QUINN
"No way!" I gagged to emphasize how disgusted I was by my mother's selection of dress and mask for the ball. The world would have to be ending for me to wear the nasty pink, girly frock she picked out and my brother was right, the mask was way too revealing, "Mom, how about I pick something to wear."
She narrowed her blue eyes in on me. My mother's blue eyes were much different from mine. Her's held a green hue around the pupil before subtly fading into a murky blue, "You better not use this as an excuse to back out of the ball." She warned in her pixie voice which I couldn't take seriously.
My mom was short and adorable in all sense of the words. Her strawberry blonde hair was cropped short and left in natural waves, and her button nose and pouty lips made her look like she belonged on a cast of Tinkerbell. She had laugh lines etched along with the corners of her lips which was expected since she was a bubble of love and humor. In most ways, I came out like her.
I held my hands up in mock surrender and shook my head fervently, "Never! I'll be there but I need a better disguise and a dress that suits my taste. I don't want to look like I've stepped out of the seventeenth century, mom."
"And what's wrong with that. I think the style is cute with the mask," she gestured to the frilly pink monstrosity with pouty lips, "I thought you'd like it. Do you not like pink?"
Venus let out a bark at that and I imagine that bark meant 'Of course she does not.
I little laugh tumbled out of me and I patted my bed to let her know that she could jump up. This evening, my father had sent one of our drivers to pick me up and bring me to our home in the Hamptons. This was risky but mom wanted to see me and, to be honest, I missed her and my room and the house itself. I knew Venus missed it too. She went crazy as soon as we entered the front door.
"Mom, I liked pink when I was like six," I gestured to the brown keyhole neckline dress I wore, "I've changed since then."
She crinkled her nose, "You dress like you're depressed with life."
I gasped, then let out a giggle, "Mother, this is my work attire. I've got to be prim and proper otherwise my boss, you know the guy that acts as if he farts freaking candy floss, yeah he would turn into the terminator and try to wipe my existence of this planet."
"How did I raise someone as dramatic as you?" She mumbled under her breath but I caught the question and playfully pulled at her cheek. Swatting my hand away, she quizzed, "How will you find a dress in time? The ball is tomorrow night."
"I know, I'm sure Delphine has some dresses that I could borrow in my size," I answered with a shrug of my shoulder. Delphine was the designer that designed most of the dresses we wore. We had everything custom-made for us and on the rare occasion, we would use other designers.
"I hope so. Your father has refused the press entrance to the ball so I doubt they will see you. They will be outside trying to get pictures of everyone coming in but since you're staying here for the night they won't be able to get any pictures of you," she murmured, tucking a lock of hair that escaped my bun behind my ear, "now, you know dinner time so freshen up and come down." With those words, she scratched Venus behind the ear and then left the room.
Releasing a sigh, I flopped back in bed with my collection of stuffed animals. My room looked like any ordinary teenager's room with its walls full of posters and photos. The color scheme was aqua blue since I went going through a mermaid phase in my life. Somehow, I never changed the color since then. The posters I had up consisted of a High School Musical wild cats poster of Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth. Also, one of One Direction because I had this major crush on Zane Malik. Everyone went for Harry but Zane did it for me. The rest of my wall was dedicated to my best friend, Miranda. She was the only person who truly knew who Quinn Harper was, or is. The only one who truly knew my family.
I had asked my parents to enroll me in a normal school growing up because I didn't want to be surrounded by rich, pretentious snobs all day. Everyone just thought it ironic that I was named Quinn Harper after the daughter of the billionaire, Theo Harper. Only Miranda knew the truth and, to be honest, she found out on complete accident. The crazy chick followed me home one day. Her parents had just bought her a car and she used it to her advantage. Miranda's family was well to do. So well that they managed to send her to Bali for her summer. I would have accompanied her if it weren't for me spying on Mister Pain-In-My-Freaking-Ass.
The words he had told me earlier in the week had been bugging me. He told me that I was too kind for this world. Initially, I expected that to be an insult but what followed perplexed me. He warned me not to let them steal my kindness almost as if he cared which sounded absurd.
Right? Because, why would he care if they snatched my kindness away?
The rest of the week had gone by awkwardly after that. He barely spoke to me — which, in all fairness, was the usual — but even when he got mad he didn't take it out on me like he usually would. The man confused me but I decided that for this weekend I wouldn't focus on him too much, even if I had to try to avoid him as far as possible.
Lugging my lazy bones out of bed, I trudged my way into my adjoining bathroom to freshen up as my mother had asked. I used a wipe to remove the little makeup I had on and then completed my skincare routine. Once I was done, I shrugged on a pair of sweats and a baggy tee before leaving the bathroom. When I entered my bedroom again I found my brother sprawled on my bed, playing with Venus. She absolutely adored him. After all, Danny had bought Venus for me when I desperately wanted a puppy.
"You could knock to announce your presence you know," I grumbled, patting my thigh in a gesture to call Venus over.
He waved me off, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair which tousled the locks out of the neat state he had them in, "Should lock the door next time."
I glared at him deadpan, "Seriously, you're so annoying," giving myself a once over in my full-length mirror, I quizzed, "have you told dad yet?"
"About the Asher Holdings deal?" He clarified.
"Yeah, about that and the reason he shouldn't be doing business with them. You know, Gunnar was about to pitch to them at the ball tomorrow night but when he did his investigation he decided against it. In his mind, if this all blows up it would be better if it takes Harper Architecture down with it," I said, looking at my brother over my shoulder, "I'm not a very business-minded person but even I know that this is a bad deal."
"And dad's very hard-headed. I'll speak to him after dinner. Wouldn't he be proud of his son bringing work home for once," came Danny's sarcastic response, "but remember, Quinn, always keep in mind whose team you're playing on."
"I know," I grumbled, turning to meet his concern-riddled face, "you can relax, I'm looking out for you guys. Can't you see that?"
"Yeah, but seems like you're looking out for Astor Designs too. Should I be worried about something happening between you and the dick?" He cocked a questioning brow at me and I scrunched my nose in disgust.
"No, God no!" I feigned a gag, "his attitude is rotten and I'm pretty sure he has a stick shoved up his ass."
My brother chuckled, "Or maybe a dildo. I'm almost certain Katie uses a strap-on on him and he's probably into that shit."
Covering my hands over my ears, I grimaced, "Ew, gross. That's imagery I didn't need floating around in my head. Now, every time I see the vexatious woman I'm going to be thinking of that."
"Try not to laugh in her face, she hates that!" Danny howled in a fit of laughter, cluching his stomach, "if I were you, I'd place a whoopee cushion on the chair she's about to sit on and then video her reaction."
"That's so lame," I deadpanned, "but she does look like the type to fart candy floss and rainbows. It's so damn annoying I just want to slap her in the face."
"Oh, my non-violent sister is having very violent thoughts," he teased, rolling out of bed and running a hand down his dress shirt and slacks, "look, I know Katie. I'm not obligated to tell you how, but I do. Trust me, leave her alone because she's a spoilt brat that can ruin your life in ten seconds flat without even lifting a finger."
"Mind telling me how you know that?" I quizzed, planting a hand on my hip and resting all my weight on one foot.
"I'm not obligated to tell you that," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he made his way out of the room.
I sped after him, hot on his heels as I whisper yelled, "You fucked her, didn't you?"
"Language, little sis." He chastised over his shoulder with an evil smirk tugging at his lips, "and so what if I did? Just listen to me and don't get on her bad side. It's better to just stay neutral with her."
"Neutral, what does that mean?"
"It means," he slowed his pace to meet my stride as he rounded the corner leading to the dining room. I could already hear the classical music playing, "you don't have to be nice to her but you don't have to be...not nice. Tolerate her and she will tolerate you. Most importantly, don't mess with what she believes is hers."
"You mean like Gunnar?" I mumbled under my breath, a deep frown settling onto my face. Katie did look like the type to go after a man like Gunnar and sink her claws into him with no mercy.
"Exactly," he nodded curtly, "you've lasted longer than any other PA. Don't give her doubts as to why you've lasted this long."
"You don't have to stress about that. There's honestly nothing to worry about on that front," I asserted as we entered the dining room. Father was already seated at the head of the table and mom was seated at his right-hand side.
"Ladybug," my dad called, a bright smile splitting his lips, "have a seat, they cooked your favorite." He gestured to the dishes of prawns and crayfish displayed on the table.
My brother pulled out my chair to which I smiled in appreciation. He took his seat beside me and we all said a quick grace before digging into our meals. We didn't have those awkward family dinners. My brother and father barely got along but they put their pride away when it came to appeasing mom's rule of having dinner as a family. I think that was the one thing I loved most about my family, the fact that we could put our differences aside to make another happy. Because, we did believe that no matter what, we would always be blood.
Mistakes would be made but nothing could tear us apart. Not unless that mistake was massive — a mistake that could destroy us all.
QUINNI wiggled my way into the skirt of the white two-piece I chose to wear. The top was a sleeveless turtle neck, embellished with silver lace appliqués. Only a sliver of my tummy showed before the skirt started with its flowy chiffon material that was set in layers. A short skirt lay under so no one could see the world down there. This was the perfect dress for me and I was glad that Delphine had already kept it aside for me, predicting that I would hate the dress my mom chose.Delphine had even chosen the perfect mask. It was pearl white with silver and gold designs and covered most of the top half of my face, only leaving my stunning blue eyes and pouty pink lips on display. That worked in my favor since word of me being at the ball got around very quickly. Everyone wanted to see the face of Theo Harper's daughter. They wanted to see how I looked to criticize me in the next freaking issue of PEOPLE magazine. I so desper
QUINNBeing crowded all evening was an introvert's worst nightmare. I was said introvert and currently, I was being asked so many questions by so many people that it had my head spinning. My brother tried making a run for it the moment mom and dad had their backs turned but that did him no good. He ran into Braxton — mom's sister's eldest son and our cousin. Braxton never left his side after that. I guess it was a good thing that Danny and Braxton were close or else Danny would have been really annoyed.I found my escape when the tent's lights dimmed and mom and dad took the floor to dance to the song they danced to on their wedding day — their first dance as husband and wife. Everyone's focus temporarily shifted to them which finally gave me the breather I needed. Using the distraction, I exited the tent and made my way down the stone-paved path in the garden.We had a beautiful garden because mom had hired
QUINN Squaring my shoulders, I waited for the elevator to ding open on my floor. I returned to my apartment Sunday morning, ignoring everyone at home since they refused to give me the answers I was looking for. That was a given though. They wouldn't be straight with me because I wasn't privy to their little secret. Or, by the looks of it, not so little secret. The elevator doors finally parted and I inhaled sharply. For this to work, I needed to pretend as if I knew nothing about the brawl that took place Saturday night. If I slipped up, the devil would figure out that there was something amiss with me. We didn't need that. Facing his wrath was something I wanted to postpone as long as possible — or until I got the answers I was looking for. I strode with my head held high, my handbag in one hand and a tray with two coffees in the other. My mind kept replaying the events of that night, wondering how I c
QUINNIt was Venus' howling and her jumping on top of me that eventually woke me up. I groaned, running my fingers over her soft fur, "Quiet down, Venus. If they hear you they're going to kick you out," my neighbor's were a pain in the ass and looked for every reason to complain about me so I gave them nothing to complain about.She whined, nudging my face with her snout and running her prickly tongue over my cheek. Venus was never this persistent to go out and she never needed to do her business at night. I trained her well, taking her out every night and then making sure to let her out every morning."Venus, stop, please. Let me sleep," I chastised, pulling the covers over my head and turning to the other side.That was when I heard it, the pounding on my door and my name being called in what sounded like an angry growl. Well, it wasn't my name. It was the name he knew me as. The thought of
GUNNARThere were many uncertainties in this world but there was one thing I knew I could bet my life on and that was coming here to protect myself. They wouldn't dare to do anything as long as she was involved. If I kept her close to me at all times, my life would be safe. I didn't care if that meant using her and I could put up with occasionally flirting with her just to elude her. However, I was tethering on a mighty thin line. Just one look into those innocent blue eyes nearly had me revealing everything. I almost said too much.It sickened me. She really thought that she could fool me with her less than brilliant accent. Her age matched, her distinct hair color and eye color did too. If that wasn't enough proof, the fact that Daniella Quinzel had no social presence whatsoever was a major telltale that something was up. I couldn't dig up any important information on her when I tried. The little information I did find loo
QUINN"Stupid Gunnar," I yelled, throwing a blouse into my suitcase, "asshole, dickhead, cactus of a man," I cursed, throwing a few more items of clothing into the bag, "he's such an ungrateful, pompous fool," I complained, facing Venus who had her ears perked in my direction, "I should have let him bled out. No loss to mankind.""Then why didn't you?" Ace quizzed, glaring at me with interest shining in his hazel eyes that had stunning flecks of green swimming in them. I had almost forgotten he was here. He sat so perfectly still and silent.My eyes caught the sight of his glock tucked into his waistband and I gulped. I couldn't reply to him, not when he was intimidating as Hell. It pissed me off that he took away my phones and other devices, daring me to fight him for them with a stupid smug grin."You grow awfully quiet when someone speaks to you," he murmured, voice too slick and charmi
QUINNWe arrived at the hotel late last night which meant I didn't get a chance to speak to Priyanka or Jaxon. Gunnar made sure not to give me a chance to speak to them anyway, keeping a close eye on me the entire flight. He had even gone to the extent of escorting me to my room, leaving me with one last warning and a glare that probably could have turned Medusa to stone.On the brighter side of things, the room he had me in was built for comfort. The place was washed in warm colors — royal red wallpaper, brown bedposts, and beige decor. It smelt like fresh flowers on a spring morning and gave you a sense of bliss. It was a five-star establishment so I expecting nothing less from the place.Dinner had been brought up to my room. If it wasn't obvious, it was Gunnar who ordered the meal — a piece of steak cooked medium rare with a side of fries. I allowed myself to eat it even though I was on a strict diet beca
QUINN After my phone call, Gunnar didn't allow me to leave. He had the audacity to make me wait until he had a shower, strolled out in nothing but a towel, and made me watch him get dressed. Well, he didn't make me. I could have turned my head or closed my eyes, but looking came free and I had to appreciate a masterpiece when I saw one. I had to keep reminding myself that one: he had Katie and two: I just couldn't stroll down that road because it was a collision course, one that obviously would not end well. He wasn't good. He was far from it. But the attraction between us was there. We weren't blind to it and we could obviously feel it. With every touch, with every breath, each time I found myself wanting to be near him no matter how much his presence pissed me off. Even as a complete asshole, he still managed to draw me in. I hated him, but I craved him. His touch from earlier still lingered on my che