Page 87 of The Forbidden Villain
Of course not. It’s different, though. They’re adults.
And you aren’t?
I freeze at this because that’s the issue, isn’t it?
I don’t consider myself an adult who can make her own decisions, and I always fear that some kind of punishment will come from misbehaving.
And who usually is afraid of such things?
That’s right, children.
If you continue to only think about your brothers, you’ll never live the life you want or desire. You see, people are selfish by nature, and they think only about themselves. They would exploit all your sacrifices. So catering to their wishes will only make you resent yourself in the long run.
“We’re here, Lavender.”
It takes me a moment to realize that Gordon has parked the car, and the doorman opens the door. “Miss Wright,” he greets me, extending his gloved hand to me. “Welcome home.”
“Hi.” I glance at Gordon. “Thank you, and I should be out in about an hour. We’ll go to see my brothers.”
He nods. “Sure thing. Just shoot me a text.”
I have to go. Talk to you later. Thank you!
I get out and hurry inside the building, waving absently at Marissa, and grab a water bottle on the way, flicking the lid open as I press the elevator button.
Once it dings its arrival, I hop inside and press on the P button while guzzling the water, and turn around to study my reflection in the mirror and choke.
“Oh my God,” I mutter, trying to untangle some of my hair with my fingers and noticing my lips are still puffy from all the kissing. Not to mention hickeys and marks that leave little doubt about what I was doing last night. “This is a disaster.”
Would concealer cover them all up? I’ve never used it before and the weather is so warm. I can’t wear a turtleneck, and sitting home is not an option with my family demanding to see me.
My brothers aren’t known for their patience, and though they may be super lenient with me…I know my limits when it comes to their temper and legendary characters, which usually ends in a death sentence for whoever crosses them.
And once again, they would never be intentionally cruel to me, yet I don’t want to be on the receiving end of their temper.
Arriving on my floor, I enter my apartment and put my phone away, quickly slipping off my shoes. I’m about to dash toward the bathroom when a voice stills me to the spot.
“Lavender.”
I spin around and exhale in resignation at the sight of my brothers filling the living room’s doorway while their women stand behind them, their eyes wide and their mouths dropped open.
Dead silence falls all around us as we engage in a long stare-off. My brothers scan me from head to toe, and I can feel the disapproval reeking off them from here.
Finally pushing past the bile in my throat as fear glides through my veins, I say, “Hi, guys.” I clear my throat. “What are you doing here?”
Since my brothers continue to give me the silent treatment, Emmaline speaks up as they push forward with Aileen. “We were worried, so we decided to come check on you.” Her cheeks heat. “We were afraid something bad had happened.”
“Let’s call it how it is. You were afraid I did something to myself.” I blink in shock at the bite in my words, never expecting to speak them out loud, but there is a certain freedom in it, too. “I’m fine. Not dead or anything.”
I expect the girls to be offended. Instead, they both grin, and my brothers grow even more tense, charging the energy around us with anger.
“That’s a relief,” Aileen says, and grabs her bag. “We would have stopped by anyway. It’s Monday.”
Oh right.
The girls came up with a whole new tradition for us, going out for breakfast to spend some quality family time together.
I guess they are doing their best to fix our family, and my brothers indulge them in their fantasies.
