Page 176 of Monster in Disguise

I shake my head, but refrain from rebuking them this time. It's Christmas, after all.

Mirabella, our eight-year-old daughter, takes charge as she tells the twins off. After they stop, she turns to me and winks. I don't know what's with Mira, but sometimes she seems too old for her age. Maybe we have another prodigy on our hands.

I quickly make the introductions, and Sterling joins the conversation effortlessly. At some point, he turns to Claudia to ask, "Where are your aunts? You always spoke highly of them." Claudia's smile trembles a little and she looks back at me.

"Sisi couldn't make it. She's currently ona grand adventurewith her husband. I don't know what she's up to, but I'm assuming something crazy." I shake my head, a smile playing on my lips. Sisi had turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. Who knew that inside a novitiate lay such a rebel?

"What about the other one? Venezia, wasn't it?" Sterling continues, and I narrow my eyes at Claudia. Venezia is a sore subject these days. She knows it, too.

"We haven't talked to her in a while," Catalina interjects, her hand seeking mine under the table.

"But Claudia spoke very fondly of her. What happened?" Why is he so curious?

"She moved away from the family," I say, hoping he would drop the subject.

As the women head to a separate area with the children – even Bianca, to my surprise – I take the opportunity to interrogate Sterling further.

"So what do you do, Sterling?" I school my features so he doesn't realize just how close I am to snapping. I don't even want to imagine him and my daughter... Yeah, that Pandora's box is best left unopened.

"I'm a TA in the economics department." He smiles at me warmly. There's just something about him... I can't put my finger on it, but he rubs me the wrong way.

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty-seven, sir," he answers. I try to calm myself.

"You realize my daughter's only nineteen. That's quite the age difference," I comment.

"She's going to be twenty next month, sir." That smile, again. "We love each other. I'd never do anything to harm her."

"I'll be watching you, Sterling. No one messes with my girl. Just remember that." I look him straight in the eyes as I say this, the threat reflected in my gaze. I would make it so his corpse is never recovered. Not whole, that is.

He grins. "I wouldn't dare, sir."

Both Enzo and Adrian have amused expressions on their faces, and when I raise an eyebrow at them, they both shrug and tip their glasses.

Just as I'm about to continue to question him further, a gun goes off in the house.

"Fuck!" I mutter, running towards the source of the noise.

I told them to behave!

THE END

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