If there was a boy they liked, the innocent story Gia shared became one of debauchery. And when that hadn’t worked to sway them, photoshop had come in handy to make some of the most compromising images known to man. Gia barely knew how to use the damn computer back then, but it was easy enough to convince them that it had been her handiwork.
It was easy to convince them since she’s the one they’d shared their innocent photos with. And I was just being a caring outsider when I took those same photos to them with the sob story mom and I had concocted. Even Felix had believed all the lies, and he was the one who knew her best. I fooled him once; I can fool him again.
Damn, he knows that I bullied Gia at school. But maybe there’s a way around that. I’ve gotten away with it before, just by playing it off as a joke. I felt renewed hope which was soon dashed when I remembered that there was a video of what happened that last day. There must be some way.
I’m not sure why, but something about seeing Gia here like this, looking so confident as she hangs onto Gabriel’s arm, has triggered me. I feel a stronger sense of dread than I had before coming here. It’s as if this night proves that she’d won after all. That she was no longer under my thumb to do with as I please.
Now with mom getting into one scrape after another and Felix acting out of character, I feel lost and alone, weak even. My heartache was such at the moment that I couldn’t even drum up my usual anger and hate for the girl that should be the one sitting out here like an outcast. Those emotions were buried under the profound worry that was hitting me all at once.
I looked away from the spectacle once Gia disappeared from view. The party had been going on forever, and my eyes were starting to cross from staring through those stupid lenses for so long. I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes for a second, feeling sorry for myself.
My mind was searching for anything to hold onto, anything that could turn this mess around and get my life back on track. Fate can’t be this cruel to bring me this close to my goals, only to have them snatched away from me. Yeah, I don’t deserve this; I haven’t done anything that bad to warrant having my life disrupted, turned upside down, while Gia gets to play princess with the Russo family.
I’ve never put much stock in fate and karma or any of the other things weak-minded people play into. I’m in charge of my destiny; I’m the one in control. I overpowered Gia once; I can do it again. I just need mom to come home because I can’t do this by myself, but Felix claims he can’t find a lawyer willing to take her case.
It’s only been a couple of weeks since things began to change; how can that limited amount of time undo all that it had taken years to achieve? Maybe I’m overthinking things. Married people have ups and downs all the time and get through it. I’m not going to get anywhere by giving up this easy.
There was a change in sound coming from the mansion, and I sat up in time to see Gia and the twins, followed by three others, taking center stage. My brow creased in a frown when they started dancing, and I sat transfixed in horror.
GABRIEL
I sat with the family as the girls took the stage, and when the strains of our song came through the speakers, something warm and soft entered my gut. I couldn’t look away when she started moving. I say she, because I didn’t see anyone else but her. Her moves were graceful, fluid, even more so than the time we’d danced together.
She’d perfected the dance and, from the looks of it, had been listening when I talked ad nauseam about the dowager empress. Her talent astounded me, the way she told a woman’s life story through dance, the song a perfect backdrop to her flawlessly perfect movements.
In the back of my mind, I wondered who else was watching her, who else was as touched by her as I was. But if they were, I couldn’t look away from her long enough to glare at them if they were. She made me fall in love with the song all over again, our song. “Blink. I hear it’s good for the corneas.”
“Shut up, Lance, and stuff your face with canapes.” He snickered again, but I was in no mood to trounce him for the stunt he’d pulled.
I’m not a complete rube, so it didn’t take me long to figure out that he’d set me up. His last question before walking away was a dead giveaway, but what are the chances that he’d just happened to bring the perfect outfits for this dance? I’m not sure what game he’s playing or why it’s so important to him to prove whether or not I’m in love with my girl. I can only surmise it has something to do with Pop and the two of them scheming some shit.
“Look at that jerk staring at the girls. What say we make sure he doesn’t make it back to New York in one piece?”
“That would look really good on your resume down at the station. Let me take care of him myself.” The jackass in question must’ve felt the heat of my gaze because he looked over at us just then with a stupid smirk on his face. The smirk was for Lance, but once his eyes came my way, he lost that shit real quick. I’d already warned him once.
I looked back towards the stage, not wanting to miss anything, and stood to my feet with the rest of the guests in rollicking applause. Pop was grinning from ear to ear and boasting to anyone who would listen about how great his girls were. He’d have been singing a different tune had they come down here before I caught them.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, how in the world did you learn to dance like that if you quit dance as a kid?” I asked Gianna when she came to my side once the dance was over, and she’d accepted praise from her aunts and grandmother along with my family. I wish she could always look the way she did right now, with that light in her eyes and happiness glowing from her face.
“Drawing isn’t the only thing I used to hide and do on my lunch break.” She expounded on that at my questioning look.
“You know the deserted music room on the third floor at school? I’ve been using it for years now.”
“Isn’t that place full of dust and old furniture?” She shrugged her shoulders as if she hadn’t just given me a heart attack with her admission.
I know only too well the room she mentioned; I’ve used it before until I found my spot. It’s been off-limits for the better part of three years, maybe more. No one goes up there, not since the new music room had been opened, so it was used for storage more than anything else. It’s the perfect place for her to hide away. But all I could think about was the danger of something going wrong while she was in there alone.
That thought brought my mind crashing back to reality, her reality, damn. “Where’re you going?”
“I can’t stay in this costume all evening, silly. I need to put my dress back on.” She kissed my cheek and walked away to join my sisters. I nodded at Lancelot to do what he does best, ride roughshod over the Russo twins; I had somewhere to go.
I slipped out the front door and walked down to the gate in the cool evening breeze. Mikey saw me coming and met me halfway. “You were right; how did you know?”
“Easy guess, she’s diabolical. Where is she?”
“Left side at the very edge of the property. She has binoculars, been there for a while after I turned her away.”
“Okay, thanks.” I played around with the idea of confronting Victoria but figured there was no point. Now that I knew where she was, I’d be sure to give her something to see. I took a wild guess that she would show up here, that she wouldn’t be able to stay away. My intent is to push her ass over the edge so that she and her hag of a mother can crash and burn together.