No wonder he hates her.
“And I know Rosie will love to help, too, won’t you, dear?” Veronica’s attention snaps back to me, her smile softening enough to feel condescending. “You can pick the prettiest bouquets for the entry hall.”
I almost laugh at its sheer absurdity. Not only because it’s a blatant throwaway task but also because Nicholas would probably be better suited to it than I would.
Bitch.
But I smile instead. “I’d love to.”
“Wonderful,” Veronica purrs, her satisfaction evident. “So, is this a yes?”
Koen’s gaze sweeps the table, lingering on Levi, then Ezra, before finally landing on me. There’s a glint in his eyes like he knows exactly how this is going, and for now, it seems to be playing into his hand.
The question is whether that’s a good thing or a disaster waiting to happen.
“Sure.” He nods. “Let’s rewrite the Strip.”
“Oh…” Veronica’s smile sharpens, “… we will.”
SIXTEEN
The mansion feels quieter than it should as we step through the door, the weight of the dinner still hanging in the air. Levi tugs at his collar as if it’s choking him, muttering about needing to wash his face to scrub Veronica’s air kisses off his skin.
“Get the poison off myself,” he clarifies as he kicks off his shoes and heads toward the stairs. “I can’t stand it.”
I huff. “A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
Koen shrugs out of his jacket, running a hand through his hair. “He’s not wrong. I need to get out of this suit too. You need anything?”
“I’ll change in a minute.” I brush at the skirt of my dress. “I want some water first.” My throat hurts as if I choked on a breath the whole evening.
“I’ll grab it for you,” Koen offers, but Ezra steps in.
“Go change. I’ll get her a glass.”
Koen hesitates for a fraction of a second before nodding and kissing my temple, then he disappears up the stairs after Levi, and I follow Ezra into the kitchen.
The tension feels different now, less about Veronica and more about us. Ezra pulls a glass from the cupboard and fills it.He slides it toward me across the counter, then grabs a glass for himself.
I take a long sip, letting the cool water soothe my throat. “Do you think all of this is a good idea?”
“No.” Ezra doesn’t hesitate. “But it’s not like anybody ever listens to me in this house.”
I chuckle, leaning my hip against the counter. “That can’t be true. You give off big brother, man-in-charge vibes.”
He snorts. “Yeah? Tell Dove that. That little brat does whatever the hell he wants.”
I smirk, swirling the water in my glass. “Speaking of Levi?—”
“Don’t.” His tone is sharp but not unkind.
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Oh,I know.” Ezra’s gaze flicks to me, and there’s something guarded in his eyes. “I know you’ve figured it out, just like Alaric did. Ask him how that’s going for him. Giving me all these looks like he wants me to know he cracked my secret.”
“Why is it a secret in the first place?” I tilt my head, watching him closely. “Are you uncomfortable with being?—”
“I’m not,” he interrupts, the words quick and clipped. I raise a brow, letting the silence linger, waiting him out. Ezra sighs, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. “It doesn’t matter what I am or what I’m not.”
