Chapter 11 #3
The table laughed. Ezra squeezed my thigh.
I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned.
Leo was standing behind me.
He wasn't smiling. He was wearing his hoodie hood up, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked tired. And angry.
"Leo," I said, my smile faltering. "Hey. Grab a plate."
"Can I talk to you?" he asked. His voice was flat. "Outside. Now."
The table went quiet. Miller stopped chewing. Ezra stiffened beside me.
"Leo," Ezra said, his voice calm but warning. "We're eating."
"I'm talking to my sister, Sterling," Leo snapped. "Not you."
I put a hand on Ezra's arm before he could stand up.
"It's okay," I said quickly. "I'll be right back."
I stood up and followed Leo out of the dining room, through the kitchen, and onto the back porch.
The cold air hit me like a slap.
Leo spun around.
"What the hell are you doing, Mara?"
"I'm eating pasta," I said, crossing my arms. "What is your problem?"
"My problem," Leo said, stepping closer, "is that you're lying to me. You've been lying to me for weeks."
My stomach dropped. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The 'Study Group'?" Leo scoffed. "I checked the library logs, Amara. There is no immersion program. And I stopped by your townhouse yesterday to drop off mail. Your landlord told me you haven't been there in ten days."
He stared at me, his eyes pleading.
"Where are you living? Are you in trouble? Are you… are you staying with him?"
I couldn't breathe. The lie was caught in my throat.
If I told him the truth—that I was living with Ezra, sleeping with Ezra, falling in love with Ezra—Leo would explode. He would see it as a betrayal. He would see it as Ezra manipulating me to get to him.
But lying to his face… that broke my heart.
"Leo," I started. "Please. It's not what you think."
"Are you living at the Sterling Penthouse? Yes or no."
I looked at my brother. The person who had protected me from our parents' neglect for twenty years.
"Yes," I whispered.
Leo recoiled as if I had slapped him.
"Why?" he choked out. "He's the enemy, Mara. He's everything we hate. He's… he's a robot who breaks people for fun."
"He's helping me!" I argued, desperation creeping into my voice. "He paid my fees, Leo! Dad cut me off. I had nothing. Ezra took me in. He saved my degree."
"He bought you," Leo spat. "That's what he does. He buys things. And now he owns you."
"He doesn't own me! I'm… we're dating."
"Dating?" Leo laughed, a bitter, harsh sound. "Ezra Sterling doesn't date. He acquires. You're just a trophy to him, Amara. A way to piss off Dad and get in my head."
He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me slightly.
"Get your stuff. Come home with me. Right now."
"I can't," I said, pulling away. "I signed a… we have a deal."
"A deal?" Leo looked horrified. "Jesus, Amara. Listen to yourself."
The back door opened.
Ezra stepped out.
He looked massive in the doorway, the light from the kitchen casting long shadows across his face. He wasn't the warm boyfriend from the car. He was the Captain.
"Let her go, Vane," Ezra said softly.
Leo turned to him, his fists clenching.
"You manipulate everyone, don't you?" Leo snarled. "You think because you have money you can just take whatever you want?"
"I didn't take her," Ezra said. He walked over to me, placing a hand on the small of my back. It was protective, possessive. "She chose me."
"She chose a checkbook," Leo said. He looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment. "I thought you were smarter than this, Mara. I thought you had pride."
"I do have pride," I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. "That's why I didn't tell you I was broke."
Leo shook his head. "I can't watch this. If you stay with him… don't expect me to be happy for you. Don't expect me to play nice."
He backed away, toward the side gate.
"You're making a mistake, Amara. When he's done with you, there won't be anything left."
Leo turned and stormed off into the darkness.
I stood there, shivering, the tears finally spilling over.
Ezra pulled me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, shielding me from the wind.
"He's wrong," Ezra whispered into my hair. "He doesn't know us."
"He hates you," I sobbed. "And now he hates me."
"He'll get over it," Ezra said. But his voice was tight.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again. And again.
I pulled away from Ezra, wiping my eyes. I pulled the phone out.
It wasn't Leo.
It was an email notification.
From: C. Sterling, Sterling Enterprises
Subject: Contractual Amendment / Vane Situation
My blood ran cold.
"Ezra," I whispered.
"What?"
I showed him the screen.
Ezra's face went pale. The warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by the calculating dread of the ledger.
"He knows," Ezra said. "He knows about the living arrangement. He wants to formalize it."
"Formalize it?"
"He wants you to sign an NDA," Ezra said, his voice hollow. "And a behavior contract. If you break the rules… you owe him the tuition money back. With interest."
I stared at the screen.
Leo was right. I wasn't a girlfriend. I was an acquisition.
And now, the bill was coming due.