The clone is staring at me like a snake eyeing a mouse. The two security guards who came up from the lower floors have their jaws clenched, their eyes locked on me, their hands tense and ready to drag me out of here if they have to. This is the first time I truly understand that Clause 7 is something they take dead seriously.I'm not lying, girl—it felt like I'd committed a crime and a sacrilege at the same time.They repeat it again, even more urgently, if that's possible:"Carmilla Morris, you've been reported for violating Clause 7. If Mr. Killian is in there, you'll be fired immediately on Mr. Longfield's orders… Is he inside the room? Answer!"
Terrified, I lie. I say no, he's not here, and I even manage to sound offended.The fourth-floor custodian—the one who's always posted outside Mr. Longfield's residence—comes walking down the hall. He's an older, imposing albino man dressed in a black suit with a nameplate that reads Tomás Harmer. He looks at me sternly and tells the guards:"You two shouldn't be here. Clear the area. I'll handle this."
They protest, but one look from him is enough. They leave, muttering, "As you say, Mr. Harmer."The clone points inside the room and says, "I saw him. I'm the one who called security. She broke Clause 7. She can't stay here another minute."
Harmer takes a deep breath and tells me, "Miss, please step aside. Let's get this serious matter over with as quickly as possible."
Trembling, I step aside and let him in. But the moment the albino takes two steps inside my room, Killian walks out toward the door, completely calm. The custodian doesn't even glance at him. The clone lowers her eyes but whispers to me with satisfaction, "Bye-bye, Carmilla Morris. You didn't last long."
Killian reaches my side, shoots the blonde a look of pure disdain, and right in front of her, cups my face and gives me a tender kiss on the lips. Then he walks off down the corridor toward his own room.I stand there frozen, not understanding a thing, until the custodian comes back out and says, "There's no one inside."
Looking at the clone sternly, Tomás Harmer warns her, "Clause 7 is a security matter. This is the last time you call security over your own paranoid delusions."
The blonde's mouth falls open. "What the hell just happened? Are you messing with me?"
The custodian looks at me and asks, "Miss Morris, did you see Mr. Killian Longfield in your room?"I answer seriously, "Of course not, sir."
The second I finish, he turns back to the blonde. "Case closed. Don't mention this again."Then he looks at me. "Do you want Mr. Longfield to hear about the false accusation this young lady made against you? The boss doesn't tolerate lies like that."
Seeing how the blonde is shaking, I say, "No, I don't think that's necessary. People make mistakes sometimes."
The clone leaves with her head down and slams her door when she gets to her room.Tomás Harmer asks me to go get changed and come back with him. When I do, he takes me by the arm, pulls me aside, and says:"In case you didn't know, the clauses were put in place because an employee—specifically the language tutor for the brothers when they were teenagers—tried to kidnap Lucius. She set up a private meeting near the garages, drugged his drink, and stuffed him in the trunk of one of the cars. Úrsula noticed, and Killian—who was very young—stopped her until security arrived… Clause 7 is a serious matter. You seem like a good person. A friend of mine told me you have a good heart. But Mr. Longfield will bury you in lawsuits if he finds out you were alone with the boys without his authorization."
I go ice cold when I hear that and can only ask, "Who's your friend, Mr. Harmer? Tell me so I can thank him too."
The custodian takes me by the arm all the way to Killian's door and knocks four times in code: one knock, then two quick ones, then another.Killian opens the door laughing and says, "Tomy, my man! Give me a hug. How's your son? How's Charlie doing?"
That's when it all clicks.The albino laughs like a kid with Killian, hugs him back, and answers, "My son is doing incredibly well. You changed our family's life, not just his. I'll never be able to thank you enough." Then he adds, "By the way, Miss Morris asked me who told me she has a big heart."
Killian takes my hand and whispers, "We leave tomorrow. Sorry about that clause—it's non-negotiable for my father. Now… go to Annia's room and enjoy a girls' night. We head out in a few hours."
I hug him. In a single second I go from apocalypse to salvation. I start crying—I'm sorry, girl, I'm not even crying for myself.Killian once told me that he and his brother had been in love with that language tutor. That same woman used their love against them to hurt them. How much must they have suffered? How deeply must they have been disappointed by the women who got close to them? And yet here they are… each showing me, in his own way, that he has feelings for me.I have to promise myself I'll never make them suffer. But how, girl? How, when we're already so deep in this triangle of passion and feelings?
I say goodbye to both of them and start walking down the hallway toward Annia's room, ready to have fun, to celebrate that I got out of that mess unscathed and beat that snake of a clone…But when I'm already far down the hall, I see the custodian heading back and can't fight my curiosity. I go up to him and ask why he's so grateful to Killian—what exactly he did.
He tells me, "I've known Killian for many years. We're real friends. My only son, Charlie, wanted to get into one of those impossible-to-afford universities. Against all odds, we had scraped together the money—working hard, the way you're supposed to. A few weeks before enrollment, my neighbor's house caught fire and burned ours down too. Everything, including the savings, was gone. I talked to Killian and asked for a loan. I explained everything, but he said he couldn't, that it was impossible. I understood. I didn't even question it. I know his good heart, and if he said no, there had to be a reason I didn't know about. Two hours later, my wife called the mansion with the news: Killian had paid for Charlie's entire tuition. While we were still crying happy tears on the phone, Dr. Piestein showed up at the ruins of our house and handed my wife the keys to one of the Longfield properties so we could move in right away. That's my friend. He saved me when I needed it most."
I smile, moved, and think, That's my Killian. Then I head off to the girls' night, walking through the mansion corridors, running my hand along the walls like a teenager in love for the first time.
When I walk into the room, Annia and Evangelina cheer and run to hug me… They give me a sandwich kiss, one on each side, pressing hard. I'm pretty sure Evangelina is the one who grabs my ass, because when I look at her, she winks at me.I can't believe it—she's not even wearing makeup and still looks better than before. Annia watches her with so much love it melts me.
I warn them that Killian doesn't want us throwing up in the helicopter, but honestly, they don't seem to care much. They only complain because I promised to bring a bottle of '84 wine or something, but he never showed up.As a side effect of the party, I end up drinking way too much too. We put on music, dance, take pictures, and Annia is the first to pass out. We're all sitting on the couch, and she just closes her eyes and falls asleep, letting out a funny little snore. We carry her to bed, tuck her in, and Evangelina and I stay up talking.
She tells me about her childhood, how she won beauty pageant after beauty pageant, how her parents pressured her to be perfect even though she was miserable the whole time. As soon as she saved enough money, she moved to Milan by herself to escape that control and that anxiety.When I tell her about my own childhood, she starts crying, and that makes me feel awful. Do I come off as that pathetic?
She wraps me in her long, slender arms, still tearing up, gives me a small kiss on the lips, and says, "You're the sweetest, most beautiful little thing I've ever met."Then, pointing at Annia asleep in her bed, she asks, "How do you think things will be when she marries Killian? She loves me. Somehow she'll figure out a way to keep me with her."
I think for a few seconds and say, "You know… it's impossible for them to actually get married. It's so stupid I don't even know where to start."
Evangelina puts a finger on my lips to shush me. "Shhh, don't think like that. In this world where the Longfields and the Vanderecks rule, logic doesn't exist—only business. They're going to get married, and the worst part is that as soon as they do, they'll be pressured to have a child to seal the union forever."
I sit there with my mouth open, staring at the ceiling. I hadn't even considered that possibility.Evangelina takes a swig of vodka, gives me a charming smile, and whispers, "Don't worry so much—you'll get wrinkles. Have you seen what my tattoo says? It's good advice."
I tell her I haven't. She jumps off the couch, pulls off her blouse, revealing those big, perfect breasts, and sits closer to me. With a seductive look, she turns sideways and points at the delicate, single-line tattoo that reads: "Love first, then think.""See?" she says, smiling. "Best advice ever."
And she kisses me again, this time leaving her lips against mine longer.Do I like it when she kisses me? I don't know, girl. You promised you wouldn't judge me, so I have to confess the answer is somewhere between liking it and being turned on by it. But I don't think Evangelina counts as lesbianism. She's a creature from another universe, beyond gender.I don't know if it's the alcohol or if she really wants me, but now she's looking at me, lifting my shirt playfully to see my breasts. I tell her no, that Annia is sleeping, and she yells:"Babe, wake up for a second and answer! Do you mind if I look at Carmilla's breasts? She's so pretty."
Annia lifts her head and answers, "No, my love. I like Carmilla too." Then she falls right back asleep.I tell her, "That doesn't count—she's drunk or half-asleep, and we're leaving in a few hours, so I should probably go to sleep."
Evangelina makes a sad-puppy face, so I say fine, she can look once, but then I'm going to bed. She smiles, lifts my shirt like she's unwrapping a present, and when she sees my bare breasts, she slowly leans in while staring into my eyes. Right at that moment…Killian walks in with the promised bottle of wine. He sees us like that, smiles, and says:"Well… looks like I won't be sleeping tonight."