Page 149 of Hidden Empire

Oh, Cassio.

Me

Oh :(

Me

Well, he hasn’t been mean. He hugged me, even.

It was a small side hug in the car, but a hug he initiated nonetheless.

Leon

Good, let me know if that changes.

Me

Will do, big brother.

Leon

And Cleo says you’re free to text her if you have any questions or want to talk.

She did? That’s so nice. I haven’t heard as much from her as I have from Melani, but I get the feeling that she’s not as close to the family as Melani is.

Me

I might take her up on that!

I’m probably going to need all the help I can get.

Chapter 39

Jade

Dinner is… awkward, to say the least.

At least we got to change out of our uniforms for it. One of the guards grabbed some basics for Ivan—mostly white t-shirts and jeans—but we’ll order him better options tomorrow. Me on the other hand, I’m back in my comfy leggings and oversized sweaters. A lot of my more fashionable clothes probably won’t fit, but for now, these have plenty of space.

I’m also glad Uncle Cesar stayed to eat with us since he’s providing some Matteo-like commentary. He’s lightening up the mood as best as he can.

“So, besides the obvious, did you learn anything fun at school, sweetheart?” Uncle Cesar asks, earning a scathing look from Dad. It doesn’t bother him one bit.

“A lot,” I answer, happy to talk about anything other than my love life. I can’t say Dmitri’s name without everyone scowling. “Javier Cabrera was my knives teacher, and he thinks I could be really good with some custom blades. He thinks a lot of my skills would be improved with smaller grips so my hands fumble with the larger knives less.”

“The Guard’s Heir?” Uncle Cesar asks with a smile.

“Yes, he’s nice?—”

“He tried to marry her,” Apollo cuts in, amused.

I roll my eyes at him. “His father put in a proposal, not him.”

“Javi doesn’t have interest in Jade that way,” Ivan adds, backing me up.

Apollo chuckles, swirling his wine around the glass. “You’d know a lot about that, hmm?”

Ivan doesn’t take the bait, merely looking back at Apollo.

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