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He leaves, slamming the door behind him.
Donatello turns to me. “I’m sorry about him. He has just been—”
“He hates me,” I say.
Donatello’s face softens.
“He doesn’t hate you. You know he is just bitter about you hitting him.”
I shake my head. The look in his eyes felt so familiar. I had seen that look in the eyes of many men who had betrayed me in the past. It was unmistakable.
“Can I have some time alone?” I ask.
“Of course,” Donatello replies hurriedly. He walks to the door and stops.
“I—I don’t know if this means anything at this point, but there is no man more capable of running this business than you.”
I give what I can only hope is a smile. “Thanks, brother.”
I turn my chair to face the open window, and I stare out at the sunset.
I lose track of time, and I melt into nothingness. My brothers have lost faith in me, and I might just have fallen in love with the one woman I should never have fallen for.
The sun begins to give way to the darkness when I hear a gentle knock on the door.
I don’t answer, so it comes again.
After the second knock, I hear the doorknob turn. I whip out my gun and turn, pointing it as the door falls open.
She is clad in a black nightdress that barely covers her body. Her hair is tied up in a messy bun, with strands falling over her face.
“There you are.”
She looks unfazed at the sight of me pointing a gun at her. She is holding a tray of food. The aroma of the warm food fills the room, and I tuck my gun back into its holster.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
She places the food on my desk carefully.
“I got bored, and I decided to take a walk. On my way here, I overheard the maids saying that you hadn’t come out of your study for hours.”
She looks up at me with a soft smile.
“They were too scared to trouble you, so I decided I’d bring you a meal myself. I brought you leftovers from lunch.”
I clench my fist as I watch her set the table, unbothered by my agitation.
“I could have shot you.”
“And yet, you didn’t.”
I inhale. “Get out. Now.”
She looks up to meet my eyes, and then she walks up to me. She slowly moves her hands to my face and strokes my cheek.
Her hands smell like freshly plucked lilies. The scent is subtle, yet enchanting. Our eyes meet again, and every nerve in my body holds me back from pulling her to me and burying my lips in her neck.
I jolt back to reality, and I snatch her hands away.
