Page 30 of The Veiling

“He won’t be able to come until morning,” Valentino chimed in. “He won’t be back in town until late tonight.”

“Am I going to be fine until then?” Truthfully, I felt like it. Babies were tougher than people thought, but I still worried deep down inside that I had done something wrong.

“He said if you weren’t having symptoms, you should be okay but to go to the ER if you were between now and then.” I trusted the doctor if he thought it would be acceptable to wait.

Nodding, I pivoted toward the open door. My gaze met Laura’s as she entered the room. Her eyes widened with a grin before she froze, staring behind me. Her smile diminished. I twisted around to see Noah and Marco coming through the back porch door after smoking. Marco tucked a pack of cigarettes into his inside jacket pocket.

“Marco?!” Laura shrieked. “Oh my God, Marco!” Tears erupted from her eyes.

“Surpriseee.” He smirked sheepishly at his sister.

“What the fuck?!” Sobbing, she ran across the room, pulling him in for a tight hug. “You fucking asshole. I missed you so much. I hate you!” She took a step back. “That’s not true. I love you.” She slapped his arm. “Why would you do that to us?! I hate you!” She hugged him once again. “Don’t ever do that again!”

Noah watched the exchange between the two of them with nothing but love and respect in his gaze. He darted his eyes toward me before averting them to Valentino. “We need to get this shit handled.”

Laura took a step back, shaking her finger at Marco. “I want answers, now.”

“Later,” Marco assured her with a gentle squeeze on her arm.

“Ladies,” Valentino stepped over to me, enfolding his arm around my waist, “I need you to exit the room. We have a lot to do.”

Without question, Laura, Tanya, and I filed out into the hallway toward the kitchen. I had barely eaten since before the masquerade, and I was starving. Jean Pierre was standing at the stove, preparing something already. An earthy, rich aroma drifted through the room. I approached him, leaning over the large stock pot on the gas stove.

“What are you making? It smells amazing.”

“Miss Ayala, it’s called Soup aux Champignons.” His French accent pronounced it so flawlessly. “It’s a mushroom soup. Very good for you.” He waved his hand at the table. “Girls, sit, sit, sit. I will prepare some for you now. Fresh bread is coming out of the oven too.”

I meandered over to the table, sitting across from Laura, who was staring at the fresh, mixed flower centerpiece.

“Are you okay?”

She did not answer. Tanya, who was sitting next to her, touched her wrist. Laura jumped, glancing back and forth between us. Tanya withdrew her hand.

“Oh sorry,” Laura blew out a breath, “I’m just in shock. You guys saw him too, right?” She darted her wide eyes back and forth between us once again. “I wasn’t dreaming, right?”

Jean Pierre placed a bowl of soup and a glass of water in front of each of us and a small plate with three slices of bread in the center of the table. Next, he passed out individual servings of his famous raspberry jam in small ramekins. “Enjoy, ladies. I’ll be in the butler’s pantry preparing tomorrow’s meal if you need me.”

“Thank you,” we sang in unison.

The moment he disappeared, I spilled every detail to the girls about what happened after I went to the bathroom at the masquerade between spoonfuls of soup. They listened with piqued interest, asking several questions whenever I would take a breath or a sip of my drink.

After we were finished, Joseph poked his head into the room. “Girls, we need you in the office again.”

The three of us pushed away, picking up our plates off the table. Jean Pierre sped into the room, zipping around the island and gliding over. He took our dishes from us and shooed us out of the way as he spoke in French.

“Thank you.” I offered a polite smile before we followed Joseph down the hall, back to the office.

He moved to the side, letting us enter before he stepped in, and closed the door behind him. Laura and Tanya sat together on one sofa while I chose one of the chairs. Valentino moved behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders. I laid a hand on top of his, peering up into his gaze. The relief he had before was replaced with anger, and I knew he was officially inwork mode.

“After meeting with—”

The door swung open, and Alessandro came barreling through, scanning the room frantically before he caught sight of the middle brother. “Merda! It’s true!”

Marco remained silent.

“When Laura texted me that you were alive, I…you’re fucking alive!”

Marco nodded.

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