“I lived my entire life in a home similar to this one. We traveled, sure, but most of our time was spent inside a fortress with no sign of normality. Guards, servants, occasionally my father and of courseher.”
I shiver, and Julius is instantly by my side, his arm wrapping around me, keeping me safe, telling me I’m not on my own anymore.
I lean into him. “We knew no different, and in some cases, we enjoyed happy childhoods. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.”
“You forget my childhood was much the same.”
He attempts to reassure me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. “I suppose. Were you happy?”
He hesitates. “I thought so, but it’s only now I understand that happiness isn’t the latest car or taking down my enemies. The thrill of the chase, the interrogation or the subsequent kill. The business deal that brings in millions and the triumph over my enemies. The latest wristwatch that everyone wants, or a vacation in paradise. None of that is happiness compared to a mere minute spent with you.”
He spins me around and holds me tenderly, whispering, “I am now.”
I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly, and my heart blooms in my chest. Happiness is Julius, and it didn’t take me long to discover that.
I pull away and smile. “I had my sisters, of course; they were happiness to me. I was the lucky one, I guess.”
“I fought with my brothers.”
I giggle as he adds. “I still do, but life wouldn’t be the same without them. Living like this creates an unbreakablebond, so I admit I’m lucky and happy to a degree that I have them.”
“What about your parents?”
I’m interested in hearing about them.
“Our father was probably much the same as yours. Family loyalty runs deep, but he hid behind the need to protect that. He became hard, ruthless and unapproachable, but we knew he loved us in his way. He just never demonstrated that like a normal father would.”
“And your mother?”
His smile almost breaks his face.
“She is as a mother should be. Soft, kind, loving and yet a fierce protector when it comes to her family. You will love her, Rose; there really is nothing not to love.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
He smiles, and his next question pushes away my happiness.
“Tell me about your stepmother.”
I shiver, turning to gaze at the rain-streaked window.
“She came into our lives when we were about six years old. Before that, there was a steady stream of Daddy’s girlfriends, many of whom I liked. However, I hated her on sight.”
“Did lightning crackle overhead when she stood in the doorway?”
I laugh, loving the image he portrays.
“It may very well have.”
My mind despairs at any memory of that woman, and I sigh. “When she arrived with him from a business trip, he lined us up in the hallway to meet her. The maid had been instructed that we should wear our prettiest dresses and hold a gift in our hands to present to her to make her feel welcome.”
“What did you give her?”
“A card I made of a house with five people standing holding hands outside. I was quite proud of it, and yet as she took it from me, I saw the derision in her eyes, even though her mouth was painted in a smile. She was cruel, sorry is, a cruel woman, and I knew that the second I met her.”
“In what way was she cruel?”
“Words mainly. We could do nothing right and obviously antagonized her when we were around. Our father never saw that side of her because she played the loving mother around him. In private, she made our lives a misery, though. He went away often, and she ordered us to do chores around the house to teach us humility. Typical Cinderella, really. I remember one time she made me scrub every toilet in the house with a toothbrush. It took me all day, and when she came to inspect them, she told me it wasn’t good enough and made me do it all again the next day. It took three days before she called me a pathetic creature who couldn’t even complete the most simplest task before locking me in my room with only bread and water for the entire next day.”
