Page 33 of Gilded Gods

He doesn’t answer.

That’s a yes.

“I won’t get sick of Ophelia. So stop lecturing me. You sound like Apollo.”

“Whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with the Drakos.” He twists off the top of the water bottle and takes a swig. “If either of you screws this up for us, I’m walking away. I mean it this time.”

He would never leave us. Atlas has threatened to abandon us to get his way dozens of times. Unlike me, he’s less on board with Apollo’s games. I don’t have an issue with letting Apollo choose the girls or telling us how he wants us to fuck them.

Atlas used to be okay with it. But something has changed since Mom got engaged, and we moved in with the Drakos. Maybe it’s his not-so-secret obsession with Ophelia.

Does he want her for himself?

“You should push the fight back until after the wedding,” Atlas says on our way into the locker room. “Mom will lose her shit if your face is fucked up in her pictures.”

“It’s not like she gives a shit about Belen,” I throw back at him as I push open the door. “She’s only marrying the piece of shit to help us avenge Dad.”

She also needs the money. Once Belen is gone, our mother will inherit everything—including the shares in his businesses Ophelia desperately wants.

She has one month to change her attitude if she wants to own a quarter of Olympus. But if Apollo does his job correctly, we’ll be rid of Belen before then. Apollo is the mastermind of this operation and schemed with our mother.

Atlas grabs a towel from the rack. “We need to get closer to Ophelia. It’s the only way she’ll believe the truth when this is over.”

Ophelia is part of the deal our mother made with Cora Drakos before her death. The letter is real. Despite what Ophelia believes, our mother didn’t force her mom to write it.

I bob my head to agree. “What do you think I’m doing? Neither of you is getting anywhere with her.”

He shakes his head. “Not true. I gave Ophelia one of my drawings. You should have seen her face. I thought she was going to cry.”

“Sounds like we got a good thing going,” I comment as we make our way to the showers. “Work your magic with your art, and I’ll convince her with my tongue and cock that sheneedsus.”

Our mother marrying Belen is only the beginning. Apollo spent months analyzing every detail, planning our revenge to the second. But that was before Ophelia. She’s sexy and gets under my skin, and I don’t want her to get hurt.

Neither do my brothers.

“I’ll do my part,” I tell him as I turn on the shower. “You do yours. Mom and Apollo will take care of the rest.”

ChapterNineteen

OPHELIA

One month.I can last until my father marries my evil stepmother if it means getting a legitimate stake in Olympus. Before my mother died, I liked Athena. She was like a second mother to me.

I can pretend.

Be civil.

Smile.

Athena waits for me in the sitting room. To my surprise, Atlas is with her, drawing in his sketchbook. I rarely see him without a charcoal pencil in his inked hand.

What is he doing here?

“I thought this was a girl’s day,” I say to Athena as if we’re best friends.

She glides over to me, her movements fluid, even in five-inch heels. As usual, she’s dressed impeccably in a champagne-colored wrap dress, making her black hair look even more stunning against her olive skin.

“Atlas is in our bridal party.” She grips my shoulder as we exit the room. “I didn’t think you would mind him tagging along.”

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