Chapter - Two

Aleena — POV

My eyes stayed glued to the screen as I typed lines of code, trying to create a model for studying human behavior. Frustration gnawed at me when another error appeared. I never made mistakes like this. What was happening? I am distracted.

“Sis!” A loud voice made me flinch.

Before I could react, El pulled me out of my chair and wrapped me in a bear hug, making me smile with happiness. I hugged her back, gently patting her wavy brown hair.

Then it clicked. She shouldn’t be here.

“El, why are you here?” I asked.

She pulled back and raised an eyebrow. “That’s the first thing you want to ask me? I thought you’d say you missed me.”

“I missed you, okay?" I said. “But I told you to stay away from the Caruso estate.”

I held her shoulders, my expression serious. From across the room, I could feel Caldwell’s eyes on us.

“I said I wouldn’t step foot in this estate again,” she whispered. “But Dad said I shouldn’t miss my sister’s engagement. Guess what? I had to hear about it from him instead of you.”

I sighed.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you.”

“Then tell me why you’re marrying Nico Bellini of all people.”

“You should’ve spent your vacation with your friends instead of coming here,” I said, trying to change the subject.

“I’m not missing your engagement, Sis.” Her voice softened. “So, you and Nico Bellini are tied in arranged marriage? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I couldn’t tell her the truth. My reason for agreeing to this arranged marriage.

“Because I love him,” I lied. “But he doesn’t feel the same way. I think this arrangement will help us fall in love."

What nonsense am I spewing to her? I am sure she won’t buy it.

“Wait!” El’s eyes lit up. “This is a one-sided love story, and an arranged marriage? Sis, this could totally turn into genuine love, like one of those romance movies.”

Thank God she believed the lie. I hated how excited she sounded.

“Something like that,” I muttered, turning back to the screen so she wouldn’t see my face.

“Oh my God, sis. I can help you make Nico fall for you.”

I didn’t need help. I didn’t even care about him. But I couldn’t say that.

“First, you need a makeover,” she said, dragging me away from my desk. “The nerd look with the glasses isn’t helping.”

“I like the nerd look,” I argued. “And I don’t mind going to my engagement like this.”

I pulled away, but she kept trying to drag me.

“Hell no. You need a makeover, sis. Even if I have to drag you myself.”

“Hell no,” I shot back.

She huffed and planted her hands on her hips.

“Fine. Rock, paper, scissors. Loser does whatever the winner says.”

“No. I’m not playing any games. I’ll wear one of Mom’s old gowns from the closet. It’ll fit me.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you love this guy?”

“Yes,” I said with a soft tone.

“Oh, I get it.” She smirked. “You’re scared you’ll lose.”

I didn’t react.

“You know what, Sis? I heard you back down from challenges.”

“It seems like you’re not going to leave me alone,” I hissed.

“Not a chance,” El said with a cheerful grin.

“So, are you in or not?” she asked.

“How about we flip a coin?” I suggested with a smile.

She sighed, but nodded. “Fine. I call tails.”

I flipped the coin into the air, catching it against my palm before revealing the result.

“Heads.”

“You’re cheating your sister.” My head snapped toward the corner of the room at the sound of Caldwell’s voice.

“Wait, what?” El asked, turning toward him. “What do you mean? Who are you?”

Caldwell walked over to me while I glared at him.

“You really shouldn’t interfere in my business,” I whispered.

His blue eyes held mine without a flicker of emotion. Then he held out his fist. One by one, his fingers opened, revealing another coin inside his hand. My stomach dropped. Before I could stop him, he easily pried open my fingers, took the coin from my hand, and handed it to El.

She stared at it in shock. Both sides were heads.

“You’ve been cheating me this whole time?” El gasped. “Every time we did coin flips?”

I gave her a guilty smile.

“Wait… whenever I picked heads, you still won?” she asked suspiciously.

“I had another coin with both sides having tails too,” I admitted.

Her glare sharpened instantly.

“Can you forgive me for all the times I cheated?” I asked carefully while silently shooting daggers at Caldwell. Why did he suddenly care enough to expose me? He usually stayed out of everything.

“I’ll forgive you,” El said, placing her hands on her hips, “but only if you come shopping with me and finally get rid of the nerd look.”

“I’ll agree if you let this go permanently.”

The look she gave me said she absolutely planned to use this against me later.

“Fine,” she said proudly. “Let’s go.”

I shot Caldwell another irritated glare. For a brief second, I thought I saw amusement flicker in his eyes. But when I looked again, his face was unreadable.

“What’s wrong with my current look?” I asked.

El looked me up and down.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a nerd,” she said carefully. “But sometimes you need to switch things up depending on the

situation.”

I knew exactly what she meant. Eleanor could charm her way out of almost anything, especially speeding tickets. I followed her downstairs while Caldwell trailed behind us quietly. Eleanor glanced at him before looking back at me with curiosity.

“Who is this guy who revealed your secret to me?” El asked.

“Dad hired a bodyguard,” I explained.

“He’s handsome,” she whispered with a grin.

“You have a boyfriend,” I reminded her.

Her expression dropped for half a second before she brightened again, clearly too excited about dragging me shopping to care.

“I’m driving,” El announced.

The chauffeur immediately stepped aside. I took the passenger seat while Caldwell sat in the back.

“Let’s go shopping!” El shouted excitedly.

She drove like an absolute maniac, but strangely, the speed didn’t scare me. It made me feel alive.

The wind rushing through the open windows cleared away some of the frustration weighing on my chest. She dragged me through one clothing boutique after another, forcing me to try on dress after dress. Saying no to El was impossible.

Eventually, I stepped out of the fitting room wearing a stunning burgundy gown. The fabric flowed softly around me, with a fitted bodice covered in delicate detailing and thin straps resting against my shoulders. The long, trailing skirt moved elegantly with every step. El gasped dramatically. Caldwell’s blue eyes lingered on me for a brief second before he looked away, scanning the perimeter for danger.

“Damn, Sis. You look gorgeous,” she muttered while quickly taking pictures on her phone. “You’ve been hiding those curves under baggy clothes this whole time.”

After shopping, we stopped at a salon so El could force a full makeover on me. My hair was cut into something called a butterfly cut, my nails were done, and I got an entire makeup lesson I never asked for. At least learning makeup wasn’t difficult. Still, my head hurt from the exhausting day.

“Did you enjoy shopping?” El asked as we got back into the car.

“No. I love my laptop and coding,” I replied.

She sighed dramatically.

“Good thing I came the day before your engagement. The media’s going to be everywhere tomorrow.”

I rolled my eyes.

To the public, the Caruso family looked like wealthy business tycoons who owned Caruso Mart stores across the world. No one saw the darker reality underneath.

“You’re my savior, El,” I muttered sarcastically.

“Hey, you should be thanking me, not mocking me,” she complained.

“Honestly, if you weren’t here, I’d be a complete disaster.”

I placed one hand dramatically against my chest while fake wiping tears with the other.

“You saved my life, El. I’m okay. I’m okay,” I said in my best Khloé Kardashian voice.

El shook her head.

“Drama queen.”

Then her expression softened.

“I missed your Kardashian impressions,” she admitted quietly. “I hate being alone in London.”

“I missed you too,” I whispered, resting my hand over hers on the gear shift.

“Now tell me the truth,” I said after a moment.

She blinked at me. “What?”

“You’ve been acting gloomy all day while pretending you’re fine. What happened?”

She smiled weakly, trying to hide the tears building in her eyes.

“I’m twenty years old. I can handle myself,” she whispered.

“I’m twenty-six,” I replied softly, “and I can handle anyone who hurts you. So talk.”

She looked at me with a weak smile. Changing into a sad look.

“I broke up with Brandon.”

“Did he cheat on you?” I asked immediately. I should make sure to teach him a lesson.

“No,” she shook her head. “He found out about our family’s real mafia business. It scared him, and he couldn’t handle it.”

Her voice cracked slightly before she forced out a bitter laugh.

“Good. He was useless anyway.”

“He’s a loser, El,” I said firmly. “Any man who walks away from love because he’s scared was never worth your time.”

“Damn right,” she agreed.

I smiled slightly.

“So... should we celebrate your breakup with drinks?”

“Yes,” El said with a watery smile. “Please.”