Page 11 of Obsessions of the Heart

Ravi popped up from the floor, grabbing the desk as he called out, “I don't care if it's a good idea or not. I’m dying to have her by our side! I can’t wait any longer!”

His desperation made my lips quiver, the sides of my mouth threatening to tip up. “While Ravi is usually the rash one, I think he’s correct this time. The benefits outweigh the risks of bringing her now.”

Ravi shoved his face next to mine. “We passed Foedus’ first test and uncle's special test. We got the safe house we’ve always wanted, one that was pimped out by Rion, and we're finally in a place where he doesn't have us under his thumb. All we need to do is keep the lie up, then we’re golden. We’ll have plenty of time to keep Rin safe and have fun with her.”

He made it sound so easy, like tricking the whole Foedus organization into thinking the three of us were one person, R. Ambros, was a walk in the park. Did he think we wouldn't be caught up in Foedus business while trying to forge this relationship with Layrin?

While this was an exclusive private university for the extremely wealthy, it was really a very large and elaborate cover-up to allow the vita messores, life reapers, of Foedus to mingle before becoming heads of their families and mastering the last tests before the changing ceremony. That had me thinking… Did I jump the gun here?

“Yeah, sure. And do you think she could keep her mouth shut about our secret? We’ve been living this way for most of our lives, but she only knows us as individuals!” His simmering anger came through the phone while the sound of propellers started up in the background.

He had a point. Layrin had known us as Ravi, Roux, and Rion, the Ambros triplets that were her best friends. She didn't know the persona the three of us had had to play for the past eleven years—R. Ambros, the next head of the Ambros family, the unkillable prince of Foedus.

Ravi tsked, shaking his finger at the phone like Roux could see him. “No. Nope. Nada. I’ve been waiting for this moment for too long. I’m not going to let your negative Nancy ways get between me and my Rin.” He ran his hand through his hair before turning to me with eyes sparkling with hope. “Plus, she's a smart cookie. Once we tell her why—”

Roux’s voice boomed, “Yes! Let’s have her come here, randomly show up in her life, then tell her our deepest, darkest secrets so she can keep those secrets. Smart. Super smart!” Ravi had his hand up like a puppet the entire time Roux was talking. “Not to mention that as soon as they find out about her—”

“Then we won’t let them find out about her. That's the whole ‘protecting her’ part.” He turned to me, leaning on my desk, and flicked his eyes to the phone. “And he thinks I’m the dumb one.”

Before they could get into another fight, I cut in. “Look, I know why you’re hesitating, Roux, but I agree with Ravi.” Ravi’s fists went up to the sky as he did a happy dance, making me regret my words even though they were true.

Clutching the phone, I tried to convince Roux, needing him on board. “She’s not going to hold out forever, Roux, and I don’t think we can either.” His silence told me he was listening. “Everyone knows us as R. Ambros. We just need to make sure that only one of us is around her at a time so she won’t pick up on it.”

Ravi gave me a thumbs up, and I got the urge to strangle him. One sibling at a time.

Roux made a sound like he was going to interrupt, so I kept going. “Then, when she fully starts to trust us and is ready to take that next step with us, we can tell her about what's going on.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Ravi bounced on his toes. “And once she's in love with us and can’t turn away from us, we’ll tell her that she can never leave us because they’ll kill her so we’re her only way to be safe. Indebting her to us like the dark knights we are and forcing her to live a happily ever after.”

I would never phrase it like that to her, but yes. I was planning to have her fully attach herself to us emotionally before learning too much. It was the only way she would be ours, and that was more important than anything.

Roux sighed. “Fine, but I want it on record that I didn't like this from the beginning. She’s just going to… get in the way and be a distraction for you two. A distraction that we don’t need right now.”

My left eye twitched at his little declaration, one I knew was a lie, but he was determined to lie to himself. I was about to smack him down with some cold hard facts when Ravi burst forward.

“Are. You. Kidding me?!”

“Ravi.” I kept my tone low so he knew I didn't want him to go too far. If he pushed Roux hard enough, he might turn his hesitant yes into a hard no, and we didn't want that.

In complete Ravi fashion, he threw his head up to the ceiling before grabbing the phone off my desk. “She’s going to be a distraction for us?! We’re the ones that openly admit that she’s our obsession, our world, our everything. Rion and I have no problem with that. In fact, we even lean into it, but you? You’re the only one who’s fought it, who’s still fighting it, even though you feel the damn same as us.” His tone turned nasty with his sneer. “Did you forget, brother? We’re the same, the three of us, the exact fucking same.”

He dropped the phone on the desk then retreated, on his way out my door. Before he left, he spat out, “If you give a shit about us, you won’t ruin this.” Then he was gone. I was mildly surprised he didn't slam the door on his way out. Maybe he’s growing up?

Even if we were identical triplets, our insides were polar opposites. Ravi had big feelings, always riding on those when he made choices, which made him charming and good with people, something that Roux and I drastically lacked. Unfortunately, it also made him prone to outbursts.

Roux’s voice came out in a low grumble. “I'm not trying to ruin anything for you guys.”

I nodded like he could see me, but I was just running on autopilot. “Then get on board.” I didn't have time for infighting and bullshit. I needed results.

My chest tightened, and I looked down, catching myself absently playing with the ring on my thumb. Inlaid with a silver A, it was made of onyx and tungsten. The three of us had each gotten a ring when our uncle came up with the whole scheme. It was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind symbol, only for the head of the Ambros family. That was before our uncle found the three of us in that orphanage.

My eyes snagged on my special locked drawer, my fingers twitching to open it and run my hands over each item. To feel that calming balance to my anxiety. It was the only thing that could set my mind at ease, feeling so close to perfection I could salivate.

“I'm fucking on board. Just don't come crying to me if this busts a nut in our faces.”

Cold fury took over, curling my hands into fists. I knew what he was talking about, what made him hesitant to bring her into our world, but I wasn't about to let them take her from me. I wasn't going to let him rule our lives forever.

“Get home so we can prepare.” I clicked the end button, done with the conversation now that I knew where he stood.

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