arciero Industries. However, I had vowed to protect grandfather’s hard work and that included the company I wanted nothing to do with. So before meeting up with Giancarlo, I had held a four-hour-long meeting with the board and listened to them rant about what had become of the great Arciero family. “And now they want you to be their new CEO?” He asked. He was more amused than he should be, laughing about me being stuck in a lengthy meeting that I would rather not be in. “They want an Arciero to be their new CEO. It’s a family company but somehow no Arciero is involved with the company business.” I explained, pointedly letting him know what I was getting at. He feigned ignorance. “If you didn’t kick our uncles out of the company, there would be Arcieros actively involved in the business.” I frowned at his logic. Was I supposed to let them keep running the company to the ground? After grandfather’s death, father had taken it upon himself
AngelicaOne minute, I was on a phone call with Spider, and the next, I was stuttering before Curtis like a cat got my tongue. I couldn't form a statement that made the tiniest amount of sense. It was a surprise he hadn't walked off. "Yes." I muttered. Although I had said yes twice, he looked confused—rightfully so, I wasn't certain either. "I don't know…" I cracked my knuckles in rapid succession. "I just… I do want you to stay. There's no doubt about that.""What's the worst that could happen?" He asked, closing in the distance between us. "Huh?" I was already too nervous for my own good before he got so close. Now that we were merely a breath apart, my brain was a chaotic mush. "What would go wrong if I stayed?" His eyes dropped to my lips and I couldn't stop myself from liking them until he grinned. Something told me he knew exactly what he was doing to me and he was enjoying it too much. "Nothing." I tried not to succumb to the allure of his eyes. "But… I don't want to have
My first instinct was to want to take off, but I instantly knew whoever was coming in was not Curtis. Not that it would be a good idea to hide if Curtis was the one coming in. He would find me either way, and hiding would only prove I knew I wasn’t supposed to be here. Would it save my life if I feigned ignorance and babbled about accidentally stepping on the wrong tile and coming in here because it made me curious to see the floor randomly open up? I would probably die either way. When I saw Spider finally walk in, I was not relieved. I rolled my eyes. “Were you a ghost in your past life?” “Don’t judge me. You were probably the devil.” He shot back. Once again, he was out of sorts. He looked and sounded furious, as though even doing something basic like walking and talking was taking a toll on him. “Did you take the wrong medicine today?” I teased. He walked past me, ignoring my puzzled look as he started ransacking the room. I shrugged his insane mood off and watched him searc
The Viper. I was not unaware of the shift in Spider’s loyalty. He was furious that he had to go behind Angelika’s back. I could understand his stance; the two of them had been through thick and thin together. What I couldn’t understand is why it mattered. Angelika was proving to be exactly like every other woman—useless. “Did you find her?” I asked as soon as he walked in through the door of my office. “I haven't yet." He responded with a sulk he wasn't even trying to hide. "What did you spend all your time doing if you cannot even locate a teenage girl?" He clenched and unclenched his fists, mouth foaming in anger. "Maybe she doesn't want to be located. Maybe she's dead. Who knows?" "Don't you dare throw that at me." I slammed my fist on the table and instantly calmed myself. How ironic did it look? I had taught them how to hold back their feelings yet here I was, letting my anger erupt. Maybe that was why Angelika wasn't so good at hiding her growing crush for that Arciero bas
Angelica “You’re in a good mood,” Curtis remarked to my overly enthusiastic greeting. “I missed you,” I said. It wasn’t true. I was only putting on a show for Klara and The Viper who I knew was watching. Fine, I just couldn’t stop myself from hugging him and I really had missed him. He had gone to bed late last night, in his own room, and left early this morning so I didn’t get to see him in more than twenty-four hours. Why that mattered, I had no idea. And I certainly wasn’t ready to start psychoanalyzing everything I felt. Speaking of which, Klara grabbed my hand and dragged me aside, lowering her voice in panic. “Are you feeling alright?” “Of course. Why not?” I answered, then instantly remembered what we had been talking about before I decided to lie about not feeling okay and calling Curtis over. Damn it. I had forgotten everything as soon as I saw him. “I’m so sorry I put you in this kind of situation.” I distracted her, dragging her attention to the fact that Curtis had j