Make me chuckle because he’d be last to get a chance with Dolcezza, but then again, he could be very useful.
“Black and white.”
“And me?”
The glimmer of the sun upon the horizon forces us both to look in admiration — the orange glow beginning to spread across the cloudless sky and make the mountains, trees, and lake ahead look like a real-life painting.
“Red and pink,” I emphasize those two colors, knowing we’re missing one final shade.
Blue…
“Precious Gem has wonderful eyes, don’t you think?”
When we share our next stare-off, I can see the switch in my viewpoint.
The acknowledgment I’ve been fighting desperately to ignore.
But it’s present now—clear as day—and despite me being a stubborn fucker, I can’t ignore the true opportunity I’ve been given.
As though I’ve been crowned a new King.
“Agreed,” I whisper, knowing well that the missing link is already in our circle. “Matteo.”
Our Ruthless Queen is the center of our burning world.
9
WE MEET AGAIN, PRECIOUS GEM
~GEMINI~
“Is being sandwiched between you two really necessary?”
I’m saying one thing, but the way my body is reacting is another.
I knew allowing Ares to be in charge of my ‘revenge’ dress was the right call, but getting this motherfucker on is clearly a pain in my ass—or back.
“She’s lost weight, so why exactly are we struggling here?” Warren ignores me and questions his little brother instead.
“That’s the problem,” Ares grumbles. “We have to further tighten the corset, so it looks fitted and not bigger on her.”
He doesn’t sound pleased at all. It could be because we’re running out of time here, but I also have a hunch he doesn’t like to acknowledge that I’ve dropped a whole dress size in a matter of days.
The stressful part of all this is we don’t have time to change outfits. This needs to be the dress. The statement piece everyonewill be forced to acknowledge, near and far, as I walk up on the stage.
Revealing what a hidden gem I really am.
It hasn’t sunk in yet.
This whole week hasn’t shimmered in my mind. I don’t think it will until we’ve initiated our new positions in the world.
For now, that’s okay.
It’s exactly why I’ve gone along with everything that has been asked of me, despite not meeting Bunny Stalker yet.
All I know is whatever connections he has are endless because he’s been able to get everything we’ve needed these past two days. He also flew all of us to Turkey for medical reviews and to ensure I saw one of the best medical doctors who specialize in seizure management.
Since the incident, I’ve had four seizures, two of which happened the day of and two during my recovery. The latter two were initiated due to playing around with a new dose, but even with the new medication regimen, they weren’t as debilitating as past seizures.