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The Deal With The Devil 6
StefanThe ceremony commenced, and the hum of conversation quieted, leaving me to observe. I didn't bother to take a seat, choosing to lean against a tree behind the last row of chairs instead. Speeches were made, people applauding at the appropriate time. All very dull, quite frankly. Veronica shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, or more likely, nervous. The students stood one row at a time as names were called.Veronica's turn approached, and I straightened once she stood and glanced back. This time, her gaze met mine. Even from this distance, I saw the strange, pale caramel-colored eyes widen, the delicate skin around them puffy and pink. She'd been crying.She stumbled when the girl behind her moved faster than she did, but righted herself, looking straight ahead as she made her way to the platform. At the stairs, she stole one more glance. When they called her name, she slowly made her way across the stage, her legs seeming heavy as she took those last steps in freedom to shake th
The Deal With The Devil 7
VeronicaInside the envelope Stefan had given me were three sheets of paper, pieces taken from a larger document. When I'd asked him what it was, he'd said one word—truth. But it couldn't be that. There was no way. Grandfather wasn't that hateful. No matter what, we were his family, his only remaining family.The night I'd first met my grandfather as a child had also been the night we'd celebrated my mother's twenty-first birthday. The timing of his visit made perfect sense, now that I knew the details of my own inheritance. For as all-powerful as I'd always believed my grandfather to be, this one thing he could not control. At least not wholly. Because on my mother's twenty-first birthday, she received majority control of Kingston Winery. My grandfather was merely given an allowance that she dictated.One thing I hadn't known was that my grandfather had taken my grandmother's last name. She was Veronica Kingston, my namesake. He had never been head of the family. Not really. Even if
The Deal With The Devil 8
VeronicaThose last words he spoke so quietly, they made me stop. Made me study him, his face, his eyes, which he kept on the menu rather than looking at me. Part of me understood. I understood why he felt he had to do this. It didn't make it right, not by a long shot. And I'd still be the one punished for sins I'd not committed. I'd be the one—He cut off my thoughts when he turned to me suddenly."It doesn't have to be terrible for you. Three years, then you're free. A marriage in name only. I'll even make sure you're not out on the street afterward, if you're a good girl."The blue of his eyes shone. So much emotion swirled like a deadly twister behind them."What if I say no?" I asked.It took him a moment to answer, and he only did so after studying my face, my eyes."You already said yes.""I can change my mind.""This conversation is a waste of time. You won't change your mind, because if you do, I will destroy your family. Even if you don't care that your grandfather will rot
The Deal With The Devil 9
VeronicaBy the time we landed in Florence, we'd been traveling for over thirteen hours. The drive to the Armando property took another hour and fifteen minutes. Located outside of Florence near a town called San Gimignano, the house—or rather estate—came into view only a few minutes after we'd driven off the country road and through a large entrance, where tall iron gates stood open and stone walls separated the property from the road.We sat in the back of a dark sedan with tinted windows. As the driver took us through, I looked back at the dragons on top of the two pillars. Each was posed differently, one perched on its haunches, the other ready to take flight with its wings wide. Both had eyes that seemed to follow me.I shuddered and glanced at Stefan, who had a strange look on his face as he surveyed the land, the swelling hills, the green grass, the vast seeming acres of land."It's beautiful.""Thank you." He smiled.That was maybe the first authentic smile I'd seen from him.
The Deal With The Devil 10
VeronicaThen someone else walked out of the house. I did a double take and glanced at Stefan. I knew they were twins, but to see them in person, it was weird. Amazing, that nature could duplicate life so flawlessly. Stephen stood as tall as Stefan, his hair just as dark, his build big and powerful. The only difference between them was in the eyes. Stephen's seemed kinder.He greeted his brother with a handshake, and I could see from the expressions on both their faces that their relationship was strained.Stephen looked at me and smiled. The brothers approached together. Watching them was almost surreal."You must be Veronica."His voice was as deep as Stefan's but had a different tone altogether. I wondered if this was how Stefan would sound if he hadn't spent the last several years of his life behind bars. If circumstances had turned out differently for him."I'm Stephen Armando, Stefan's brother. Welcome to Italy.""Thank you. It's nice to meet you, Stephen.""Stephen is the sligh
The Deal With The Devil 11
VeronicaI followed him down the hall to the third door. He opened it, and I stepped inside. My suitcases were already arranged on luggage holders, which were the only modern things in the large room with its king-size bed, draped by curtains hanging from the ceiling with high, intricately carved wooden head and footboards. Blues were the theme here, and the curtains at the picturesque windows matched that of the headboard. The windows stood open, and I realized that for as warm as it was outside, the house itself felt reasonably cool, even if it had a slightly musty smell. Stefan seemed to notice it the same moment I did."The room hasn't been used in a while.""It's beautiful." I turned in a circle, wondering how old the furnishings were."Bathroom is here."I followed him to an adjoining room, not very large but big enough to house a bathtub separate of the shower. White marble veined with gold covered floor, ceiling, and walls, although the fixtures looked quite old. He turned the
The Deal With The Devil 12
Veronica"Why do I make you so nervous, Veronica?" he asked, setting a mug on the counter.I turned around and looked up and found an array of tea bags in the cupboard. "You don't," I said weakly, focusing on reading every box."I told you I don't expect to bed you. I thought that would ease your mind."I concentrated on opening a tea bag."Unless you wanted me to, that is. I'm open to the idea, of course.""You like messing with me," I said, watching the water as he filled my mug."I do. It's so easy."He set the pot down and went over to the sink. On his way there, he glanced down at his shirt, which was smeared with dirt. He pulled it over his head and dropped it down a chute along one of the walls. A laundry chute. I had one in my room too. He stood with his back to me, scrubbing his hands and splashing water on his face. I wasn't sure if it was the marks I noticed first, thin silvery lines crisscrossing flesh, or his powerful back flexing with muscle at the movements.When he tur
The Deal With The Devil 13
Veronica"Sit," he growled."No.""Just fucking sit. Ask me a question. A different one.""Are you going to stop being a jerk?"He gave me a lopsided smile. "I'll try, but no promises. It's my nature."I hesitated."Sit down and talk to me," he said finally.I wasn't sure if it was his tone or his words that made me do it, that made me sit back down and meet his eyes and feel at least a little closer to equal footing for the first time with this man.He nodded in acknowledgment."Is this home for you?" I asked.He inhaled deeply. He took his time to answer, and I thought about what he'd told me earlier, what he'd promised. Truth."Yeah, I guess it is.""Why?""Because it's where things were good. It's where I remember my mother. Where I remember my brothers and me as kids." He paused. "I remember being happy mostly."Hearing him say that last part, it was strange. In a way, it almost hurt me to hear it. I felt the loneliness coming off him, and I realized it was always there, every ti
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