Page 56 of As the World Falls

He shrugs. “I watched the security tapes back. I saw which ones you were looking at.” I swallow back the knot forming in my throat and let it form in my stomach instead. Why was he being nice? He’s not supposed to be nice, dammit.

“They’re beautiful,” I admit.

He smirks, pleased with himself. “They suit you.”

I looked up at him, trying to remain unaffected while, in reality, I was trying to internally exterminate every single butterfly, flapping their god-forsaken wings in my stomach.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“This doesn’t mean anything,” I blurt out, unable to help myself.

He chuckles lowly. “I’m very aware you still have a personal agenda against me, little owl. I expect nothing less of you.”

I can’t help but smile. Dammit.

“I should get some rest,” I say, trying to change the subject and wanting him to leave. This was all too much for me right now.

He nods, walking back toward the door. “I—” he pauses, unsure of what to say, “I hope you feel better,” he finishes.

“Thanks,” I mutter. He nods again and, finally, opens the door and leaves.

I turn and sit on my bed. My heart thumps anxiously as I stare down at the earring box.

This means nothing. I mean nothing to him, and he means nothing to me. I did the right thing today. He was a bad man, leading my brother down a bad road. I just needed to keep reminding myself of that.

Chapter Eighteen

Cecilia

It’s Saturday night, and when I should be at my hotel, minding my business…I’m not.

I’m at Underground.

The place was busy tonight and filled with more energy than the last time I was here, and I was thankful for it. It would help me go unnoticed better. I was here to get my last and final proof of Labyrinth’s corruption, and that was catching my brother in the act; that way, he couldn’t deny anything. There was also another piece of the puzzle I realized, which was that Underground had to be a front for their inside work. James scheduled way too many meetings here during my time working with him, which worked out for him because I wouldn’t be there to snoop since it was outside office hours. I felt stupid for not thinking of it before. I had already witnessed them in what looked like a pretty serious conversation at this place, and if I had to guess, James and my brother were closing on a deal, not out enjoying their night at the club for the fun of it.

James didn’t strike me as someone who has fun.

I’ve concluded that my brother was one of James’s henchmen for all intents and purposes, and I was going to get him out of it if it’s the last thing I do. Which it may be, because if James sees me here…he might finally snap and take me out for good.

So tonight, I was here to do some light digging, maybe snap some pictures to throw in my brother's face—that sort of silly thing.

I was also under somewhat of a disguise in hopes of not getting caught this time. My brother was here tonight, so both he and James seeing me here would ruin my little scheme. Plus… it was a little fun to get into costume, and by the appreciative looks I was getting from the men around me as I walked through the club, I’d say it was a pretty good disguise.

I have always had wild, curly hair. I never attempted to tame it because I never had the energy. It was poofy, and the curls were tight tendrils. There was no taming it, and I also never wanted to. My hair was like my mom's, and I loved sharing that specific characteristic with her. My brother's hair was a little curly but softer and more of a wave than a curl. His hair was also light brown, whereas mine was nearly black.

Tonight though, it was pin straight and nearly down to the top of my butt. I spent three hours running a flat iron through it for the first time ever. I had too much hair to cover with a wig, and the only option after that would be to cut it, which was a hard no, so I spent a large chunk of my day frying my hair off to spy on my brother.

I did look different at first glance, so hopefully, it would pay off. My hair looked longer, being straight like this, making my face look more slim and my bone structure more prominent, which I intensified with heavy makeup that I don’t usually wear.

I was also wearing more appropriate attire this time. I wore a short teal halter-neck dress that was open at the back and tall gold heels. I even got a spray tan this morning to hide my starkpaleness and have more of a glow since I was exposing more skin than I was used to.

I felt sexy. A little cold but powerful, like a secret seductive spy, which was a giant step away from being a poised librarian. I felt like the main character in one of the books I’ve read, and I can’t say it wasn’t the most thrilling thing I’ve ever done.

I go to the bar first and get a drink, taking a quick sip to try to calm my bouncing nerves. I had an unsettling amount of confidence in myself tonight. Maybe it was the costume, or maybe it was the effect James had on me recently. Either way, it was a little too addictive, and I had a faint voice in my head telling me to stop while I was ahead, but I shut it out the minute it spoke to me.

I was on a mission, and it wasn’t just to save my brother anymore. It was me, too. He was starting to make me feel in ways I couldn’t distinguish. I despised him. He was the epitome of a man that I didn’t want anywhere near my family and was determined to expose but at the same time…He made me feel warmth in ways I’ve never experienced. He took the breath right out of me most days, an effect no one has ever had on me. He made me feel tense and needy for things I didn’t dare put a second thought to. I didn’t want to figure out what he was doing to me. I just knew it wasn’t normal, yet I didn’t hate how he made me feel, which made me despise him even more because he wasn’t supposed to make me feel anything.

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