"Why has the case been reopened?" Dom asked, crossing his hands.
"After all these years, we discovered that Winston wasn't the killer of those girls. He was just a pawn of the real culprit," Nikolas ran his hands down his face.
"Are you going to order something?" the waiter asked, standing next to them.
"A coffee, please. Strong," Nik requested.
"Orange juice," Dominick added.
"Whiskey, double please," Gideon exclaimed.
"No, just water for him," Nikolas corrected. The waiter left. "Gideon, you know you need to stop drinking."
"You don't give me orders," Gideon growled.
"I'm your older brother, and I don't give a damn what you think I can or can't do. I won't let you die because of your stupidity," Nikolas snapped through gritted teeth. He was visibly upset.
The two of them started arguing.
Dominick stayed quiet. He didn't know how to intervene… A while back, he would have known exactly what to do.
"What happened to us?" Dominick's sudden question made them both fall silent.
"Life," Gideon said after a few seconds. "Cruel and heartless life, that's what happened to us."
"Gideon…" Nikolas looked at him with compassion.
"I don't know what happened to you two..."
"You left after getting out of the hospital, without saying goodbye properly," Gideon accused, interrupting him. "How were you supposed to know? We were friends, and now we're like strangers sitting at the same table."
"I know I was wrong, but I had my reasons… And if I had to do it again, I would. The betrayal I lived through created a before and after that's irreparable," he said, staring at the napkin on the table.
"Everything has a solution. We're adults. And I can't deny I miss those gatherings we used to have…" Nikolas gave a weak smile.
The tense atmosphere eased a little. The waiter brought their orders and left.
They began a light conversation. Though Gideon seemed distant, he answered a few things. Dominick couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them to make them like this—just like him—hollow shells of who they used to be.
[...]
Jade
"Where are you off to looking so pretty?" Nerea asked, crossing paths with Jade in the hallway.
"It's Alicia's birthday today, they're having a dinner. Want to come? There's still time for you to get ready."
"I can't," the brunette pouted. "They extended my shift. But tell Alicia I'll bring her a present, give her my congratulations."
"Alright, see you later," Jade said.
"Jade, are you coming back? It'll be late. You should just stay there."
"I can take care of myself. I'll be fine," Jade assured her, smiling to ease her worries.
"I won't be calm until you're back. Take care, okay?" she hugged her. Jade felt happy knowing she had someone like Nerea.
"You're my sister from another mother, Ner. Love you lots," Jade said, breaking the hug. "See you later."
Each one went their separate way down the hallway. Jade carried Alicia's gift in hand.
"Jade!" Robinson called. "Wait!"
She turned and smiled when she saw him.
"Need something, Robinson?"
"No, I just wanted to know how your sister's doing," he said, standing in front of her.
"My sister?" Jade frowned.
"Yeah, your sister Allison. Nerea told me you had to leave because she was feeling bad… something about an infection, I'm not sure."
Jade widened her eyes.
"Oh, right, she's better now. Thanks for… asking." Jade made a mental note to talk to Nerea about that. Still, it made her laugh a little.
"You look really pretty. Heading out somewhere?" he asked.
She mentally reviewed her look: ballet flats, a white dress with blue flowers, a modest neckline, and a wide skirt. Her hair was down and straight for the occasion. She carried a small shoulder bag with her keys, phone, some money, and her earbuds. Her makeup was minimal, though he looked beautiful to him.
"Pretty? This is just what I threw on," she lied, blushing. It had actually taken her two hours to pick out.
"You'd look beautiful in anything. Come on, I'll walk you to the door," Robinson said impulsively, taking her hand.
She felt nervous. She really liked Robinson, but she thought sparks would fly, that there'd be electricity when he touched her. But there wasn't… Everything just felt normal.
They got in the elevator, a comfortable silence falling between them. Jade looked at Robinson, wanting to memorize every part of his face, but instead, all she could think about was how close she had been to Dominick in that same elevator...
She cursed under her breath.
The metal box opened, and they stepped out into the lobby. Robinson opened the front door for her and let go of her hand.
"Take care, Jade," he kissed her forehead. "I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Don't worry, I'm just heading home," she waved goodbye.
Robinson went back into the hotel.
Jade had only taken six steps when a hand grabbed her arm.
"What the hell…?" Jade looked at the hand on her arm, noted the long fingers and an expensive-looking watch she couldn't identify, but she knew damn well it was pricey. Her eyes followed the arm up to the familiar darkness in Dominick's gaze.
"Where are you going?" he demanded to know.
"Did you hit your head?" she replied with a question of her own. "Because that's the only reason I can think of for you to believe I owe you any kind of explanation." She yanked her arm free from his grip.
Dominick stared at her for a few seconds that felt endless to Jade. Ignoring everything she had just said, he asked again:
"Where are you going at this hour? And why are you letting him touch you?"
"I don't know what you think is going on, but let me tell you..."
But she didn't get to finish. He didn't let her. He grabbed her by the waist, pulled her against his chest, and kissed her... not giving her a chance to protest or react.
One hand tangled in her hair, the other held her firmly at the waist. Dominick pressed her to him without hurting her, and when she opened her mouth to argue, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in.
For a second, Jade let herself be kissed, feeling Dominick's incredible tongue against hers. Then, she felt that electricity she'd been desperate to feel with Robinson only, against her will, it happened with Dominick. It shot up her spine, spread through her body, and pooled at her core.
Realizing what she was doing, she pulled away as best she could. Dominick, lost in the sensations, didn't see the slap coming.
Furious, he touched his cheek.
"Why the hell did you hit me?!" he roared.
"For kissing me without my consent, you idiot!" Her chest was heaving. She wanted to hit him again—for his nerve—and herself, for having enjoyed it, even for a few seconds.
"You sure kissed me back," he grinned victoriously. "I knew I wasn't indifferent to you. And I won't rest until I have you in my bed, Jade. You hear me? In my bed."
He turned around and walked back toward the hotel.
Fuming, Jade waited for the bus. Her head was spinning. She mentally scolded herself for letting him kiss her. But even if she refused to admit it, she had liked the kiss.
"Damn it, I can't like him. I just can't…" She pulled out her phone and checked the time, 8:07. She was going to be a few minutes late.
[...]
She reached the door, pulled the key from her small purse, and unlocked it. Before stepping inside, she mentally prepared herself to bite her tongue, she couldn't ruin her sister's day.
She entered the dining room, where her father was placing the cake, strawberry and chocolate, Alicia's favorite. The table was beautifully decorated.
"Hi, Dad!" Jade greeted cheerfully.
She approached him and hugged him.
"Sweetheart, it's so good to see you." He pulled back to get a better look at her. "You look beautiful, just like your..."
"No, don't say it," she interrupted, smiling awkwardly. Jade hated being compared to her mother, because she was sure she'd never cheat on someone she claimed to love, and even worse, never bring another man into her children's home.
"Jade…"
"You know what I think. That won't change." She was firm. "Where's Alicia?"
Her father sighed. He knew that changing the subject was the only way to avoid hearing more of what his daughter thought.
Lucas was far too noble a man for the woman he'd ended up with.
"She's in her room. With Allison," he said as Jade was already leaving. "Please, Jade, don't cause any trouble."
"I don't cause trouble, Dad," she said dramatically, placing her left hand on her chest.
"You inherited your grandmother and great-grandmother's temper," he chuckled. "And that's not exactly a good thing. Go be with your sisters, and behave."
"No promises…" Jade murmured, walking away.
She got to Alicia's room, didn't knock, and opened the door. Allison was putting makeup on her sister. Jade grimaced, she thought Alicia was too young for that sort of thing.
"Jade!" Alicia exclaimed, jumping off the bed and running to her.
"Little one, happy birthday!" Jade hugged her. "I got you something. And even though I didn't want to… Maximiliano got you something too. Make sure to thank him later."
"Let me see!" Jade smiled at her little sister's excitement. Fourteen years old, and she still had that sweet innocence, untouched by the world.
Alicia pulled out Jade's gift a book, Violet and Finch.
"Thank you so much, Jade!" Then she opened Maximiliano's gift: diamond earrings, matching a gold necklace with a tiny diamond heart.
"Jesus! Maximiliano must've spent a fortune," Jade said in shock. She hadn't seen the gift, and when she'd asked him, he'd said "It's something simple."
"Now that's a gift," Allison said, getting up to get a better look at the diamonds.
"Jade's gift is pretty too," Alicia said, putting everything away carefully.
"Yeah, sure," Allison mumbled sarcastically.
Jade shot her a murderous glare.
"Little one…"
"Don't call me that," Alicia pouted. "It makes me feel like a little kid."
"And that's exactly what you are. Who told you otherwise?" Jade crossed her arms.
"I… uh…" Alicia looked to Allison for help, and Jade didn't need to think twice to figure it out.
"It was me," Allison stepped up to her. "She's too old for that ridiculous nickname. What would a boy think if he hea..."
"Allison, I'm going to ask you not to interfere in Alicia's life. She's still a child. And if you don't want to end up missing three teeth, don't tell her what she can or can't do, and especially don't tell her not to let me call her whatever the hell I want." Jade's teeth were clenched, and the vein in her neck was twitching.
Allison rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to go get ready. Alicia, put on the dress I lent you, it'll look divine."
Allison walked out of the room.
"Little one, I don't want to ruin your night," Jade sighed. "But you know I don't get along with her."
"I know. Don't worry," Alicia smiled. "But you're sisters. You should try to make peace."
Jade smiled. That was never going to happen.
"Let me see the dress Allison gave you."
Excited, Alicia went straight to the closet and pulled out a black dress. It was nice, but way too short.
"It's…" Jade began, and seeing her sister's hopeful face, she swallowed her real opinion. "Very pretty. It'll look fantastic on you."
Alicia smiled brightly.
They chatted for a while as Alicia changed. Her hair—like Jade's—was blonde, loose, and full of curls.
The dress ended about four fingers above her knees.
"Alicia, the only problem is that it's really short, so it's better not to wear it out on the street," Jade said, taking her hand. "It's true that you can dress however you like, but there's always some creep out there who doesn't see it that way."
"I know, Jade. Don't worry."
Both of them headed to the dining room, where everyone was already starting to gather. Jade's eyes landed on her mother's husband, she didn't like him at all, but she was going to try her best to keep things peaceful…