Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
"This is my sister, Mr. Paccio. My. Sister." There's so much menace in his tone that even I'm a little worried right now.
Fear slowly trickles into the asshole's eyes. "Fuck."
"Yeah, you got that right. Spread the word. Touch my sister, and I will remove your balls and feed them to you while she watches. Fuck with my family again, and it will be the last thing you do. Do you understand?"
The man nods, and Sebastian takes a wavering step backward. Since his grandfather’s death, he’s been more menacing, colder, and, dare I say, crueler. It’s like all the trauma is finally weighing down on him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to carry that weight, even if he does so well.
Bel looks between Seb and myself, almost as if she’s uncertain which one of us is the bad guy. Before she can make her decision, Seb gently cups Bel's shoulder and leads her back into the party.
She glances back at the bathroom door longingly, and I shake my head. Paccio sneers at me, and I’m certain I’m going to have to wipe the floor with his face, but he chooses better of it and turns, heading toward the kitchen as one of the staff scurries to clean his blood off the floor.
"I see you're making friends already, Son." My father's cold voice greets me from behind.
I turn, keeping my face neutral. "Of course, you know how much I love to converse. I’m pretty sure I’ll be at master level here soon.”
His eyes narrow with annoyance, and he closes the distance between us, shoving right into my face. "You fuck any of this up for me, and you’re done. I'll take you out back and put a bullet in your head myself. I'm fucking tired of dealing with you. You’re more of a liability to this family than you are good.”
I grind my teeth but keep my mouth shut for once. There are so many things I want to say to him, so many things I want to do, but I know my day will come soon enough. Karma is a real bitch, and far meaner than I ever will be.
He turns on his feet, dismissing me, and walks over to greet Sebastian, clapping him on the shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Bel, who slowly retreats backward. It’s painfully obvious that she doesn’t want to be near my father, which is understandable. She looks as if she’s undecided on what to do but then walks away, heading toward the bar. Good girl. It pleases me so much that she follows her gut instinct. I don’t want my father anywhere near her, not after what happened. I can’t let that nightmare repeat itself.
I watch casually as my father speaks to Sebastian in a low tone with bowed heads. The conversation lasts but seconds. Sebastian shakes his grip off and laughs menacingly, dismissing my father and whatever he said in favor of going to find Bel. I can’t help but smile.
Looks like I'm not the only one screwing things up tonight. It's almost satisfying to see the angry disappointment on my father's face. He turns away, ignoring my existence altogether, and I cut into the crowd to keep an eye on Bel from a distance.
No one touches her.
No one looks at her.
The Wallflower is mine.
26
BEL
Ihate to admit it, but I expected more guns and fighting than this. Not that this is bad, but I didn’t anticipate a bunch of old men sitting around talking while their wives or mistresses drink themselves into a stupor. Maybe that's the key to getting through these events. Drink until you fall asleep.
I guess, boring or not, I'm here to support Sebastian.
I cradle the glass of wine to my chest and smile at the older woman sitting in front of me. She waves animatedly, telling me a story about a ski trip she just took with her cousin, who I strongly believe is definitely her boyfriend and not her cousin.
At least, by the way she talks about him. I listen just enough to nod and answer any questions she might toss my way, but I’m not involved in the depth of it.
I’m distracted from the conversation when the soft ringing of a bell fills the space. I glance around the room to see where it’s coming from. The lady in front of me claps her hands excitedly, drawing my attention back to her.
"Oh, finally, dinner. The best part. At least after dinner, we’re closer to being done. I abhor these social gatherings, really."
I give her a nod, not really sure what to say since this is my first one, and maybe my last. Everyone meanders into the dining room, their chatter following them.
My eyes fall onto the massive table set for more people than I care to count. Deep breath. It’s just dinner. What could possibly go wrong? I take one step forward and find Sebastian by my side. His presence calms me and reminds me that I’m not in this alone. He gives me a slight smile, the best I’m going to get, I suppose, for the night and guides me to our seats. I look at the head of the table and spot Drew sitting right next to his father.