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When Penelope’s eyes harden and narrow to slits, I smile widely at her and speak before she has a chance to. “I just wanted to thank you.”
“What?” both she and her mother say at the same time.
“Well, after all, you being too sick to come to dinner on Friday is the reason that Izabella and I met. It was love at first sight. I just knew in an instant that she was the girl of my dreams, and it’s all thanks to you. If she’d never attended in your place, I might never have even known she existed, so thank you. Your beautiful sister has made me the happiest man alive.”
Trudy’s face turns white, then red so quickly, I’m honestly concerned that she might actually combust when she turns her furious glare at Penelope, who splutters, “But Izabella said?—”
I interrupt her again. “We’d agreed to keep our love a secret. Because Izzy thought it was all too quick, but I just couldn’t wait a moment longer. I want the entire world to know that Izabella Rhodes has captured my heart, and now, well, the cat’s out of the bag.”
Both Penelope and Trudy’s eyes slowly move from me down to Izzy, who is still wrapped protectively in my arms. Somehow her already tense muscles stiffen even further at the pure hatred that’s pouring from her twin and mother in waves.
“Ladies, if you’ll excuse us for just a moment,” I say, dismissing them both as I curl my arm around her back and steer Izzy out of the room and down the hallway until we’re out of sight and hearing distance of everyone else. There’s so much that I don’t know about Izzy and why she’s hidden herself away for all these years, but it’s obvious that she doesn’t have a great relationship with her family. It’s not a massive shock, the Rhodeses are assholes, and Izzy seems almost sweet. So, although I’m using her, it almost feels like I’m helping her too. Or at least that’s what I tell myself when I drop my arm and spin around to face her, flashing her a smug smile. “I know you’re mad, but did you see their faces?” I laugh.
I guess I’m expecting her to laugh too, or at least smile, but instead her eyes widen, filling with what I think is anger and another emotion that I can’t quite identify. Lifting her finger, she points at me, her lips parting, then closing again. She takes a step back away from me, then almost immediately moves forward again, lifting her other hand until she has both hands held out in front of her, like she’s planning to reach out and shove me, before they fall impotently to her sides.
I think she might actually be so angry she can’t speak. I’d been wondering why she hadn’t corrected me or revealed the truth, since I dropped the diamond bomb. I thought her silence seemed odd, but now I think she might be so furious that her brain is about to implode.
“Look, I know you’re probably wondering why I just did what I did.”
She inhales sharply, closing her eyes for a split second before she opens them again, the violet in her gaze brighter than I’ve seen it before. “Do you have any idea how much shit you just caused for me? Do you even care?”
Her voice gets louder until she’s just shy of yelling, and I grab her arm. I pull her into the library, closing the door behind us. “Look, I’m sorry if you think this is going to cause problems for you, but I’m going to need you to play along.”
“You’re sorry if I think this is going to cause problems for me?” she parrots back, not hiding the derision in her voice. “Of course, this is going to cause problems for me. You basically just told my family I stole you from my sister. Why are you even doing all of this?”
Smirking, I scoff. “Because I’m not a fucking political pawn, and I refuse to be treated like one.”
“That’s it? You’re fucking me over to prove a point? Surely you could have done that without dragging me into this,” she cries.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think about you,” I confess. “But when you think about it, I’m making your life better. I mean, what the fuck else were you doing other than hiding?”
Her mouth falls open, and something shutters in her eyes, making a pang of regret tug at my stomach. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she opens them and looks at me coldly. “You’ve ruined everything. We were never supposed to have met.”
“And why is that?” I snap, suddenly angry. “Why weren’t we supposed to have met? Don’t give me that antisocial bullshit. Even in the time I’ve spent with you today, we both know you’re not antisocial. You’re not a recluse or a weirdo, so why is it your family has tried so hard to make sure no one knows you exist?”
“My family is none of your business,” she snaps angrily.
Turning, she steps toward the door, but snapping my hand out, I grab her wrist, stopping her. “Your family is a fucking nightmare,” I hiss. “But my dad wanted an alliance with your family, so I gave him one…you.”
“What if I’m unstable or a drug addict? What if I already have a boyfriend?” she cries, stepping closer to me and punctuating each point by stabbing me in the chest with her finger.
Boyfriend? Why does her suggesting that make me want to lash out? Smiling coldly, I arch an eyebrow at her. “I don’t give a crap what kind of psycho you are, that’s not my problem. You’re just a means to an end, but this can be a quid pro quo situation for both of us. You can stop living your weird recluse life, and I can piss your family off and appease my dad. Win, win.”
“Win, fucking win,” she mutters angrily.
I can’t help but smile. The more time I’ve spent with her today, the more the timid little mouse shield has dissolved, and I love the angry firecracker that’s beneath it.
“This is all so much fucking fun for you, isn’t it? Except you get to laugh it up, and I have to go home with them. I have to deal with the fact that you just told my family that I stole my sister’s future right out from under her nose and ruined all of the plans my parents have been making. Yeah, douchebag, this is all hilarious.”
Scoffing lightly, I roll my eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”
Her eyes narrow and she glares at me before she spins on her heel and marches back toward the living room, muttering loudly beneath her breath. “This is ridiculous. I’ll have to tell them the truth. You’re such a fucking dick.”
Closing the distance between us in two short strides, I grab her arm and spin her around, slamming her back into the wall before I pin her arms at her sides and press my chest against hers, holding her in place. Her eyes widen, and her strange violet depths flash with fear.
“I’m not going to let you fuck this up for me,” I growl.
“You can’t stop me from telling the truth,” she argues, but her voice is weak as the pulse in her neck flutters.
