NADIA
Lucia's expression changed so fast I thought she would kill me. “Get your dirty hands off him, this instant!”
I moved my hands off Ares quickly and stepped back. Ares didn't like it.
“And why should she?” he retorted, gazing at her. Lucia walked in like a lioness and raised her hand, ready to swing a bit at him when he caught it.
“I'm your fiancée!” Her voice was loud and my ears hurt from it.
“And?” Ares asked, acting nonchalant.
Lucia's eyes widened and she scoffed, shrugging her shoulders. She turned her gaze to me and her anger became visible.
<ARESHis what? He didn’t just call what I thought I heard him say. She can’t. She isn’t. She wouldn’t have let me kiss her if she were.Then it occurred to me what he was doing. He was claiming his spot and trying to get me out of the picture. Here I was, forcing myself to lie to protect Nadia, and he was owning up to it. That’s why he asked me to return with him. He wanted to make me witness it.“Bastard!” I growled inside, knowing he could hear me.“Patience, brother. I am trying to get them off your track,” he said into my head.“I didn’t ask you to,” I snarled.
Luca’s POVI couldn’t believe it. Mom came back. But why? She would never set foot in this castle. She had said it many times, even when I begged her to return when we chatted. She would complain about how much she hated the palace and couldn’t bear to experience any more hell, but here she was, smiling widely from over there at me.Nah, something was wrong. My mother wouldn’t come over just like that. I held Ares’ hand, stopping him. He had always longed to meet our mother and now he was leaving in anger.This wasn’t the reunion I was expecting. I didn’t bother to ask Ares because I knew he wouldn’t tell me. So, I did the only thing I knew best. I read his thoughts and learned everything.
Ares’ POVI knew my mother well enough to detect when she felt threatened. It showed the moment she saw Evelyn, but the recognition in her face told me she had seen her before.I didn’t doubt it since my mother could be crazy at times. She would spy on anyone with anyone. And that meant Lucia.“Is that how you train our kids?” Mom asked. Her voice was blaring with rage.I was tired and frustrated. The food had gone cold and still she was not dropping this crazy part of supporting Lucia.“Don’t question my parenting skills. I have heard enough from you today,” Dad replied coldly.
NADIAI felt Ares’ wolf from where I stood. He meant business. I had never seen him this way. He defended my mom. That was unexpected of him.Gabrielle's eyes turned slowly and landed on me. I knew she wasn't going to take this easily, but she was equally scared as I was.Arnold relaxed in his seat, saying nothing. I had expected him to be the one asking questions, but he did nothing.I was a bit pissed, but then I realized he was letting Mom handle things so she would be respected. Gabrielle was once a royal and was also born a royal. That meant my mother could not show weakness for a second around her.“I'm not sitting in that stupid chair to watch you all eat. I c
ARESOne thing I hated after being lied to was being told what to do, and the third worst would be betrayal. But there was always going to be the in-between, which I never liked to be a part of.My mom was furious. It wasn't my business. She decided to listen to Lucia, so she could handle whatever came with it.“That's fine. I see how you have turned out to be. Your father did exactly as I thought he would. Be useless and let you go rotten,” my mom blabbered.I was getting tired and losing my appetite, but half the table was filled with my favorite food and I wasn't about to let it go just because of her. I rarely get to eat my favorite dishes.“Do you want ano
NADIAI hadn't expected the turn of events in my life. Arnold looked like he had seen a ghost. His mouth dropped open, his voice breaking. “Gabrielle?”I had heard that name before. Wasn't that…? Oh hell.Ares confirmed it just before I could change my mind. “Mom?”The dining room turned into chaos and I was lost in it. I turned to see my mother's face from across the table and she looked hella mortified. Her chest heaved heavily, her eyes wide open.Gabrielle stepped in, and my pulse spiked. “What in the world?” I muttered as I watched the woman walk in. She was an exact copy of my mom, the same face but with darker wavy hair.