Page 11 of Claimed By the Billionaires

She tried to brush it aside, but a tear slithered down her cheek. But now was not the time to start crying. Also, why did she feel a need to cry? What was wrong with her?

She knew her destiny and what it entailed years ago—every single little detail about it. Once she honored her parents’ wishes and gave birth to the heir of the Masters of Pegasus, she would be free to live her life as she wanted. While she’d miss the house in which she was raised—not that she spent a lot of time at home being sent off to boarding school, finishing school, then college. And it wasn’t as if she had her pick of careers and what to study at college.

As a Creer virgin, she was limited to studying only two things: the arts and music. She chose art, and she supposed it was serendipitous that she discovered she had a talent for painting after all.

If they hadn’t made the call to her father, Winter would have been packing her bags to leave for Italy, where she’d be painting alongside her favorite modern artist.

She put those plans on hold, and her intention was to continue with her life as soon asthiswas done.

Thinking of it as a small sacrifice she had an obligation to undertake because of who she was born made it more endurable. The first part of her life was owed to her family. The next would be all hers.

She closed her eyes, but all she could see was them. All she could sense was their presence and smell their cologne.

Water sloshed over the stone bath as she sprang up and then quickly climbed out of the pool of water. She had a task to do, and it didn’t require her to think about them unnecessarily.

Immediately, an attendant brought her a bath sheet, and she was directed to yet another part of the underground system.

This time, she was led to a bedroom. Her toes sank into multiple layers of thick, fully white carpet. Pegasus Dynasty memorabilia adorned the stone walls. Swords and scythes. Tapestries and scrolls. Crystals and black opals lay on stone-like shelves. Priceless relics won in battles: warrior artifacts and ceremonial masks.

A bed, custom-made and bigger than anything she had ever seen, draped with fur and decorated with massive pillows, took up a huge portion of the area. She quickly turned her head away, swallowing down her trepidation.

The attendant silently offered her a new gown to wear, similar to the one she had worn before. After slipping into it, the attendant gestured for her to sit on a cushion-covered boulder, where she then proceeded to remove the flowers from Winter’s hair before brushing out her tresses and twisting them into a thick braid that hung down her back.

And then she was left alone.

Winter continued sitting on the boulder, trying to assimilate her thoughts, when she was startled out of them by the sound of a woman’s voice entering the bedroom chamber.

“Hi, hello. I hope you don’t mind.”

Winter turned and slowly rose from the seat. Standing before her were two of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, whom she recognized immediately.

“I’m Piper, and this is Sutton.”

“I’m married to the Basilisks,” Sutton said.

“And I’m married into the Leoni family. We couldn’t resist sneaking in here to meet you,” Piper said.

"Oh, come here.” They chorused and pulled her in for a hug.

Winter was still a little awestruck. She couldn’t believe she was staring into the faces of Piper and Sutton. She knew everything there was to know about them. From where they came from to their happy ever afters.

In person, they were even more gorgeous than their profiles did them justice, but better than that, they were so incredibly nice, making Winter gravitate toward them immediately.

“I’m sorry,” Winter said apologetically. “I’m still in awe of meeting you.”

“As we are of you, Winter.”

“We just wanted to wish you good luck. And to tell you, we’re here for you. Always.”

“We know how daunting this can be. Trust us; we know everything. We’ve been through it all and been right here where you are now.”

Winter didn’t expect the surge of emotion to burst from her, but suddenly, just knowing that she wasn’t alone and that two phenomenal women had gone through this before her empowered her immensely.

The only difference was that it had worked out for Piper and Sutton. They were gloriously in love with the men they didn’t know at all, who had taken them to be their virgins.

Winter didn’t know how it was going to end for her, but maybe she was going to be okay when all this was over. And she needed that glimmer of hope from Piper and Sutton to see her through what lay ahead.

“Thank you. Thank you,” she said, smiling genuinely for the first time in three days. They hugged her again and then hurried from the room, not wanting to get caught for sneaking off, but not without telling Winter she could call them any time of the day or night if she ever needed anything at all.

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