Chapter Six

Amelia's POV

"What?" I blurted out.

Could these people even hear what they were saying? Had their impending poverty fried their brains or something?

"Isabella—" Mrs Domitia began.

"Let me get this straight," I cut in, ignoring the glare that earned me. "You want me to go to a man I've never met and don't really know, and who hasn't met me either and doesn't know me, and somehow make him fall in love with me? Not just that, but we all know he doesn't believe in love, yet I'm supposed to sweep him off his feet anyway, and make him love me enough to marry me before the year ends. What do you think this is, Cinderella? Scratch that, even Cinderella had a better chance."

"Isabella—"

I didn't know which one of them had called me, and I didn't care. I was pacing from one end of the room to the other, my voice raised in complaint.

"Do you think I'm going to be the first woman who has tried this? Do you think you're the first to come up with this kind of insane idea? All the others failed! You think you have such good luck that Julian Lake is suddenly going to take one look at me and decide that I'm The One? With the way you dream, you both need to be out there writing fantasy novels!"

"That's enough, Isabella!" Mr Domitia thundered, slamming his fist hard on the table. "I will not tolerate you speaking to us that way!"

I paused, gaping at him.

Oops, I thought. I assumed that rudeness was expected, since Isabella is known to be a spoilt brat. Did I take it too far?

Scratch that, I have every right to be shouting at these people. What sort of nonsense is this?

"You will do as we have said," my 'father' continued. "I don't want to hear any more complaints on the matter."

"But dad—" I began.

"That will be all," he snapped. "If you can get a new boyfriend every two weeks, you can make Julian Lake fall in love with you. Now, return to your room."

But this is like telling me to go rock climbing! I screamed in my head. Why do these people even think this is an option?

Why couldn't they come up with a better idea?

I fought the urge to break something as I stormed back to Isabella's room.

Really, what were these people thinking?

How the hell was this the best they could do? This inability to find realistic solutions had to be why their business was going bankrupt.

Whatever. They could take their crazy ideas somewhere else, because I wasn't onboard for this. I was going to call Isabella and let her know just what was going on here. I needed explanations, and I needed to shout at her, because why the hell did she not warn me about the bankruptcy or her ridiculous parents?

How dare she just take off and l leave me with this mess? I thought, feeling anger stir within me. I'm going to give that spoilt brat a large piece of my mind.

I was pacing in her room, punching the digits of the number she had given me into my phone— her phone, really, but whatever— when I heard a knock on the door. I knew it was one of Isabella's maids even before I asked. I knew they had seen me marching angrily back to the room.

"What?" I demanded.

"There's something you need to know, Miss Domitia," Daisy said.

"It can wait," I snapped. "I'm very busy right now."

"It's really urgent, Miss Domitia," she insisted.

With an angry sigh, I stormed to the door and threw it open. Daisy didn't flinch. She must be used to tantrums from Isabella by now.

"Well, what is it?" I asked impatiently.

"Can I come in, Miss Domitia?" she asked.

Ugh. I supposed she might as well.

So I stepped back and silently waved her in.

"This had better be important," I said.

She shut the door and wordlessly handed me a note. I looked at it, and my blood ran cold. It said: "your room has been bugged again, Miss Domitia."

My heart pounded and I looked around as if I would see the listening devices out in the open like that. Who could have done it? Stalkers? Kidnappers? Was this one more thing Isabella had failed to warn me about?

I was so lost in my fears that I almost didn't notice Daisy tapping my arm. I looked at her just as she held up another note.

That one read: "it will take a while for all the devices to be found and removed."

It took me a moment to understand why she was writing. Whatever either of us said would be heard by whoever planted the listening devices.

I held out my hand for her pen, then wrote on the other side of the note "do you know who did this?"

She gave me a strange look before writing under the question, "of course I do."

My heart skipped a beat. At least it wasn't a secret who was spying on me.

Quickly, I wrote "who is it?"

Daisy replied, "the same person as always. Your foster brother, Master Jeremy."

"What?" I blurted out, forgetting that I was supposed to be writing. "Why the heck would he do that?"

"We haven't had much luck finding out," Daisy replied in a low voice.

What the hell is wrong with this family? I thought with frustration.

"Nothing Master Jeremy does ever makes sense," Daisy continued. "You know how he is."

Actually, I don't know, I thought, fighting the urge to tear my hair out by handfuls. How did Isabella not think to mention that she has a crazy foster brother?

"I'm taking this to mum and dad. How dare he?" I fumed, heading to the door.

"It's no use, Miss Domitia" Daisy said. "They won't do anything."