“All I know is that when it comes to the Valentines, anything goes. And it’s not only us—it’s them too.”
“It’s not me. I’m not part of the us,” I say, shaking my head adamantly.
“Yes, you are. We were born into theus.” She pauses. “You’ve heard about me and Orion, haven’t you?” she whispers.
I frown. “There’s a you and Orion Valentine?”
“Yes.” She clears her throat. “He’s, umm…”
Her emotions come through clearly, which is why I rub my chest over my heart. I never knew Treasure could experience heartbreak until now.
“My dad threatened to cut me off if I even thought about getting involved with him. And not just moneywise, Pais. Like, he’ll never talk to me again. And my mom too.”
My mouth is agape. It’s hard to believe Leo and Londyn would ever break ties with Treasure. She likes to refer to me as my parents’ perfect princess. Well, she’s her parents’ diamond on the shelf. They have let her get away with virtually everything, including dropping out of college and filming that stupid reality show. But a relationship with a Valentine is where they draw the line? That’s insane.
“They would really cut you off over one boy?”
“He’s a man. Orion Valentine is all man. And yes, they would. And your parents will give you the same ultimatum, so don’t do what I did and force them to make you choose. It broke my fucking heart, and frankly, I haven’t seen them the same way since.”
* * *
I’ve been tossingand turning all night, pondering Treasure’s warning. Orion Valentine must have really meant a lot to her. I wonder if she was with him when she pretended to be kidnapped. I remember asking her where she went, and she said, “Somewhere I can never go again.”
I never asked her what she meant by that because I figured she was referring to a five-day-long party on the yacht of one of her snobbish but wild friends. As I flip over onto my side to watch the early-morning sun weave through the leaves of healthy oak trees, I take my pondering to the next level—one I spent all night fighting. Maybe I’ve kept Treasure’s secrets because deep down inside, I knew that her parents would take away their love if she crossed certain lines. Maybe my parents have sent me the same subliminal message: screw up badly enough, and you’ll be cut off.
I flip onto my back to stare at the ceiling. I should be exhausted after not sleeping a wink, but I’m not. I’m fully awake and feel like, for the first time in my life, I’m completely aware.
There are soft knocks on my door, and then it cracks open. “Paisley, are you up?” Eden whispers.
I glance at the clock on my nightstand as I sit up. “I’m up.”
“Are you alone?”
I chuckle. “I’m alone.”
Eden steps into my room. She’s wearing the same outfit she wore yesterday. Her smile is earnest and relaxed. “She’s gone.”
“Yep.” I tilt my head curiously. “Have you been with Nero since yesterday?”
Eden’s face is aglow as she nods.
My chest tightens. “Then you told him your real name?”
She shakes her head.
“No? Why not?”
She slowly walks over to sit on the foot of my bed. Her eyes are alight, her skin glowing. I’m not anticipating bad news, which is why I’m confused about why she didn’t tell Nero her real name.
“I never had so much fun with a guy in my life.” She hoists her legs onto my bed and sits with her arms wrapped around her calves.
My eyebrows shoot up as my smile mirrors hers. “Oh, really? What did you do?”
Simpering, she gazes out the window without focus. “He asked if I wanted to go to a party, and I said I wasn’t dressed for a party. He said I couldn’t make myself more beautiful than I already am. And you know what? I knew he wasn’t bullshitting me just to fuck me. He meant it. But he wanted me to feel comfortable, so he asked if I wanted to go swimming instead.”
“I said, ‘Swimming? It’s cold out there, you know,’ and he said, ‘The water’s warm.’ So I said, ‘What the hell, let’s do it.’ But the house wasn’t a house, Pais. It was a mansion. The kind of place where people who have money like your family live.”
I knitted my eyebrows. “We don’t own mansions, Eden.” The house in Manhattan is mansionesque. But it belonged to my grandfather, who was prone to buying expensive properties just for the hell of it. My parents are minimalist, though, which is why whenever I think about it, I’m still baffled that we ever moved into Grandpa’s monstrosity of a house.
