"Altamira is such a beautiful place, man. They’re right about that," Brian comments as we’re driving. “Yeah, it is,” I mumble. Even at night, you can’t deny the beauty of Altamira. It has the vibe of a Mediterranean city and the exact right amount of urban sophistication. The weather is perfect, it never gets too hot to be unbearable or too cold to be uncomfortable, it’s always just the right temperature. Altamira is unlike any other beach city. I’m kind of sad this is not a secret little paradise anymore. It definitely wasn’t this touristy when I was a kid. "Why the hell did you choose Sendera over this? It's so boring over there, just buildings and buildings,” he complains, driving slowly so he can look at the sea, illuminated by the restaurants and bars next to it. Everyone else is doing the same, though, so it’s not that dangerous. "Honestly, I don't even know how I ended up in Sendera," I murmur, frowning as I try to dig into my damned horrible memory that only holds
When I feel the level of drunkenness I wanted, I wrap my arm around Brian's neck to get more comfortable in his lap. "Are you having fun, Lannister?" I ask when I find his pretty eyes. He’s so handsome, “Because I’m having the most fun ever.” "I always have fun with you," he replies with a smile, his hands wrapping around my waist, "And I'm going to have even more fun once we get back to your place." "I'm going to make you not want to go back to boring Sendera," I murmur against his cheek and then I seek his lips for a deep kiss that Brian returns without any hesitation. I want him… I want… "Lily!" someone shouts my name, making me jump in surprise. I turn towards the male voice, and I squeal in excitement when I see who it is. "Bean Boy!" I shout back, getting up from Brian's lap to go hug my brother, "My new friends know you, this is so cool.” "I know, Leah called me to say she was drinking with my sister... my sister who shouldn’t be drinking?" he says, giving me a
"You smell like a bar," Damon spits out when we're enclosed in the elevator. My heart is going crazy with a mix of fear and… something else, "My father is under the impression that you stopped drinking." "I did in general, but I still can drink once a month. Or a week," I mutter, doing my best not to look up. And fortunately, the elevator doors open before I have to spend more time talking to Damon so I almost run to my apartment. This time when I open my door, there's chaos inside. The two girls I befriended last night are doing something in the kitchen, but my heart nearly stops when I see what Brian is doing. He's reading the papers my mother gave me, specifically Damon's folder. I feel all the blood drain from my body, but thankfully Brian doesn't make a big deal out of the moment. He lowers the papers and has the decency to look embarrassed. "Get out!” Damon yells, kicking the couch where a guy is still sleeping. He wakes up with a gasp, and while that's happening, I mov
"Holy shit," Brian blurts out when we're alone, "What the hell is wrong with that guy? He's a Disney villain but worse." Oh, I know. And I allow myself to laugh for a second before remembering what he was doing when I came back. "Why were you looking through my things?" I ask, biting my lower lip nervously, "That's private... and it was inside my drawer." "When I left your room, the two girls were going through your stuff, including what was in this drawer. They were probably looking for something to steal. I told them to stop, but when I got closer... I just couldn't help my curiosity," he murmurs, his cheeks turning pink with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, but it's so obvious that there's something important in there and my nature is..." "It’s alright," I murmur, understanding. I’m a nosy person too, "But, yeah, it is something important. Did you read anything?" Brian hesitates for a few seconds but finally nods, and I grimace. "Damon Carrington, that's the Disney villain, r
“So, TVD is the company I work for,” Brian starts, and I just look at him with wide, expectant eyes, “The main offices are in Sendera, but there is one here in Altamira. Something like this is exactly what the office here wants… a scandal. If we manage to convince some of the girls to go ahead and sue, we can give TVD the biggest scandal to date. And then Damon is for sure finished. No matter how rich or powerful he is, this will put him in the public eye, and the court of public opinion will devour him. Even if the trial doesn’t go anywhere, it won’t matter; the company will be done. Tundra Models will be canceled, and Damon, at the very least, will be canceled too. Maybe Harry can keep him out of prison, but he’ll never be seen in a good light in Altamira… or maybe even the whole country.” My heart stops completely. That sounds like a solid plan, much better than anything I could come up with on my own. But… damn, when he said ‘country,’ it put everything into perspective for me.
Before getting out, I pull out the gun I carry just to protect myself not to kill anyone, no matter how much I want to. That's the rule I need to follow in order to keep it. I walk to the old raggedy house, not shocked that Dean is friends with someone who lives here. This dumbass always manages to find the worst kinds of people somehow. I knock on the door and wait around ten seconds before a guy opens the door. He's good-looking, I guess, but around five years older than me. Older guys are what Dean usually goes for, so I'm not shocked. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he asks, his eyes wide with shock as he looks at me, then at Dean, "He told you I did something? I didn't!" The idiot tries to close the door in my face, but I’m faster than him and I push the door, giving myself permission to enter. "Where's the watch?" I ask, but the guy just shakes his head, "I know there's a Rolex around here and I know you can't afford that, so where is it?" The guy clasps his fists and his
Brian Lannister is Lily’s new boyfriend, according to Dean. The guy is staying with Lily all weekend, and last night they were all over each other, kissing and touching like the world was about to end. The way that makes me feel almost makes me call Zion for an emergency session, but I don’t. I mean, jealousy is something I’m used to, but this is the first time I see a guy Lily is fucking in person. The other times, it’s only been through pictures. Except this time is different—Lily is spending time with him while she’s sober. I don’t like it. This has the potential to become something serious and it bothers me even to think about it. Lily is still mine. She’s going to be MY girlfriend, not someone else’s. I don’t know when or how, but I’ll make it happen. Once we’re done eating, I drive Dean to the bar where he left his car yesterday and then I go home, fighting the urge to go back to Lily’s house now that I know where she lives. I know I’ll do it soon, but not today
“Thank you, miss. We’ll take the rooms,” I answer for everyone, making three people growl behind me. “Aiden and I can share a bed. And the girls can share the other bed, right? It’s just a couple days.” Dean curses me out for calling him a girl and throws a weak punch to my back. Lily murmurs that it’s okay. “I don’t like this, but it’s not like it matters,” Aiden growls, so angry. Poor thing. My father takes a worried breath and steps closer to put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, man… I’ll make it up to you later,” he promises, “You can choose the destination for the winter break. You can choose anywhere you want. Is that fair?” “Okay… in that case, I want to stay in Altamira all winter,” Aiden says immediately, demolishing my good mood, “I want all of us to stay in Altamira together.” “No,” I say, frowning, “We always go somewhere for the holidays.” “Not this year,” he says, all smiles now. He’s happy to go against me, “We’ll stay home, in the warm winter of Altamira. Tak