Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 62056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
I quickly get rid of my smile, and Lou laughs.
"It's a boy, I take it?"
I growl in denial, but this only makes Lou start whistling like he's gotten the better of me.
Grrr.
Lou drops me off at the clubhouse at my request, and I head straight to the locker room to swap my clothes for a one-piece. I always feel like a poser whenever I'm walking around the clubhouse, and today isn't any different. Nik is the only reason I'm a member here, and since membership comes with $1,000 worth of noncumulative consumables that renews every month, I don't ever want the billionaire to think I'm letting his money go to waste.
I make sure every dollar of my consumables is spent, but I'm also just as careful at not spending even a single penny over it.
One of the pool bar attendants immediately comes over to my table. "Welcome back, Ms. Raptis."
"Hey, Chuck." We're all on first-name basis here, with how often I've been coming here, plus Nik making it clear in an official work memo that I'm part of his family.
"Wanna give today's special a try?"
"Only if it fits my budget."
He grins at the way I use air quotes on the last word. "It does, don't worry."
My phone rings just as Chuck walks away, and the sound startles me into answering the call without checking the screen. "Hello?"
"Oh my God, Lei," a voice shrieks into my ear. "I just heard from Daria!"
I nearly drop my phone.
Io?
Why is she calling me all of a sudden? Isn't it still like midnight there? Can't this wait for next morning or—-
Trauma erupts out of nowhere to seize my throat in a chokehold.
Oh God.
I'm suddenly back where I'm started, and I'm frozen in my seat with terror.
What if this is it?
I've been hell-bent distracting myself so I can have a normal life, when all along I should've been focused on my sister and keeping an eye out for any signs of her cancer returning?
My head starts to pound, but I do my best to ignore the pain.
"Io?" My voice sounds shaky even to my ears. "Are you okay?"
Io only laughs. "Don't you try changing the subject." Her voice turns expectant. "Tell me then. Is it true? Andie says you've started dating."
Why are we talking about 'dating' when she's dying?
"I can't believe my little sister is all grown up now," my sister exclaims. "And I know this is going to sound stupid, but I just have to ask."
My heart beats triple time.
Here it is.
She probably wants to know when she can meet this nonexistent guy I'm dating, and it's because her cancer is back, and—-
"It's not Nik, is it?"
Her words work like a slap in the face, and the sheer grossness of it has me emerging from my shock.
"Oh my God, Io. EEEEW!"
"I just want to be sure," my sister protests sheepishly. "You know what happened to Daria's friend—-"
"Please excuse me while I throw up—-"
"So it's really not Nik?"
"Gross, Io! Just gross!" My skin crawls at just hearing his name uttered in this context.
"I'm sorry," Io apologizes with a laugh. "I just really had to ask—-"
"Can we stop talking about this for now?" I'm desperately in need for a change of subject to preserve my sanity. "Let's talk about you, Greece, or anything else under the sun—-"
"Okay, okay, I get it. And I'm doing really great here, if that's what you're asking, and—-oh, has Nik said anything about our house?"
"Nothing yet," I lie without hesitation, "but I'm sure he'll let me know when it's safe to go back."
"Keep me posted on that, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
I hear Io cough as she says good night, but she's already hung up before I can ask her if she's okay.
Shit, shit, shit.
Chuck comes back with my order, and I thank him in a daze.
You're paranoid. Just paranoid.
But pain is already squeezing the sides of my temple, and my lungs are struggling to function yet again.
Calm down, calm down.
After everything she's been through, my sister knows better than to hide anything about her illness.
She'll tell me if something's wrong.
But she hasn't.
And so that means she's okay.
Do you hear that, Leah?
Io is fine, and it's me who'll be in trouble if Nik finds out I'm having headaches again.
So go away, stupid headache!
But it only gets worse as time passes, and I'm forced to take some painkillers when it's time for me to go to bed. My skull feels like it's about to explode, and I just know there's only one way to put an end to this.
I need to forget I'm Leah for a moment and ask—-
What would you do, Temptation...if you were in my shoes?
Ten
Adam had been fighting against the urge to contact Temptation the entire day. His 8AM surgery had been a success, and with no patients scheduled to visit the clinic, Joelle had taken the rest of the day off while Adam struggled to look for something to occupy his time.