Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 119(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
“Anymore,” Cillian adds for me. I turn back to my brother and glare, and it makes him smirk. Any annoyance I felt at my brother fades instantly. Getting even a half of a smile from him is a total win in my book. “Is this your revenge?” He motions to my dress.
“Maybe.” I run my hands down the soft material.
“Make sure your revenge doesn’t end up hurting yourself.” Well, shit. That’s a bit of a buzzkill. Why does he have to go and be all wise?
“Cillian,” I sigh. “This is bull crap. Look at our parents. They're so in love. I mean, it’s already going to be hard to find someone to live up to that. They’ve made me believe what they have is possible and then they hand me over to Felipe!”
“You say the word, Ames, and I’ll have you on a plane,” he offers.
“I know,” I sigh. “What do you think of Felipe?” I know he thinks he’s not good enough, but I want to know more. Or maybe it’s better not to know.
“Not much really. Met him a few times, but his scenes are not my scenes.” I snort a laugh, thinking about Cillian being at some club partying it up. Not likely. “He asked for you.”
“What?” I gasp in surprise. I didn’t see that coming. “Like personally?”
“Their family reached out to us. He also turned down your dowry.” I try to wrap my mind around that. “Are you trying to work that out too?” I nod. “Makes two of us.” Cillian folds his arms over his chest, which is something he always does when he’s deep in thought. “And you’ve never met him?”
“No.” We could have crossed paths, but I’ve never been introduced to him. I would have been too shy back when I had a giant crush on him. After I learned more about him, I would have avoided it.
“Like I said—”
“I know, Cillian.” I reach out and grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Why don’t you have some fun tonight too?”
“Don’t push it,” he grumbles as we pull up to the event.
“You want to go around?” I ask, knowing he’s not a fan of the red carpet.
“I’ll be fine.” He pulls on his mask, and I follow suit, putting mine into place.
“To the back please,” I tell Henry anyway.
“Why?” Cillian asks. I can’t read his expression with the mask on.
“I want to blend in.” I don’t want to be the ice queen Amelia Flores. Tonight, I’m going to be free.
Chapter Four
Felipe
“How long do we have to stay?” Glenda asks as she holds tighter to my arm.
“Just long enough for me to speak to a few people.” I glance down at her and see she’s biting her bottom lip. “Why are you suddenly so nervous? You were excited five minutes ago.”
“The crowd is making me anxious.” I know my sister isn’t used to being around a lot of people, so I can see how this might be overwhelming.
“Come on, let me take you into the ballroom. It’s less crowded, and the room is bigger.”
“Okay,” she says softly as she walks closely to me through the sea of bodies.
“The entrance is always the worst. People want their pictures taken and then stand around and talk about how wonderful they are.”
She snorts, and I feel her relax by a fraction. She’s wearing a pale pink gown that has long lace sleeves and a high neck. It’s like she didn’t want to expose any part of her body if possible. I’m not sure why she’s always covering up, but she seems to feel more comfortable in big baggy clothes and gowns that go to the floor. It doesn’t bother me one bit because she’ll always be my baby sister, even if she’s now of age.
“Felipe?” I hear Beckett say from behind me, and I turn around to see him standing there. “Thank god, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, but everyone has these damn masks on.” He glances at Glenda and goes in for a hug. “And it looks like you’ve got the belle of the ball on your arm tonight.”
“You’re only saying that because you want me to like you more than Felipe,” Glenda teases.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll always be my little sister too.” Beckett holds out his arm, and she takes it after releasing mine. “Come dance with me, I don’t want any of these old ladies pinching my ass.”
“Great, now who am I supposed to talk to?” I look around the room, but Beckett is right. With all these masks, it’s impossible to tell who’s who, and I don’t want to end up talking to someone I don’t want to.
He’s in a black tux with a mask that looks like some kind of bird, and Glenda’s is pink and resembles a butterfly. The theme was nature, and some people went all out. Mine is simple and solid black with eyes cut like a panther. If Beckett couldn’t tell who I was, that means nobody will. I should take advantage of this while I can.