”You wanted to see me, sir?”

The chair turned around slowly, the person in it coming into Audrey’s line of sight. Of course, as they would, something the latina would notice right off the bat was it definitely wasn’t Philip Anderson, the Principal of Beverly Hills High School. The person in the chair wasn’t a 50something-year-old man with mostly a bald head where hair should be. This person wasn’t a white male with the appearance of a grandfather. This person wasn’t even a male. In his stead, was someone more aesthetically-pleasing to the eyes.

”I’m afraid I am not Philip, though I’m pleased to see that you thought I was.” Adrianna gave Audrey a smile, gesturing her to take a seat. ”Please, Miss Huntsberg, take a seat.” Adrianna said, bearing a calm, non-threatening smile.

Once Audrey had taken Adrianna on her offer to take a seat and once she became situated, the mother of Alexandros observed the girl. Her hazel eyes took in every feature that was on display for this young woman. She found her intriguing. Not like the usual brand of women that her son tended to associate himself with. Most of his conquests - as Ava put it - were either minimal in hispanic appearance or were caucasian. This one, however, was further from being white, this much was clear to Adrianna. Her round cheeks made her stand out. Usually full cheeks like that don’t necessarily attract handsome young men like her son, but Audrey makes it work for her. There was also a confidence about her that Adrianna felt was very similar to her own.

In taking the time to analyze her, Adrianna had been eerie quiet for a few minutes, though she smiled, making a sound of approval. “I do apologize, I should explain.” Adrianna offered an apologetic smile, “Philip owed me a huge favor for my last donation to the school, so I asked him to bring you to me so we could talk,” She stated, “I wanted to know exactly what it was about Arthur’s daughter that had such an effect on my son. You aren’t like most girls, so perhaps you could enlighten me how it is that my Alexandros, despite you clearly cutting ties with him, won’t let go.” She mused, giving Audrey a curious look.

If there was one thing that Adrianna could say about Miss Huntsberg, it was her ability to remain composed despite being in front of the mother of a young man whom she was involved with - even if just for a brief time. With that being said, there was this air of uncertainty that she felt coming from the latina. Adrianna couldn’t quite place exactly what it was, but something in her eyes and overall mannerisms were hinting at something she wasn’t letting on. Perhaps that’s where Adrianna should focus on.

“There’s no need to apologize to me. If anything, I should be the one to offer my condolences to you. My son, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, isn’t the easiest of men to be around. As much as I love him, he is his father’s son. For better or worse, those two are most certainly, if you’ll forgive the euphemism, two peas in a pod.” She nearly winced at the thought of what her son could’ve done to get this lovely young woman to come to his way of thinking.

Much like Adrianna was herself, Audrey made it very difficult to get a clear reading, not to mention how she handled herself. Audrey reminded Adrianna of herself when she was this young woman’s age. So full of life and grace, yet had the tendency to fall for those that were the complete opposite. Of course, Adrianna wasn’t sure if she had fallen for Alexandros, but the reverse certainly was the case. Had her Alex not been in such a state to where he seemed almost saddened by what transpired just a few days ago, Adrianna wouldn’t have bothered and she’d let her son do whatever he needed to ensure that he got over her.

Audrey’s last comment brought an unexpected laugh to emit from Adrianna’s lips. “Well, yes, I am sure he is. My son is, if nothing else, consistent.”

Her mind went straight to how Baltazar was in pursuing her. Granted, their tale had a bit more on the line than just their reputation, but it had a lot of the same elements. Baltazar had a reputation that followed him and Adrianna was drawn to it by her curiosity alone. They didn’t particularly like each other in the beginning, but his charm and subtle silliness got her addicted to him. Difficult as it might’ve been for them, the power of their love seemed to outweigh the very real dangers of their families being at war with one another. In fact, when it all came down to it, they chose each other over their respective families.

Something that Adrianna could see was carried over to Alexandros and Audrey. Though, they did seem to be in the first stages of finding out each other.

“You strike me as a young woman who protects herself. You seem like the kind of person that doesn’t let her guard down easily, yet you were drawn to my son. As I have said, he is very much like his father: charming, persuasive, and has a certain allure that most cannot resist for very long.” Adrianna said, smiling. “He must’ve done something that took you by surprise. Whether it was a simple gesture or something overwhelming, I’m sure you weren’t expecting it to happen.” Adrianna recited her own experience with Baltazar. “When something as rare like that happens, it can prove to be a bit much. And anything that might ruin such an euphoric high could send you running in the opposite direction.” She leaned forward, “what Ava said, I’m sure, was shocking.” She continued on. “Despite what my son thinks, he is not perfect. He makes mistakes. I’ve not a single doubt in my mind you’ll find yourself questioning him like you are now. Who knows? Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you’re done with him, but I have to imagine that, since you’ve given me this much time, that maybe you’re not truly over him as you say you are?” Her back was against her chair, arms crossed, and eyes on Audrey. “Know that, whatever you say here, no matter how insulting it might be to Alexandros, will not leave this room. Everything is 100% confidential.” Adrianna assured her, offering her a smile.

After a moment of silence, Adrianna would offer the girl the floor with a hand gesture towards her.“Now, speak as your grandmother would. Hold nothing back.”

Adrianna had told Audrey to be completely honest with her despite her being Alexandros’ mother. And as she predicted, Audrey didn’t disappoint. As she was sure the young woman never disappointed in anything she did, she spoke from the heart - the scorned heart from where Adrianna was sitting from. Honestly, her son meant the world to her, but sometimes she wondered why he did the things that he did. Why did you play with these paper hearts, Alexandros? Don’t you see that cruelness wasn’t the way to go?

His father wasn’t like this, not one bit. He played his games, sure, but he did it for his own entertainment. He didn’t do it to be cruel. Sometimes Adrianna wondered where she went wrong with Alex. Was she too lax in raising him? Did she allow him to have too much freedom. Should she have been a bit more strict rather than let him figure himself out as soon as he became a teenager? Or was there something else at play? Perhaps this was divine intervention for the things she did.

Whatever it was, Adrianna knew it didn’t matter now. As she looked in front of her, this strong woman, despite how awkward or embarrassed it might’ve been for her, she bared it all out there. This girl, no matter her relation to Alexandros, had won Adrianna’s respect. If anything could be taken away from this meeting, that would be it.

“I won’t force you to do anything. Lord knows, my son is quite difficult, but up until what Ava let slip, he treated you respect - well, as much respect as a boy like my Alex could. I mean, he never gave you the impression that he was just using you, right? Putting all of the games he played with you and the other women he used to get to you, during your short time with him, was there ever a moment that you felt used?” Adrianna asked her, eyes fully intent on taking in every word.

She felt for this girl, she truly did. A victim of her own feelings and unfortunate actions taken upon from her son. She cared for him, Adrianna knew this much but saw that the young woman was conflicted about the feelings she had. Pride and love don’t always go hand-in-hand with each other. Adrianna knew this and Audrey no doubt knew this as well. But what seemed to be the deciding factor in it all was this Janice Nelson that Audrey had mentioned. Apparently, Alexandros had fooled around with her and it had made its way back to Audrey through the form of a friend taping the entire ordeal.

“I see,” Adrianna simply said, pondering about how horribly her own son had treated Audrey.

A mother’s love was unconditional, but at this moment, she was siding this the Huntsberg girl. But all that aside, as soon as she would spot the tears starting to come, Adrianna would hold off whatever thoughts she had regarding her son and Audrey. Immediately, she reached into her purse, pulling out a handkerchief as she reached over, and handed to Audrey. When the Hispanic girl would look up, Adrianna would just give her a nod, saying nothing in return.

After a few moments of letting Audrey get control of her emotions, letting her do whatever she needed to ensure she was okay, Adrianna would reach into her purse once more. This time, she pulled out her business card. “This is my card. It has my business number.” She flipped it over, and grabbed a pen nearby. She wrote her cell phone number on the back. “If you ever need to talk about anything, you can reach me at either number. If my assistant says no, tell him that I personally gave this to you.” She handed Audrey the card. “I like you, Audrey Huntsberg. What my son did to you is a terrible thing.” She gave the young woman a warm smile. “Whatever you choose to do, regardless if you give him another chance or leave him in the past, know you have my complete support.” Adrianna got up, grabbing her coat and purse. “Please, take as long as you need. And I meant what I said: if you need anything, I’m only a call away.” She proceeded to round the table, stopping beside Audrey. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Audrey Huntsberg. You are by far the only person my son has…met that I can honestly - and without any bias towards him - has earned my respect.”

The week had been rather dull and boring for the Mossos Clan. After Adrianna had her meeting with Audrey and heard everything she had to say, the matriarch of the family decided it was in everyone’s best interest not to divulge everything that she found out by having a heart-to-heart with Audrey. Of course, she told her son a few things that would satisfy him. She promised him that she would try and see what she could do. As far as Alexandros knew, that’s exactly what she did. And what she told was that Audrey was hurt by his actions and that, if he wanted any chance of having a real shot with her that wasn’t just about the physical attraction, he’d have to take a real, hard look into the mirror, and decide how much he cares about her. She knew he had that side in him, but it would be up to him if he wanted to embrace that side or if he wanted to keep sleeping around with whichever girl would have him.

And she told him that in the evening she had the meeting with Audrey. Since then, Alexandros didn’t quite seem like himself. He had an Alexandros-like demeanor, of course. At school, he kept up what people expected of him. Those he had become friends with hadn’t noted any drastic changes, but the one thing that he did seem to be lacking was a desire to mate with anyone. It wasn't as if he had quit cold turkey. There had been offers and he had been dating girls, but whenever he’d bring them to a private place, there wasn’t exactly any passion thrown into it. He did them just out of necessity and to hold up appearances. But what seemed like a deeper issue, Alexandros felt nothing but it being something he had to do, not something he wanted to do. Kind of empty, Alexandros more or less drifted through the week and much into the next week.

The following week had been Thanksgiving Break for those at Beverly Hills High School. Some had plans to fly out to Hawaii and other such locations, but the Mossos’, a day before break even started, had been invited to Thanksgiving Dinner by the Huntsberg. It came as a shocker, of course, but Adrianna made it known that they were going. Despite Ava’s protests, she put that to rest. No matter what the kids had to say about not wanting to go or how it might be awkward, Adrianna firmly reminded them it was an invitation from a friend. Not only would it be rude of them to decline the offer, but she had already told Arthur that she would go and her family would accompany. Anyone who knew Adrianna was, whenever she committed to anything or anyone, she went in full measure.

Thanksgiving Day had arrived and it was an early morning for the Mossos’. After a family breakfast at about eight in the morning, everyone would shower and get ready to head out. They would travel all travel in two separate cars. Adrianna and Baltazar decided to take Baltazar’s gold Lamborghini while the four kids - Alexandros, Ava, Elias(Eli), and Georgios - would ride in Alexandros’ Red Ferrari. Both cars, of course, were licensed for in-city travel despite being predominantly-racing vehicles. All the necessary adjustments were made to ensure no law enforcement would give them any hassle. Of course, if they would, the Mossos’ were known for being quite generous with the LAPD, so there was a bit of leeway for them; plus it was Thanksgiving. People tend to be a lot less strict on a criminal family like the Mossos Family.

“I say we just go somewhere else. Even if mom or dad get butthurt, we can just say we got lost.” Ava suggested.

“But I want to meet Audrey’s Grandmother!” Georgie whined, “do you know how rare it is to see Miranda without her many assistants at her side? This can be my only chance to get her to notice me!”

Ava rolled her eyes with a scoff, “honestly, Georgie, what is your fascination with the Huntsbergs?”

“It’s not all of them; just Audrey and her grandmother.” He stated, trying to justify his reasoning for wanting to attend the Thanksgiving dinner they were invited to.

“Just shut up, will you?” Eli chimed in, annoyed. “It’s bad enough they’re making us go; your complaining isn’t making it any easier.” He let out a sigh, eyes falling to the site of the Huntsberg house. “So, this is where she lives huh?” Eli asked Alex, looking to his brother.

“Yup,” Alexandros said rather simply. He more or less had nothing to say about the matter.

“And to think, I’m usually the quiet one. She must’ve really done a number on ya, huh Lexi?” Eli knew that would get under his skin. It always did in the past.

Alexandros chose not to say anything, surprising everyone in the car. Though, before they could get a single word in about how their brother was acting unusually passive, they had rolled up to the house that, while wasn’t nearly as expansive as the Mossos Estate, it still was respectable in size. Given the professions of Audrey’s parents, it wasn’t surprising to either of the Mossos children nor the parents who had pulled up to the driveway just a few minutes before they did how admirable it was. At the least, they could respect the achievement of having such a home without the use of…questionable funds.

When they all got out of the two cars, the six of them stood in the driveway for a moment just to admire the home and, of course, to make sure everyone would remain on their best behavior. Georgie wasn’t a worry nor was Eli. the two of them, unlike their brother and sister, could behave themselves; it was Alexandros and Ava that could be troublesome, so Adrianna would make sure they understood that her demands were crystal clear.

“Do not embarrass this family. Understand?” Arianna’s tone was a general in the army, making sure their will was clear.

After a forced nod from the two of them, the family made their way from the garage and towards the front door. Adrianna knocked on the door and as it would open, the sight of the over-dressed Mossos Clan was greeted by a suspiciously-cheerful Audrey, who seemed not to notice who it really was at the door because she went from a gleeful smile to what seemed like something less-enthusiastic.

For a moment, there was this awkward atmosphere between the Huntsberg teen and the family. They looked at each other, unsure if someone should say something. Eli simply shrugged, not really caring one way or the other; though Alexandros looked to Ava not to say anything while Georgie was in fangirl mode, so he wouldn’t offer anything useful. This led Adrianna and Baltazar to melt the ice, though before Adrianna had the chance, her husband beat her to it.

“We brought champagne!” Baltazar said, holding up the extravagant bottle of Krug Clos d’Ambonnay. It was his attempt to break the ice between Audrey's grimacing gaze with the Mossos family.

There was quite the awkwardness as the Mossos family and Audrey of the Huntsberg family stood in the doorway. It was almost as if she was expecting anyone else but the Mossos’ to arrive, though as the matriarch and patriarchs of the respective families would start to engage in some kind of small talk, effectively taking Baltazar and Adrianna Mossos inside and away from the kids, Audrey had completely made a 180. She went from saving face to revealing her true feelings about the Mossos’ children, specifically Ava and Alexandros.

“Understood.”

“Fine.”

“But…”

However, as she landed on Eli, she had a different tune to play. She didn’t know him, so she had no real reason to say anything specific or act a specific way towards him. However, he knew her and who she was. He knew what she represented and that was everything that he hated. However, as much as he hated those types, there was someone he knew would be bothered by what he was about to do.

“Maybe we should change that,” Eli brazenly suggested, eying Audrey from head to toe, all the while ALexandros was giving him a subtle, yet scathing, glare.

And even as Audrey went back to her “saving face” mode, Eli seemed to be up to no good. Alexandros more or less confirmed this as he saw his brother watch Audrey as she led them into the house. Specifically, Eli was watching her ass sway side-to-side. Lord knew that Alexandros still felt a type of way about her. And Eli knew that, so what he was thinking was just to spite him.

As they would stop in a room where the other guests were, Audrey would leave them be.
Alexandros took Eli by the arm gently, glaring at his brother. “What are you doing?” Alexandros whispered to Eli.

“What? You two are over, right?”

“Yes..” Alexandros reluctantly admitted.

“Good, then everything’s fair game, brother.” Eli simply stated, taking a drink from a passing waiter and left Alexandros to his devices.

Despite knowing that Audrey and he were no longer involved, it still got to him and Ava seemed to notice it as she approached him. “You’re not seriously going to let him steal your woman, are you?”

“She’s not mine anymore.”

“Well still, you can’t let him do that.”

Alexandros turned around, scowling subtly. “You’re the one that made it possible for Eli to make some kind of move.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault she couldn’t handle the truth.” Ava shrugged, s she following Eli’s suit as she took a drink and would go mingle with the guests.

Meanwhile, as Audrey had been in some kind of conversation, Eli had taken the bold approach and joined her with what looked like someone she was familiar with. He more or less ignored Audrey’s friend(cousin?) and directed all of his attention on her. “Well, aren’t you quite the rude host. I was in the middle of saying something and you didn’t even bother to give me an answer.” Eli said, feigning a hurt pride, interrupting whatever conversation that Audrey and her equally-attractive friend/cousin/relative/guest were having.

She said she knew what he was doing and that she had no problem with it. Either this chick was way more petty than Elijah gave her credit for, or he was missing something between the lines. It didn’t matter either way. To him, it didn’t matter if she was going along with whatever was happening just to spite his brother(much like he was doing) or if she was genuine in getting to know him. Honestly, his reasons, though similar to hers, wasn’t just to spite Alexandros. Despite what people thought about him, he wasn’t that heartless. That being said, it was a bonus to get under his brother’s skin, so why not?

“You want my name, huh?” Elijah took a sip of his drink, looking around the room. He saw Alexandros give him a subtle glare from across the room. He also saw Ava give him a not-so-subtle glare. Though he clearly saw them see how he was cozying to Audrey, they had no idea what was happening. For all they knew, he could’ve said something to her. “I’ll do you one better.”

Elijah, though he refused to give his name, would instead plant one on Audrey’s lips, not at all giving two rats ass about what it’d make her look like. After about ten seconds passed, he slowly broke the kiss, and he looked over to Alexandros, who would simply walk off in a direction with Ava not far behind.

Cocking a satisfied smirk, Eli’s cold, steel blue eyes met with Audrey’s chocolate-coated orbs. “Contrary to what everyone might tell you, my parents gave me the godawful name of Elias, but you may just call me Eli.” He informed her simply.

You mean she didn’t know? Oh, this is just too perfect.

Eli tried to hide his amused laughter, but honestly, that was something Alex would do; that wasn’t how Elijah Mossos rolled, so he made it known to her that he found this entire situation, from her being rendered utterly speechless to the awkward “uh, um, so” bit. Some may call it being a dick, but hey! The Mossos men were well-endowed, so if she was expecting some prince charming like Alex, then best park it at the gate, sweetie.

But as for her question, how did he answer that? The easy route(not to mention less-complicated) would be to say he was Alexandros’ brother. It was a believable answer, especially considering how Eli arrived with them at this gathering, but that wasn’t necessarily the truth, now was it? At least, according to what Baltazar and Adrianna told Eli to say, it wasn’t. So, then what? What could he possibly say? Should Eli save face and go with what Audrey assumes or should he cause trouble once more?

Don’t embarrass the family.

Those words echoed throughout his mind. Adrianna sure didn’t want people to know the dirty little secret. She didn’t want it to be known that the great and almighty Baltazar who had pledged himself to Adrianna DiVale was, as they all thought he was, a cheating scumbag. But Eli wasn’t that vindictive, was he? Maybe not, but entertaining the thought was worth leaving poor Audrey in suspense.

He leaned back in his seat, eyes somewhat locked on Audrey, though he occasionally glanced around to see if his family was anywhere nearby. When he didn't spot them, he gave Audrey the rest of his attention. “I am what you call a distant relative.” Well, that wasn’t a lie, at the least. “Or at least that’s what they told me to say whenever asked.” Eli sneakily placed his fingers on Audrey’s lips, “so mum’s the word, got it?”

What in the holy hell was that?

If Eli hadn’t seen it for his own eyes, he’d swore what he just heard was a colony of mice letting off death screeches much like how the mice in Wanted did before they all had been blown up. Of course, as he had seen the origin of that unforgiving noise, it was revealed to him(and everyone else digging into their ears to make sure their hearing was intact) as a tiny teen in a blue dress. The only thing Eli had to say in response was the following.

“How?”

Yes, how could someone so tiny and so petite have such a shrill scream that put heavy metal singers to shame? It was almost inhuman how she could project her voice in such a way that, no matter who was in the room, what they were doing nor how important it might’ve seemed, as soon as her voice cracked a few of the glasses(an overexaggeration), their attention was on her, the little, hopefully-legal brunette with a smile that most certainly drew more attention than her lack of front — and as she turned around — back curves.

Well, now everyone knew what that voice was compensating for. Though, Eli did have to admit he was intrigued. He wondered what this girl’s story was. Did she simply have such high energy that it demanded her to scream at the top of her lungs? Was she only like this for Audrey?

Eli had more questions but seemed to be interrupted as she had propped herself on Audrey’s lap(much to the further annoyance by the older brunette). It was interesting to see how these two seemed to look a lot alike. If Eli were a man who knew about genetics, he’d swore the two of them were sisters. They certainly could pass as such, but their personalities were, if nothing else, polar opposites. One had displayed a snotty cheeriness and the other was more lax. Chill. She seemed way more interesting than this Delilah was.

And, as Audrey would use this as the perfect chance to get away from him, she walked off with the older chick, leaving Elijah with the Human Screech. That also left them with a few, long moments of awkward silence. It included Eli not knowing what to say that wouldn’t be entirely rude. He didn’t want to ask the question he’d been thinking since hearing her scream, but at this point, anything was better than silence.

“So,” he said after a full minute of silence. “Are you always that obnoxiously loud?”

Since taking his leave from the main room on account of Elass’ underhanded, not to mention hurtful, tactics, Alexandros had been enjoying himself. Not as much as he could’ve been, of course, but it turned out coming here didn’t end up becoming a total waste of his time. He had a few chats with his parents, some of Audrey’s cousins, and even enjoyed a conversation with Audrey’s father, Arthur. It turns out he was a stand-up guy. He was everything his mother said he was(and then some). That being said, ALexandros dared not state his past relationship with his daughter. One, that would further drive a wedge between them. It wasn’t that he had been expecting something to happen from what his mother did for him, but he’d rather not ruin the chances. Besides, it was nice getting to know him.

In between conversations with the guests, Alexandros had the displeasure of having Ava follow him everywhere he went. She’d contribute nothing but her usual, bothersome commentary about everything.

“I get that you’re mad, but at least be a man and say so. I’m tired of following you around.”

“Then don’t follow me around.” Alexandros suggested.

“Nice try, but I know you, Alex.”

“Do you now?”

“Stop doing that.”

“Doing what?”

She gestured to his refusal to address the bigger picture. “That. Stop avoiding the subject.” She got in front of him as they reached an isolated corner. “Just admit it! You’re jealous that she was giving Eli some attention.”

He said nothing, just took a slip of his drink.

Ava scowled, taking his drink, and setting it on the table next to them. “No one can hear us and Eli’s currently busy with her. Just tell me. You’ll feel better.”

Alexandros let out a sigh. He hated it when she tried to make up for the wrongs she committed. It was always the same thing. When she did something she shouldn’t have or said something that made the situation at the time of the wrong-doing, she tried to make it up to him. Regardless of how annoyed he became by it, she did have this way of getting him to say things he wouldn’t normally say.

“Fine,” he let out another sigh, shrugging. “I’m—” Before Alexandros could get one more word, he heard Audrey speak. Only when he turned around did he see her. Upon this first glance, he noticed something off about her. He couldn’t place it, but there was a different air about her. “You sure you want to speak to me and not someone—” Alexandros felt Ava punch him in his ribcage, causing him to lowly grunt. He looked back at her for a brief moment, seeing her eyes wiggle towards Audrey. This all happened in a short moment. He sighed inwardly and looked back at the stout Audrey. “We should probably do this with less noise.” He suggested.

“Have fun you two!” Ava spoke cheerfully as she trailed away, leaving Alexandros and Audrey to their devices.

There had been silence on the way to her room. Silence when they got to her room. And, as she would state everything that was on her mind, Alexandros had remained silent throughout it all. She had made it clear that she wanted him to listen to everything she had to say, so Alexandros would give allow her to do that. He owed her that much. Besides, once she started to speak, she had his attention.

From start to finish, she practically listed everything that happened between the two of them since the fall semester had begun. From the moment he met her after getting an earful from Principal Anderson to charming his way into her life, she made it clear that she was crazy about him. In was in that moment Alexandros had realized exactly what his mother had done. She didn’t talk on his behalf nor did she warn Audrey away from him. Without actually saying it, Audrey revealed that to him.

His mother had a weird way of getting anyone and everyone to look within themselves and search their heart for their true feelings. She appealed to what they wanted versus what they knew would save them pain. After talking and hearing both sides of the stories, she let that person make up their own decision. She did this for his father when she caught onto his cheating habits and she obviously did it for Audrey when she went to go speak with her. Alexandros didn’t pretend to know what was said, but as she spoke, he knew the gist of it.

But as she mentioned Bianca and the party and everything in-between, Alexandros felt this knot in his stomach build up. What was this feeling? Guilt? Does Alexandros feel guilty for doing all of those terrible things and playing all of thsoe games? No, it’s not that — well, okay maybe just a little, but that’s not what this feeling was. It was him feeling some sort of guilt for wasting time. He was a player through and through, so that tended to dominate what he should’ve done and that was to just be honest with whom he was toying with.

Like Ava would be.

If anything could be learned from his sister, it was that honesty was the best policy. That’s what Audrey was doing as she further explained how she reacted to everything: setting up Bianca, getting Janice fired, and stating she had nothing to do with the leak in Francis’ office and the corruption that came from it. Of course, while Alexandros didn’t think she was directly tied, he knew her enough to know that she knew who did. Regardless, he held no grudge about that. Florence was lovely, but she was a means to an end. Given what was happening at this very moment, she served her purpose.

But back to what she was doing. Alexandros wasn’t usually slow on the uptake, but it did take him a long moment after she had finished for him to realize what was happening. Maybe Ava was right in saying that he could be dense sometimes. Such an idiot he was to miss exactly what she said. Forget all of the fluff. What she said in that last statement was the most important: she wanted him. Not in some superficial, physical-contact kind of way, but she wanted him in any and all possible forms. And, deep down, he knew he wanted her too.

And, so it was, on the gesture she had made, Alexandros joined her on the bed, sitting next to her and as close as he could without actually being on top of her. The electricity between them that started with his eyes and became grounded in her truffle eyes was so obvious and so out of control, the only thing stopping a chemical reaction was Alexandros’ mind racing. For the first time in his life, Alexandros was as vulnerable as Audrey had been this entire time. It was so unlike him. To think that the usually confident Mossos teen who never let his guard down and always was two steps ahead of anyone was pushed against the wall.

When it all came down to it, she was his kryptonite, but perhaps that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He outstretched his left arm, stroking her cheek. “As always, you know how to impress, Huntsberg.”

That was all Alexandros said. Everything else was moot as he gave her the only answer she needed to know. His lips locked with hers sweetly.

Perhaps this was what the pilgrims and Indians originally envisioned for Thanksgiving.