Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Alessandro wordlessly pulled his sister into his arms. “It’s fine, sweetheart. We’ve all been living under stress for some time now.” And that, he thought grimly, was a fucking understatement if he ever heard one.
When Esmeralda only nodded against his chest, he asked carefully, “Can you truly not tell me what the fight was about or even just what it was you’ve done?”
With her eyes closed, she could easily replay the entire incident in her mind. “It was a girl in class.” Rica, the blonde beauty who almost every guy in school had or once had a crush on. “She came up to me and asked how much was Domenico selling for since she wanted a pet.” She lifted her head so Alessandro would see how much she didn’t regret what she had done. “I slapped her.” She bit her lip. “She slapped me back, and well, that was that. We didn’t stop fighting until some of the teachers came to break it off.”
“As a teacher, I’d like you to remember that violence is never the answer. But as a Moretti...” An ominous light glinted in his eyes. “I’d have to say you did good, little sister.”
She grinned.
“Is that all then?”
Esmeralda forced herself to keep her grin in place. “Yup.” But it wasn’t. Her fight with Rica was nothing compared to seeing Rica’s older stepbrother looking so grimly disappointed at her afterwards. It had crushed her so much that she had found herself taking refuge in her temper flaring up. Remembering the words she had so rashly thrown at him made her wince now, and she was miserably certain he wouldn’t talk to her after today.
Alessandro noted the way his sister started biting her nails. “Are you sure there’s nothing else that’s troubling you?”
Esmeralda stopped biting her nails. “Nothing.”
They had reached their home by then and as he helped her out of the limousine, Alessandro said, “I shall let Domenico know about this.”
She froze. “Can’t I be the one to do it instead?” She looked at him pleadingly. “I don’t want you and Domenico to keep fighting. It’s not right.”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Esme. Nothing I say can hurt Domenico.” He smiled mockingly. “I’m sure you know about how he wiped the floor with me in the fighting hall.”
Esmeralda shook her head. “You know I don’t mean it that way. Let me please—-”
“No.” His voice was final.
“Just please don’t blame him for this. Everything’s my fault.”
Alessandro frowned at the unhappy expression on his sister’s face as she turned away to head up to her room. He reminded her dryly, “You do remember he’s the eldest among us and that he doesn’t need your protection? No one dies of hurt feelings—-”
Pausing mid-step, she swung around to look at him and said, “Then either you’ve never been in love or you’re deliberately blinding yourself to it.”
She marched off after that, and Alessandro had to admit that her last words made a grand exit. He mentally shook his head. Teenagers.
Alessandro was on his way to Domenico’s property within their compound when he belatedly remembered to check his phone. He swore when he saw several unopened messages, all of them from Kassia.
Kassia: Can you tell me more about how you grew up?
Kassia: Are you suddenly busy?
Kassia: Sorry if I bothered you.
He called her right away, but after the third try, Alessandro knew that Kassia wouldn’t be picking up the call. He hesitated for one moment before deciding to send her a text message.
Alessandro: I apologize for not answering right away. An urgent family matter came up, and I had to take care of it first. May I call you now?
He waited for a full ten minutes, but there was no response.
Fuck it, he thought.
Turning around, he decided that his talk with Domenico could be done another time. This – Kassia – was more important.
Chapter Six
Someone was knocking on her window.
Pushing her chair back with a frown, Kassia stood up and headed to the window. Raising the blinds, she almost tumbled back in shock when she saw the professor balanced on a sturdy branch of the tree across her building.
He gestured for her to open her window, and after a moment’s indecision, she moved to do his bidding. Even though he was the last person on earth she wanted to see right now, it didn’t mean she wanted him dead, which was what he’d certainly be if she left him outside her window.
The professor leapt into the opening without trouble, landing on his two feet with such uncanny grace that Kassia was left blinking. Even if she practiced ookami-kata for years, she didn’t think she’d ever be capable of doing the same thing.
The professor was dressed entirely in black, but the shirt and jeans combination made him look a lot less aloof and serious. He was still gorgeous and sexy, but now his appeal was more rugged than princely.