Page 35 of Colton

I’m just hoping that she can see me, wherever she is because I know she’d be proud of how far I’ve come. The fact that both her cheating husband, and the mistress aren’t allowed back into Saint Valley without my approval, is something I wish she could see.

“I’m alright,” I shrug. “I went to the cemetery, and placed some lilies on her grave. They were her favorites.”

“Ah, speaking of favorites,” her eyes hold a bit of mischief, and I’m already dreading her next words. “A little birdie has told me you had a guest here and said guest left with some of your favorite books. What’s that all about, hmm?”

I roll my eyes. “The birdie’s name is Emiliano, I’m assuming?”

“Not telling,” she smirks. “So, who is it?”

“It was just a senior from the Academy that came to visit the town, and I invited her for some tea.”

Her brows crease. “It’s either someone very influential to be able to get inside without the pass, or you allowed her in. Which one is it?”

“She took the pass from a friend, and the rest is none of your business, Dahlia.”

My sister raises her hands up in surrender, the mocking gesture making me sigh. She’s always been like this, and for some reason, poking fun at me seems to be her favorite pass time.

“Alright, alright, geez,” she laughs. “I was only asking. I’m wondering if I’ll ever hear the wedding bells from you again.”

“That is yet to be determined,” I give her a pointed look. “But you should truly focus on yourself, and your career.”

Dahlia sighs, and that’s when the smile falls from her face. I don’t mean to rush her, and if it were up to me I’d let her have her trust fund, and spend the rest of her days inside of the castle, without having to work a day in her life.

Unfortunately, that’s not what she wants. Dahlia is very driven, but when she feels down — oh, she feels down. She just needs someone to push her in the right direction. After she graduated from the Academy, she had a couple of businesses.

All of them have been very successful, yet the issue lies within the fact that she gets bored of things quickly. She sold each and every one for a very large sum of money, and ever since, she’s been investing the same money into businesses she believes will take off.

Dahlia, however, isn’t satisfied just with that. She wishes to find a business for herself that she will thrive in, that will get her the world-wide recognition she desperately seeks. One of these days, she will get it.

“I don’t know what I want,” she whines. “I built an IT company from scratch, got it to bloom, then BAM,” she slams her fist against the table. “I got bored. Sure, I sold it for four times the actual value, but that’s besides the point. It was the same with the chain of restaurants, hotels, and even the accountancy firm I set up. I just get bored of things easily.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t found anything worthwhile while you were traveling,” I take a bite of my food. “You always seem to return with ideas. This time it’s too silent on your end. Was your trip truly good?”

Dahlia snorts. “It was. I just focused more on actually enjoying my time, and relaxing, rather than gathering business ideas. But, I do promise to have something good for you by the time you next come home.”

I deadpan. “I’m home nearly every weekend.”

“Is it the robberies?”

My smile vanishes, and I nod. “Unfortunately.”

“You need any help?”

“Maybe,” I pause. “Do you have any plans to travel soon?”

“Not until winter,” she shrugs. “Why?”

“I need you to keep an eye out for everything.”

She frowns. “Everything? That’s a rather broad category.”

“You’re always in the town, anyway. Just keep your eyes open for anything that might be suspicios, anyone behaving oddly, and such. The little things.”

“Alright, promise.”

I’m not putting too much trust into Dahlia’s detective skills, but it’s better than nothing. If something is truly amiss, she will notice it. Her senses do tend to be sharp when needed, and I’m counting on it.

Because all of this needs to be finished quickly, otherwise it feels like my brain is going to explode.