Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 493(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Another swirl of nervous energy. But it doesn’t matter if she quits. I don’t live there anymore, and she’s not my employee.
We’re just friends. This is normal, regular friend stuff.
“You could always come work at Adriano’s place,” I say, sort of joking, but also desperate to have our old relationship back.
She just laughs, though. “Come on, do you really want that?”
“I miss seeing you every day too.”
“Yeah, totally, but you don’t need me hanging around. Besides, does Adriano have much of a staff?”
“Not really,” I admit. “Unless you count a bunch of hulking, dangerous guards as staff.”
“Which I don’t.” Kennedy nudges my drink toward me. “Come on, be happy you escaped your grandmother’s clutches.”
“I don’t feel like I have much to be happy about right now. You know, the whole car bombing at my wedding thing?”
Kennedy flinches a little. “I’ve been trying to forget that.”
“Yeah, same. How’s that going?”
“Not great.”
“Also same.” I lean against her, and my anxiety slowly melts away. This feels so completely normal. There’s no strain, no awkwardness. We’re just friends. Normal friends, without any hang-ups around money or social standing or anything like that.
Although I’m aware of people looking in our direction. Moonlight’s popular right now, which means a lot of Philly’s society people show up here. I recognize one guy sitting at a corner table in the usual finance bro costume: long sleeve button-down with a Patagonia black vest over it. He’s a minor son from some secondary family or whatever, but he definitely recognizes me.
I’m self-conscious, stepping back into this world. I’ve been out of it for so long, but now my marriage to Adriano is enormous news. And it doesn’t help that our wedding is currently the most notorious social event of the last decade on account of the attack.
Still, it’s good to be out with a friend. Kennedy complains about the rest of the Willing-Morris staff and my grandmother in particular, and I tell her a little about living at the Marino Mansion.
“His dad’s really that sick?” she asks, frowning sympathetically.
“He doesn’t like to talk about it, but yeah, I think he doesn’t really come out of his room. I haven’t actually met him yet, so I don’t know all the details.”
“Hold on. You live with this guy, and you haven’t met him?”
“It’s a really big house, and he honestly never comes out of his suite. I met his nurse though. She’s like the housekeeper too.” I tell her a little about Donatella, the only person at the mansion who I actually like. Although some of the guards aren’t too bad.
“God, that’s so bleak.” Kennedy stares at her drink. “Imagine living in a house with your sick father and never talking about it.”
“Honestly, sounds about normal for my world.”
“That’s true. You rich people are all—” She rolls a finger at her head.
“More money, more problems.”
“More like: more money, more dark hidden secrets.”
“Oh, come on, my family doesn’t have dark secrets.”
Her eyebrows raise to her hairline. “Are you serious right now?”
“What? We’re almost normal!”
She cracks up, shaking her head. I grin at her and sip my drink. It’s fruity and strong, and by the time I finish it and consider a second, I feel pleasantly tipsy.
Kennedy takes control of the conversation, and I feel normal for a little while. Sure, some society assholes are hanging around and watching us like hawks, but I don’t care about them. I’m out with a friend having a drink like a normal, regular person, and I’m ready to put all my problems behind me. No more family shame. No more social outcast status. Just a married woman doing her own thing.
Until a shadow lands across the bar, and Kennedy’s face turns pale.
“Uh, Lucy?” She nods at the person lurking behind me.
Slowly, I turn to face my husband.
Adriano stares at me with the coldest expression I’ve ever seen on a person. He’s looking at me like he wants to turn me into an ice cube.
“Hello, husband,” I say with false cheer. “Lovely to see you. What brings you to this bar, of all places?”
His eye twitches. “Time to go,” he says.
“Oh, don’t be rude.” My smile gets sharp. I feel a rumble of anger in my chest. “You remember Kennedy from the wedding?”
Kennedy waves awkwardly. “Nice to see you again, Adriano.”
He doesn’t even look in her direction. “You know the rules,” he says, practically breathing snow in my face.
“I left a note.” I raise my chin defiantly. “Wasn’t that your whole thing? Tell Luca before I leave?”
His jaw ticks. I can tell his facade is cracking. “It’s time to go home now, wife,” he says through his teeth.
“Why don’t you sit down and join us?” I gesture at the empty stool to my right.
“Uhhhh, while this looks totally normal and fun, I think I’m just going to head home.” Kennedy starts to stand.