Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
This time, when Elizabeth drew the girl into her arms, Dotty didn’t resist. “I’m sorry, child. Some people are just weak. Some people just can’t be trusted, and there’s nothing you can do but be strong for yourself...until you find people who love you enough to be strong for you.”
Chapter One
Mykolas Sallis nodded in acknowledgment as the school employees he walked past on his way to the library respectfully murmured his name in greeting. Although he rarely visited his stepsister’s school, it came as no surprise to him that everyone seemed to recognize his face. The owner of the school, Rose Thorn, was supposedly very good at flattering the egos of its school’s wealthy patrons. Considering the amount he donated every year to support the school’s arts program, Mykolas suspected that GAYL’s employees probably even knew his favorite food.
“Do you have a private room here where I would not be disturbed?” he asked the librarian upon entering the library, which was thankfully empty. Waiting at the school hall had proven to be too exhausting, with school girls tittering all around him.
The librarian answered nervously, “The faculty room of the library is currently unoccupied, Mr. Sallis.”
“That will do. Please let my sister know where I am when she comes.”
The faculty room was at the far end of the library, tastefully decorated and with one side made entirely of glass, allowing Mykolas to see those who entered the library. Taking one of the chairs, Mykolas absently scanned the room, and his gaze eventually fell on the iPhone next to a heap of books. Reaching for it on impulse, he found the phone without a password, causing him to grimace as he was very big on security.
Idly deciding to check the phone’s messages, Mykolas almost choked when he read the one sent by someone named Andrew to the phone’s owner.
10:01 Can I borrow the keys?
10:01 You already have it.
10:02 What?
10:03 The keys to my heart.
10:07 Velvet?
10:08 Sorry for the late reply. Busy killing myself coz your stupid jokes drove me to suicide.
Keys to my heart? Mykolas didn’t blame the phone’s owner for attempting suicide at that. He moved to the next message, which was sent by Thomas, yet another seemingly ardent admirer.
13:15 How about going for a movie tomorrow night?
13:16 Thomas, you’re a good guy, so I’m going to tell you the truth once and for all.
13:17 What is it?
13:18 I’m a lesbian. I want your dick – but not for the reasons you’re hoping for.
The next one came from a third admirer, Greg.
14:24 I’m serious, Velvet. I don’t think I’ll be able to live without you.
14:25 But I CAN live without you, and that’s the problem.
Mykolas shook his head, reluctantly impressed by the woman’s answers, which were always snarky but witty. It would be interesting to find out who this Velvet was, and a second later, an idea came to him, causing a smile to play on his lips as he pocketed the phone.
****
“I think I left my phone somewhere,” Velvet admitted unhappily to Mandy as she fell in step next to her friend.
Mandy groaned. “You just almost lost it yesterday. See? You should have taken my advice and used a strap or chain to keep it with you at all times.” A slim dark-haired girl, Mandy was a very practical sort, the kind that would accept charity even from her worst enemy if she was down on her luck.
Velvet hated spending for unnecessary things, but maybe Mandy was right and that strap was more of a necessity than a frivolous purchase. “I’ll buy it soon as I find my phone. I think I left it...” She had a light bulb moment, which caused Velvet’s jade-colored eyes to flash brightly. “I think I know where I left it! I was at the library this morning and I must have forgotten to take it with me when I was called to sub for Andrew’s class.”
“Want me to go with you?”
“No, it’s okay,” Velvet said over her shoulder. “Let’s just meet later for dinner.” When she got to the library, she was hailed by the librarian even before she could take another step past the counter.
“Ms. Lambert? A gentleman found your phone in the faculty room.”
Velvet accepted the phone, bemused at the way the librarian was looking at her with interest. “A gentleman?” That seemed an odd way to refer to one of the male teachers, so she asked the younger girl, “Who is it?”
“He says he’ll call you.”
“Oh. Okay. Umm, thanks.” Slowly, she turned around and left the library, feeling like she had just had the oddest conversation in her life, and that was saying something. As she headed to the teachers’ dorm, her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her.
Fishing it out and seeing an unidentified number, Velvet answered the call. “Hello?”
Mykolas leaned back against the plush cushions of his yacht’s custom-designed sofa. He had hoped to meet the intriguing Velvet Lambert – a little digging in her phone allowed him to figure out her name – but his meeting with his stepsister had to be cut short because of an emergency back in Athens.