Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
As I wake the next morning, I notice the presence of extra security with the lack of my family.
In the grand dining room, breakfast is already waiting, laid out like a photoshoot.
Fresh berries glistening in crystal bowls, omelets folded into perfect half-moons, pastries so delicate they look fake.
Like something from a Paris café window, not a family table.
But no one’s here.
The staff moves in and out like clockwork. Clearing plates, refilling my coffee. Never speaking, never looking directly at me. They’re setting the place for a party, but I’m not in a celebratory mood.
I try to eat, but my stomach is in knots, hard and sour. The silence presses in on me until I can’t breathe right. The walls feel tighter today, like the estate is shrinking, closing in, room by room, until I disappear into it.
I need to get out.
Out of this house.
With Axle at my side, I slip into the courtyard, taking the long stone path that leads through the back gardens.
The air is crisp, sharp with the bite of autumn, cutting through my sweater like a warning.
I don’t care.
I need air. I need space.
I need to feel like I still belong to myself.
A voice cuts through my thoughts.
“You look like you’re running.”
I stop.
Cameron stands near the edge of the fountain, hands in his pockets, watching me carefully.
His usual dark slacks and button-up contrast against the pale stone of the courtyard, the sleeves of his shirt rolled to his forearms.
Effortless authority.
I swallow hard. “Maybe I am.”
His lips twitch, almost like he wants to smile but won’t allow himself. “Running won’t solve any of this.” He gestures to the trellis wall, immaculately clean, no sign of red spray paint. “Only fixing the problem will make it go away.”
I exhale sharply, crossing my arms. “I need to run because right now, this house feels like a cage.”
His expression flickers, but he doesn’t look away. “A cage implies there’s no way out.”
He tilts his head slightly. “You just don’t like the doors being locked.”
A lump forms in my throat. “That’s the same thing.”
Silence stretches between us.
He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “Come with me.”
I hesitate. “Where?”
“I want to show you something.”
There’s something different in his voice. Not a command, for once. An invitation.
He leads me through the estate, down hallways and staircases I haven’t yet traveled.
Eventually, we stop at a long corridor lined with towering bookshelves. At the end, a pair of tall double doors wait in silence.
Cameron pushes them open.
I step inside and stop cold.
The room is filled with portraits.
Not just any portraits. Rusco family portraits.
Generations of dark-haired men with steely eyes. Women wrapped in silk and pearls, gazes sharp as knives. Regal. Cold. Unapologetic.
An entire lineage staring down at me from gold-gilded frames.
And then I see it.
At the very end of the room, larger than the rest, commanding the center wall.
My father.
My breath catches in my throat.
He looks younger than I thought he would. The lines of his face strong, familiar. Foreign. His eyes, my eyes, are full of something I can’t name.
He’s frozen in oil and canvas, but for one strange second, I swear he’s breathing.
Cameron watches me, quiet. “You look like him.”
I don’t answer. I just step forward, my fingers brushing the frame.
“Why are you showing me this?”
His voice softens behind me. “Because I need you to understand something.”
“You weren’t just taken from us, Magnolia. You were taken from this.”
He gestures around the room. The faces. The legacy. The weight of it all.
“This history. This family. You’re part of it. Whether you asked for it or not.”
I shake my head slowly. “I don’t know if I want to be.”
Cameron exhales, stepping closer. “You don’t have to want it. That doesn’t make it any less yours.”
I swallow hard. My voice barely makes it out. “Is that why you were so set on keeping me away from Sin? Because he threatens this?”
His jaw tightens. “Because he threatens you.” With a raw shake of his head, “but now things have changed. I just don’t know how to talk to Sin, where he’ll believe me.”
“I can talk to him.”
“Absolutely the fuck not.”
“So, let me get this straight. You expect our families to work together but I’m not allowed to talk to him?”
With a cocky grin he nods his head, “Correct.”
“Sin won’t hurt me. He will protect me.”
His voice is sharp now, tinged with frustration. “You think he’ll fight for you? Lay down his life for you? Sin Donati only ever protects himself.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know him.”
Cameron exhales, his eyes filled with something close to regret. “I know men like him.”
Something in my chest cracks open.
“Then what am I supposed to do?” My voice is barely above a whisper. “Pretend like I don’t care about him? Pretend like I don’t miss him every second I’m here?”
His expression softens just enough to catch me off guard.
“No. I just need you to see that there’s more to this than your feelings. We can have a diplomatic relationship, but there’s no reason to let feelings get involved. Let me handle this.”
I look back at my father’s portrait.
I hate that Cameron’s words make sense.
I hate that I don’t know what to believe anymore.
He places a hand on my shoulder, grounding me.
“I don’t want to be your enemy, Magnolia.”
I close my eyes for a brief moment. “Then stop treating me like a problem to be solved.”
His fingers tighten slightly before he pulls away.
“Stop acting like I’m the only one keeping you from making the wrong choice.”
His words linger in the air like unfinished brushstrokes as he departs, leaving me in silent company with the paintings.
I sit in the middle of the room, questioning reality.
I don’t think Sin would put me in harm’s way, but those blueprints…