Page 12 of Arranged Obsession
She snorts a little laugh and leans back to study me. “You know, Bianca, you ever think about going back to school? You’d make a fantastic social worker.”
I wave off the idea. “Never going to happen.”
“I know. I just worry about you sometimes, that’s all.”
“Really?” I take a seat, feeling jittery and nervous. “I figure you have bigger worries.”
“Oh, I know. Everyone that comes through here is on my mind all the time. But I also know your home life is… complicated.”
She doesn’t elaborate. My family connections aren’t exactly secret. She knows my last name, and she’s street savvy enough to ask the right people the right questions. Kate knows exactly who I am and who my family is, but she never talks about it. At least she never did before.
“My home life is kind of why I’m here,” I admit sheepishly. “I have some bad news.”
“If you’re in trouble, you know we could help.” The offer comes so easy and normal, like it’s something she says all the time. She keeps it casual, but I know what that means.
And for a second, I’m tempted.
Run away from the Famiglia. Refuse to marry that Whelan man. I’d have to start my life all over from scratch, but there are resources that could help me. Kate’s not making some empty offer.
“It’s not like that,” I say quickly before I change my mind. “But something did come up, and I guess I won’t be able to volunteerhere anymore in a few weeks.” Tears suddenly choke me. I expected to feel awkward, but I didn’t expect to start crying. “Sorry, this is harder than I thought.”
“Oh, Bianca.” Kate comes around her desk and sits next to me. She puts a hand on my shoulder and pulls me in for a light hug. “You know how much we love you here, don’t you?”
“I know. This place means so much to me, and you’ve been so good—” I wipe my face, struggling to compose myself. And mostly failing. “But it’s a family thing.”
Kate’s expression darkens for a moment. “That wasn’t an empty offer. If you’re in trouble?—”
“It’s not like that. I just wanted to say this place does good work, and I’m going to make sure it’s always taken care of no matter what.”
“Bianca…”
“No, listen to me.” I take her hands in mine and squeeze them tight. “You know where I’m from. You can probably guess why I feel like I need to spend so much time here. This place isgood, and there’s not much good left in the world. Even when I’m gone, I promise, Grace House will always have what it needs to keep the good stuff going. I promise, okay?”
Kate’s eyes are teary now. I’ve seen her cry dozens of times. But now it really hits me. Those feelings are for me.
“You’re always welcome here, okay? And either way, you have to keep in touch. You’re my favorite, you know that?”
“I better be,” I say, laughing lightly and wiping my face. “Thank you, Kate. Thanks for everything.”
We stand and hug. I feel better now that it’s over. I can tell she still thinks I’m being beaten or trafficked or something, and she’s really not all that wrong. If she knew I was entering into an arranged marriage, she’d probably lose her mind.
But this is how I give back.
Grace House will survive. It’ll survive for a really long time if I have any say in it.
And once I’m in New York running the new business, I can sprout a dozen more Grace Houses all over the place.
More goodness. More light to balance out the dark.
It’s a hard choice, but it’s the wrong one.
I walk out of Grace House with my head held high, feeling proud of myself.
While also dreading what’s to come.
I’m drainedand beyond exhausted when I get back to the mansion. The place is cool and quiet, and I like the sound my flats make on the hardwood floors. They creak and flex as I walk to my suite, and I swear they were built that way on purpose. No way in hell anyone’s sneaking around in here.
Which makes me think of my ghost. Whoever it is, he must work here already. This house is one of the most heavily guarded and best-protected places in the whole freaking world. There are cameras hidden all over the place, probably more than I realize. Armed men lurk in dark corners and watch from up on the roof. Drones buzz overhead, looping around.
