Page 5 of Snowed in with the Brutes
Not his three adopted sons.
“Gosh, they’re so gorgeous,” Jasmine says dreamily, staring at her phone.“But they’re so scary I would pass out if they even looked at me.That’s just me, but you’re so gorgeous, and they’re the handsomest men on the planet, and I know girls who would kill to be in your position just to breathe the same air they do.You’re so lucky.”
“I’m not lucky,” I say, my tone sharper than I expected, but there’s nothing romantic about this.“I’m sorry,” I add.It’s not Jasmine’s fault I’m in this mess.
“No, I mean, I know.I’m sorry, I—”
We both look up, startled, at the sound of a woman clearing her throat.She’s dressed in a modest gray skirt with a matching jacket as if it were a moderate winter’s day outside while Jasmine and I shiver our butts off.This must be Mrs.Harnett.
But nothing seems to stick in my head except the names Kian Saywell, Flinn Calloway, and Sinclair Jones.
Chapter Four
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Cora
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Mrs.Harnett looksat me disapprovingly, probably because I can’t handle the cold and am trembling uncontrollably.
“Ms.Anderson, your punctuality is noted,” Mrs.Harnett says in clipped tones.I don’t even know what that means.She slips her hands into a pair of gloves while continuing to scrutinize me.
“I’ve stocked the place up to our new masters' standards.You, on the other hand, will have to make do with what is left over.This is not a vacation.You are serving time for a crime your father dared to commit against the prestigious Nix Consortium; don’t forget that.”
She appears personally affronted, her lips pursing tightly and nostrils flaring as she looks down at me.
“Jasmine, stop yapping and show her around,” Mrs.Harnett instructs the other girl.“Chop chop.If you are not back by the time the helicopter arrives, I will leave you behind.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jasmine replies, grabbing my hand and dragging me along.
With every nerve in my body frozen solid and the images of the new heads of the consortium tattooed in my brain, I can only catch glimpses of opulence, luxury furniture, and priceless art as we pass through.
"They really weren't joking when they said the Anderson daughters are a sight to behold.You are ethereal.I just learned that word, by the way.”
Words fail me completely, so I don’t reply; all my energy is consumed by the question of what I’m going to do now.Thankfully, Jasmine doesn’t wait for a response before continuing.
