Page 13 of Blurred Lines

"You think you've won something here," she hisses. "Landing a windfall from a man who barely acknowledged you in life."

I clench my fists, fighting the urge to retaliate. "I'm not here for the inheritance, Verona. I just want closure."

Her laugh is sharp, a shard of glass. "Closure? Is that what they're calling a hefty chunk of the estate these days?"

I can feel the eyes of the remaining family members on us, a silent audience to our standoff. "You think you can intimidate me into feeling guilty?" I challenge, my voice stronger than I feel.

"Oh shut up, Verona," a lazy voice remarks. "Sit down. You've caused enough grief to the dead man already."

I wheel toward the direction of the speaker. It's Finn.

Verona opens her mouth to speak but before she can unleash a scathing reply, Flora materializes beside me, a vision of sleek determination. "You have five minutes," she announces, her tone deceptively calm, "to gather your belongings and vacate the premises. Consider it a parting gift … though far less tacky than the gnomes."

Alec chokes out a strangled protest. "You can't just?—"

"Actually," Flora interjects, raising a perfectly manicured finger, "we can. Emily is the rightful owner, and let's just say your welcome here has worn rather thin." Her smile holds the sweetness of a shark.

Verona, with a final glare loaded with promises of legal retribution, sweeps toward the door. Alec trails behind her, clutching a pair of gnomes like bizarre talismans. The absurdity of the image nearly sends me into a fit of laughter.

As the door clicks shut behind them, Flora turns to me, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, that was certainly entertaining. Now," she declares, "let's see about redecorating this monstrosity once everyone leaves, shall we?"

"I'm sorry," I say immediately. "I have no idea why he left me the mansion."

"Don't even," she says, slipping an arm around my shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Now … about those men?—"

Before she can finish talking, Caeleb reemerges, flanked by Finn and Silas. Even in this setting, I can't help noticing how striking they are.

"Are you leaving?" I ask.

"Yes," he says, his eyes shadowed. "But if it's not a very big ask, I was hoping we could catch up later."

I swallow. "I'm supposed to fly back tomorrow."

His face falls. "Oh. Okay."

Finn and Silas are also looking at me. Silas chuckles, his voice a warm baritone that makes me shiver. "That's really disappointing," he says. "I was hoping we could all get together."

Flora's eyes are burning holes in my head. She snorts. "Well, I need to go out and clear my head, but you guys hang with my sister. I'll come back for updates."

"Wait, Flo?—"

Before I can finish, Flora artfully vanishes.

Then there's just the three of them and me. There's something about them, something raw and powerful and wholly consuming.

"One meeting?" Caeleb ventures, his deep eyes lighting up as he looks at me.

"I—"

"Don't push the lovely lady," Finn jokes lightly. His cerulean eyes look faintly amused. I blush harder.

"Oh alright," Caeleb grumbles. "See you later then, Emily."

The men fold their arms in unison, muscles standing out, glinting in the late afternoon sun.

Oh, they look like sin.

Their profiles are infuriatingly distracting. And my heart, well—it makes me do something hasty, that's not my style. But I can't help it.

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