Chapter 105 - ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE

Chapter 105: Chapter ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE

ANGEL

Three evenings later, I sauntered downstairs just as Celine was putting the finishing touches on the dining table setup.

Ignoring her entirely, I scraped a chair back, dropped into it, and pulled out my phone. I didn’t bother sparing her a single glance when she set a silver-rimmed plate down in front of me, though I could feel her lingering eyes burning into the side of my face.

She stood there, hovering like an unwanted shadow. I nearly rolled my eyes right into the back of my skull. Honestly, I felt like giving myself a fucking medal for exercising such unbelievable restraint. Look at me, behaving like a saint. Daddy would be so damn proud if he were here to see his little girl holding back.

The saintly act didn’t last long.

"Do you need anything else, Miss?" she asked, her tone dripping with that insincere, servant-politeness that made my skin crawl.

I slowly lifted my head, letting my gaze drag up her body with agonizing slowness before pausing on her hair. That fucking strawberry blonde hair. It looked so much like Camilla’s that a sudden, violent urge to yank her by the roots and slam her face into the mahogany table surged through my chest.

I plastered a wide, fake smile across my face.

"If I did, Celine, don’t you think I’d have the mouth to tell you myself?" I pouted. "But since you’re so eager to be useful, why don’t you just make yourself scarce? I’ll serve Daddy when he gets here. You know... considering I actually know how he likes to be handled."

I caught the subtle tightening around her mouth, the flare of her nostrils, the quiet fury she was trying so hard to hide.

Go ahead, I thought, leaning back and resting my chin in my hand, my smirk widening. Say something. Give me a reason to tear you apart before he walks through that door.

She swallowed her retort down, the muscle in her jaw working overtime. I watched with pure, pettiness as she turned on her heel and walked away, her footsteps landing a little too sharp, a little too loud against the marble floor.

I went right back to scrolling on my phone, humming softly to myself, utterly delighted by my own toxicity.

I paused on a social media post. On my screen were two faces I recognized. Madison Pierre and Tyler Denver. High school sweethearts who’d been nauseating even back then, always holding hands in the hallways and making everyone around them feel single and unloved.

I was surprised to see that they’d gotten married. I double-tapped the post, taking in details of her wedding dress when a notification slid down from the top of my screen.

’Hey. I heard you came looking for me.’

My thumb froze mid-swipe.

Kevin?

The message barely had time to register when my phone buzzed again, it was an incoming call.

My head snapped up, scanning the large dining room. The house suddenly felt too quiet.

I stood up slowly and walked to the balcony, my bare feet silent against the floor. The evening air was cool against my bare legs, Vincenzo’s shirt not quite long enough to protect me from the chill.

I glanced back toward the house one more time to ensure I was really alone before clicking the answer button.

"Hey."

"Fuck. You answered." Kevin’s voice filled my ear. He sounded surprised. Almost disbelieving. "It’s been a while."

"How are you?"

"Alive. Which is more than I expected after everything." He paused. A second stretched into two. "What happened that day? I tried calling you once I woke up. You were just... gone. I was worried you were dead."

"It’s... a long story."

"I’ve got time. I’m not exactly running marathons these days." A humorous edge crept into his voice. "Can we meet?"

I wanted to say no. The word was right there, sitting on my tongue.

Daddy wouldn’t approve. He would probably lose his mind if I met the guy who’d been supplying me those candies—the ones he’d taken to his room and I’d never seen again.

Despite knowing this, I still couldn’t help but think Kevin’s call had come at the perfect time.

He could take me to The Scavenger’s Club.

And I was certain he would definitely want revenge against the sister of the man who’d kept him bedridden for months.

I smiled to myself, feeling it curl slowly and satisfied across my face.

This opportunity was too good to waste.

"Yeah. Let’s do that. I’ll text you." I said instead.

"Cool." Relief flooded his voice. "Be careful, Angel."

"Always," I said sweetly, and hung up.

"Who was that?"

I flinched, my phone nearly slipping from my fingers.

Vincenzo’s voice came from behind me.

Shit.

How long had he been standing there?

I turned around slowly, buying myself time to arrange my face into something innocent. He was leaning against the balcony doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, sleeves rolled to his forearms. Watching me.

My brain ran through the conversation at lightning speed. I hadn’t said Kevin’s name out loud. Had I?

"Just a friend from school." I shrugged, keeping my voice light.

A frown deepened Vincenzo’s brow ridges.

"Which friend?"

"Madison." I held up my phone, showing him the Instagram post still on my screen. "She just got married. Can you believe it? We’re barely out of high school and she’s already got a ring."

My voice dips into something wistful. "I can’t help but feel a little jealous," I sighed.

Vincenzo studied me from the doorway. His gaze moved between my face and the phone, reading me the way he always did—like I was a book he’d memorized but still didn’t quite trust.

He didn’t ask further. Much to my relief.

And also my annoyance. Because I wanted him to make a comment about the wedding. The one where I’d be his bride.

"Come inside," he said instead. "Dinner’s ready."

I swallowed my disappointment and followed him in.