Page 14 of Forbidden Deception

“Then what is it this time?” Her hostile tone makes me blink. Why is she acting this way towards me when I never did anything to her?

I open my mouth, but then shut it.

“That’s not why I called you.” I force my cheeks to lift, a little bruise forming on my heart. I look away, then say quietly, “It’s nothing.”

She sighs at my words, then looks away. Her jaw tics, and when she looks at me again, she shakes her head once more and walks away, leaving me standing here on the floor all alone again. I watch her walk away, and get into the elevator. Even minutes after she has left, I am still standing there.

Why do I feel so damned left out?

It shouldn’t feel this bad, nor should it pinch my heart in pain. I am used to it. I have lived like this before. So… why?

Taking a deep breath, I turn around and head to my office.

It’s okay. I’m not here to form friendships or any kind of bonds with anyone. I will try to become friends with Rafael. He needs to trust me. That’s it. Nothing more needs to come of it.

An email pings on my screen. I sit upright.

Print and deliver these files to the receptionist.

*Document attached

I shake my head at the direct email. There is no hi, no hello, no thank you or please. I print off the forms and place them in a folder, grab my phone, and I am ready to head downstairs. That alone feels like the biggest adventure of my day.

Knocking steals my attention away from my computer.

A man stands at my door with a mischievous smile on his face. He looks like he’s my age. Something about him looks eerily familiar.

“Can I come in?”

I stand up and nod.

“How can I help you?”

“Whoa, the office looks different from the last time I saw it.” He looks around, apparently fascinated by me moving the desk.

“If we are talking about my amazing interior designing skills that include simply moving my desk, then yes, it looks better than before.” I jut my chin out, crossing my arms.

A laugh spills out of the man. He moves closer, and I just can’t pinpoint what is it about him that is just so—

“Are you, by any chance, related to Mr Gustav?” Remo did tell me he has three brothers. He even gave me pictures of them, which I clearly didn’t look at. When I get home, I need to check out the rest of the brothers.

“Eh, I don’t love people knowing this, but I’ll tell you.” He leans closer to me, as if revealing a secret, and that’s when I notice the colour of his eyes and it’s confirmed.

“He’s my adopted brother.”

I blink, biting my lip to stop the laugh from spilling out. He looks so serious too.

“Right… and I’m a carrot,” I say with a deadpan face.

Two seconds go by of us looking into each other’s eyes until I no longer can hold it in. I burst out laughing, and he joins me, his head thrown back as a wide grin takes over his face.

“You think I wouldn’t recognise someone from Mr Gustav’s family? Good job trying to fool me, but it won’t work.” I wave a dismissive hand.

“Okay, fine, you got me, but technically, I didn’t lie.” He raises his hands in surrender. “I wanted to ask about Rafael’s schedule, because I know he is lying when he says he doesn’t have time for family dinner.” He looks at the black glass wall facing my desk as if he can see Rafael on the other side. He turns to me and smiles. This smile holds assurance of some kind.

“Eiran,” he nods at the desk.

“Give me a minute.” I pull it up and share it with Eiran via email. While I may not know much about them, I am aware of everyone’s ages, names, professions, and basic details in the Gustav family.

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