Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Speaking of which! I reached into my pocket before I remembered. Shit, she has my phone. I guess I have two things to take care of when I return home this evening.
GABRIEL
That evening when we got home from school, I made my excuses and went to take care of my business. “Where’re you going? Aren’t you going to hang out with us?” Anna stepped in my way to block me.
“You two have Tai Chi in half an hour; take Gianna to the training room with you.” I didn’t look at Gianna before heading for the stairs.
She must think I’m a real asshole right about now since I haven’t said two words to her since picking her up from her class and all the way on the ride home. I know the twins picked up on my cold indifference and overcompensated by talking even more than usual; that’s why they’re both giving me death glares now.
Whatever! I don’t see what the big deal is; it’s not like she talks any damn way. I stomped into my room and slammed the door behind me, locking it to keep out unwanted guests—namely, two Italian spitfires who hate when shit isn’t going their way. By the time I reached the walk-in closet, I realized I was pissed at her.
The anger seems to have sprung out of nowhere, no that’s not exactly true; I know where it came from. I spent way too much time in the last few days thinking about her. She’s interrupting my flow, taking my thoughts away from the things that matter most. I don’t want this feeling of responsibility, and I certainly don’t need the distraction now when I’m this close to realizing my goals.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was a plant. Someone the enemy put in my path to send me off course, but since I know that not to be true, I can only question why the heavens have decided to mess with me. What can be the point? My mind’s already set, and there’s no turning back.
Even now, as I think this, after years of exemplary self-control, years spent ignoring every and anything that might stand in my way, a vision of her face played through my head. It’s been like that all day and was still there after I changed clothes and walked back into the bedroom to look up the number for the breeder who’s the only one my family deals with to order her a damn dog, and again when I placed a duplicate order to the dealer in London where I got my custom-made phone. Paying a few thousand dollars extra to escalate the order only made me want to pull my hair out.
I know what’s going on here; of course, I do. I didn’t reach genius status by being an ass. But I refuse to be that fucking human, not after years spent training myself to be something other. I’ve trained my sisters to survive without me, though they have no idea that that’s the reason behind all the things I’ve been teaching them from young.
I know my mother is loved and will be protected once I’m gone, so I have no worries there either. These are the things I’ve trained myself to accept, the life I planned for myself, a life that would end soon if all goes as planned. So how dare she?
I flipped on the security screen in the training room to see her sitting on the sidelines, looking on as my sisters did their routine. Just as I expected, they were talking her into joining them. So skittish, what the hell am I supposed to do with that? She acts like she’s afraid of her own damn shadow.
Watching her only fueled my anger, so I switched the screen off, only to pace the room like a caged animal. I feel like I’m being torn in two, and my head is about to explode. I hate this feeling of weakness she brought to me. I don’t want to care, don’t want to worry about her or if she’s okay. The twins are younger, and if someone like Victoria stepped into their lives, they’d have dropped her on her ass long ago.
I have no patience for this. Lance is the only one outside of the family that I’ve let get close, and I no longer worry about him, not since we were about eight and I helped him vanquish his bullies. He was there before I learned the truth, before I put my guard up, and refused to let anyone else in. Plus, I know Pop will take care of him.
There was a knock at the door, and I opened it to find Lance standing there as if he'd somehow sensed my thoughts. “What’s up?” I asked as he brushed by me and plopped his ass down in one of the chairs in my sitting room.