Page 10 of Hidden Empire

I swallow thickly, still attempting to absorb every inch of the place. “I’m not taking someone’s room, right?”

When I turn to watch my father answer, I find Matteo close by, chuckling as he leans against the door frame. I didn’t even hear him approach, too lost in the moment.

My brother answers me before Dante can. “Unless you think that the dead hold rights to a bedroom, then no, you’re definitely not taking someone’s room.”

I wince, eyes widening. “Someone died in here?”

Look, I’m as grateful as it gets for everything my new family is giving me, but I don’t know if I can sleep in a haunted room.

Our dad sighs. “Not in here.”

“It was Alina’s,” Matteo says with a grin. “That’s why the closet is the biggest. Or, was the biggest. Armani expanded his like eight years ago.”

“Don’t call your mother by her name,” Dante reprimands. “She wouldn’t want that.” Their mom is dead, I don’t miss that detail. How can I possibly?

Matteo rolls his eyes and levels him with a look. “I hardly care what she would want. She’s been dead for over a decade. I’d call Apollo “mom” before I’d give Alina that title. Pretty sure he held me more than she held any of us, sooo.” He shrugs, finishing his explanation.

While I hold back a frown, sympathy rolls around in my chest.

Dad grimaces and sighs. “Anyway, is the room okay, sweetheart? We have others like I was saying, but this one is the closest to mine and Apollo’s, which makes it the safest.”

“It’s more than okay,” I tell him, hoping to settle some of the stress he’s clearly feeling.

He nods, lips slightly shifting into a smile. “I’ll give you some time to get comfortable? It’s late, you’re probably tired, right?”

I doubt I could sleep if I tried. “Yeah, sounds good,” I respond anyway.

After a moment of hesitation, Dante steps forward and slowly presses a kiss to the top of my head. It’s the sweetest gesture. “Come and get me if you need anything, okay? Yell if you can’t find anyone, there are guards all over the property, and they will know how to find me at any given time.”

I nod, head dipping in confirmation that I understand. “Okay, thank you.”

“Don’t,” he trails off, considering his words. “Don’t thank me, Jade. I’m your father, and I’ve missed enough of your life. I don’t need thank yous for taking care of you. It’s an honor.”

My chin threatens to wobble, and Matteo claps his hands together, breaking up the moment. “Okay, old man, get going before you smother her on day one.”

I’m not sure being smothered by affection or kind words is even possible for me at this point in my life. I think I’m starving for it.

Dad clears his throat and steps back, pulling himself together by straightening his shirt cuffs. “Right, we’ll talk more in the morning? I’ll give you a proper tour after breakfast.” Turning to Matteo, he nods. “Anything she needs?—”

“Yeah, I got it, pops,” he drawls, playfully cutting in. “See yourself out so I can get the girl settled.”

Sighing, he does just that. Letting himself out of my new room, he disappears into the hall, only the sound of his faint footsteps trailing behind him.

“Let’s see,” Matteo starts, stepping further into the room. “If I remember correctly, there’s some good stuff hidden right…” he hums, looking in the side table drawers. “Ah, right here.”

Pulling out a small black remote, he shuts the drawer and turns toward the side wall. Pointing the device at nothing, my eyes widen when the wall moves, opening a hidden compartment. A large flatscreen television appears and powers on.

“I don’t know about you, but sleeping without any background noise is one of my personal hells,” he remarks, scrolling through the choices of smart TV apps. “You can use any of these for music or movies, they’re all still logged in. Pretty sure Martha keeps water bottles stocked in the other bedside drawer too, so you have some of those just in case too.”

“Wow,” I say lamely, a bit overwhelmed.

“Nah, it’s not wow yet,” Matteo says easily. “We’ll make it wow for you. You have the lamest room, but we can spice it up.”

I don’t think it’s lame at all.

“Any questions, little sis? I’ve got a wealth of wisdom to share.”

Actually, yes. “Are there any rules I should know about?”

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