Page 87 of Mama Si's Paradise

Grey. His name matched those eyes perfectly. He lowered his head for a moment, then turned around and walked out without a word.

My eyes closed, but the image of him, of all of them remained with me. They had left, and I was still alive.

Hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay?” Valentine said.

I jumped back, almost slamming into a stand near thewall. “Don’ttouch me,” I spit, angry, afraid, halfway surrendered to death already.

But Valentine wasn’t offended. “Sit,” he said instead, pointing at the chair he’d pulled out for me again.

The others were gone, the doors closed.Gone.

I shook my head. “No, I—”I’m leaving,I wanted to say, but he cut me off.

“Sit. Down.”

I had never felt more power in words than I did in that moment.

With my head down, I sat in the chair and stared at the empty plate while Valentine pushed me closer, then grabbed the black napkin from the table and put it on my lap.

He sat down at the head of the table, fixing his own napkin, his eyes on me, two orbs of endless black.

“We’re ready,” he then said, and he didn’t shout. He didn’t raise his voice at all.

I looked up at him for a second—what the hell did he mean? Ready for what?

But a door I hadn’t even noticed behind a large painting of a headless man opened. Someone was wheeling something toward us slowly—a man and a woman, both dressed in black, with smiles on their faces and red on their cheeks.

“Good morning, Master Valentine,” said the woman, who was older than the man, with a round face and deep brown eyes, silver hair wrapped in a bun at the base of her neck.

“Good morning, Master Valentine,” the man repeated like a robot, and he had kinder eyes, his face clean shaven, his smile genuine.

“Morning Aster, Vinny,” Valentine said, never looking away from me. “This is Autumn. Please make sure she’s well fed at all times. I’ll take some coffee.”

Silver domes on the cart. The man and woman immediately began to serve me.

“Please to meet you,Miss Autumn. I’m Aster,” said the woman. “Tell me, what kind of breakfast do you fancy? Sweet or salty? Maybe a bit sour?”

“Eggs are fine,” I muttered when I saw the scrambled eggs on one of the plates, the other full of croissants and waffles and pancakes.

“Very pleased, indeed,” said Vinny, as he came around and put a cup of coffee in front of Valentine, then turned to me. “What will it be for you, Miss? Coffee? Milk? Maybe some juice?”

“Coffee,” I whispered because it would be easier for him to get. Faster. Then they could leave, and I could be alone with Valentine again. He’d promised me answers and I was going to find out what the hell those men meant when they called me theirbride-to-beeven if it killed me.

It felt like hours until Aster and Vinny finally wheeled their cart away to that hidden door behind the strange portrait.

Silence.

“Wha—”

“Food first,” Valentine cut me off before I could utter a single word.

“I am not hungry,” I lied.

“Eat, Sunshine. Then, we talk.”

Leaning back in his chair, he grabbed his cup of coffee and played with it as he watched me, shamelessly, like he really did believe he owned me.

I had no choice but to sit there feeling naked under his gaze and eat with my hands still shaking until I was completely full.

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