Page 106 of Hidden Echoes

Audrey shakes her head, laughing. "Edo, your father is a serious case. But that's okay, because you have Aunt Audrey to teach you the really important things."

"If by 'important' you mean irresponsible, then no."

"Please. You already have a little princess, let me make Edo an adventurer." She turns to him. "Right? Cheeks."

"Of course you're going to be the aunt who corrupts him," I say, finally closing the book.

Audrey smiles with satisfaction. "It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it."

Audrey is still holding Edo when her phone vibrates, but instead of answering right away, she takes one last look at the screen before smiling in a rare way—kind and sweet.

This makes me stop.

After everything that happened with Will, it's rare to see her like this.

Part of me regrets asking Seth to spare that idiot. But something tells me he didn't really listen.

"What's wrong?" I ask, curious.

Audrey chuckles and turns her phone to me. "Just a friend I made last year while visiting LA. She's traveling the world now."

And then Audrey pauses. "Wait… I shouldn't talk about her."

I frown. "Why?"

"Zane asked me to keep it a secret." Audrey rolls her eyes, as if she thinks that's a bit of a stretch. "He doesn't exactly want people knowing he married a stranger in Los Angeles. Lucky for him Mia is a sweetheart."

Mia.

My heart stops for a second.

It can't be the same person.

Part of me wants to ask to see the photo, to examine every detail, but I force myself to look nonchalant. I don’t want to sound suspicious. I don’t want any questions.

I know Audrey is okay with me being Nico's daughter because she doesn't see me as his daughter. She knows what he did to me. But Mia? Mia was raised by him. That changes everything.

She hates the Rivieras.

Even though not all of them are bad people.

And I know Mia isn't.

I'm not an idiot. I know why Nico used to lock her away. She was trained to kill, but he could never fully control her. And anything that got out of Nico Riviera's control... was discarded.

I remember the night I set her free. The cold chain on her wrist. Her wide, curious eyes that, even after everything, still had a sparkle of life.

But it can't be.

How many Mias are there out there, right?

"She's crazy," Audrey comments, putting her phone away.

My mind freezes.

"Crazy how?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

Audrey laughs, shaking her head. "Oh, in her adorable way. She talks a lot, and she has this kind of chaotic energy, like she's discovering the world for the first time and finding it fascinating. But at the same time, she's really smart. Like, genuinely brilliant, but a walking disaster."

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