Chapter 2

When I finally woke up the next morning, it was already ten o'clock.

To my surprise, Charles, who was always up before the sun and back after midnight, was still there. He sat by my bedside, casually messing around with a camera in his hands.

"What are you looking at?" I said.

I leaned in closer.

And instantly caught sight of myself passed out on his chest, with my mouth open, drool smearing his shirt. It was so much for dignity.

With a grumpy huff, I rolled away, totally done with him.

Charles snickered at me, "Have to leave some evidence, or you'd just talk your way out of it every single time."

Before I could even escape, he yanked me back and pressed a hard kiss right at the corner of my mouth.

No matter when I got close, this damn annoyingly perfect man had always had that subtle cologne going on, fresh and expensive.

"Oh, by the way," Charles tossed out, sounding casual, "Vivian's coming back tomorrow, and you're coming with me to pick her up."

My heart jumped in my chest, a guilty panic bubbling up before I could hide it.

Normally, Charles and Edward were like phantoms, always drifting in and out, never sticking around long enough for anyone to get away.

The only shot Joanna and I had to pull off a clean escape was when both of them left together to pick up Vivian.

Pretending to stay chill, I managed, "Wait, seriously? Tomorrow? Ugh, I actually told a friend I'd go with her to see the doctor."

Charles just cocked an eyebrow at me, suspicious as ever.

Before he could say a word, I started rattling off, "It's a girl. She used to be my coworker. She just moved here. She doesn't know anybody, so I'm basically all she's got."

Charles never really cared about any guys getting close to me, but he was always way more laid-back when it came to my female friends.

He thought for a second, then shrugged. "Fine. Just make sure you're back early, and stay safe. And with all this flu season madness, wear a mask at the hospital. Don't take it off."

"Yeah, I got it," I muttered.

If he didn't keep shoving it in my face that I was just some pathetic stand-in, Charles could be a decent guy every now and then.

God must finally be on my side.

The night before our grand escape, Charles was nowhere to be found, busy with who-knows-what, and didn't come home once.

I got up early and used walking the dog as cover to sneak my two big suitcases outside. But when the planned time rolled around, Joanna was MIA.

An hour passed, then two.

I kept calling, but her phone just wouldn't connect.

It wasn't until I was mindlessly doomscrolling through some gossip channel's short videos that I spotted Joanna for a split second. She looked totally miserable, her face basically screaming censored curse words.

The headline blared: [The Sterling family's adopted daughter, Vivian, is back. What jaw-dropping miracles will this golden prodigy of the piano pull off next? And all the old drama with the two brothers—]

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

Joanna had been caught. Edward must've dragged her off to the airport to greet Vivian.

I mentally roasted Edward at least a hundred times over for this stunt.

Just days ago, Edward was picking fights with Joanna over Vivian, and now he's straight up dragging Vivian along to meet his precious first crush.

What a total scumbag.

Finally, when dinner rolled around, the whole crew came back home.

Vivian was basking in the spotlight, while Joanna looked utterly defeated.

After spending the whole afternoon doomscrolling through clips, I knew exactly how it went down. Vivian stepped off the plane, acting like she was the star of the show, and barely gave Joanna a chance to breathe.

"Oh, so this is Lucia, Charles' wife?" Vivian chirped. "Honestly, she's a little more mature-looking than I imagined."

She looked straight at me, her eyes wide and sparkling with fake innocence, but her words pure venom.

"Oh, so this is Vivian? What? Ten-plus hours on a plane? You must've had such a rough trip. Looks like your skin's all dried out from the journey.

"And those lines around your mouth? Wow, did life overseas treat you that harshly?" I leaned in, squinting at her.

Sure enough, the smug look on Vivian's face snapped away in a heartbeat and twisted into something almost vicious.

But after years of perfecting her act as the golden girl, she didn't miss a beat. She instantly shifted gears, eyes glistening as she glanced pitifully at Charles and then Edward.

"Charles, Edward, does Lucia really not like me? Did I do something to upset her?" she whined.

Edward didn't dare say a word, but Charles's expression turned ice-cold in an instant.

"Lucia," he snapped, "I must've spoiled you way too much. You talk without a filter. Apologize to Vivian. Now."

I plastered on an exaggerated, terrified look. "Vivian—"

But before anyone could react, I snatched Joanna's hand and took off at full speed.

"Oh, and your hair's totally dry, and that hairline's getting kinda tragic, maybe rethink your look," I called out.

Bullies picking on my bestie and trying to humiliate me in public, then still expecting an apology? Dream on.

Honestly, all three of these jerks were just the same kind of trash.