Chapter 47 Forty - seven

Chapter 47 Forty - seven
"You look startled..." she comments, her eyes raking over me. "Surprised to see me, huh?"

She's right. I am.

After the last time, I thought she would never come to see me again. Not unless it's an emergency or she needs my help with something. But I doubt it's the latter.

I know the last thing she'd do is ask the girl who betrayed her for help. So I'm guessing it must be something else, and I'm intrigued to know what it is.

Either way, I know it can't be that bad. Her soft tone and the small smile etched across her face reassure me that she might be here for a less worrisome reason than I think.

So, clearing my throat, I nod and chuckle awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm surprised."

She gives me a curt nod and hums. "I understand... But I had to come see you. The malice and silent treatment are getting too old, don't you think? We live in the same house, and we can't talk to each other? That's crazy, right?"

Am I daydreaming, or is Carmen actually saying these words to me?

Hold up, does this mean she's forgiven me and is choosing to let go even after she made it clear that forgiving me is something she'd never do?

I can't fathom the meaning behind her words, but my heart is already racing with excitement. The idea of being friends with her again sends a thrill coursing through me.

Nonetheless, I don't want to get ahead of myself. I clear my throat, "Yeah, but I understand that I've wronged you, so it's fine if you don't want to—"

"Get over here, Liora," she cuts me off politely, beckoning me to join her at the table. "I'm not here to revisit the past. Come, let's have a chat."

My legs hesitate as I stare at her skeptically.

What's going on?

What's with her sudden friendliness? I can't help but wonder.

I would suspect she has ulterior motives if I didn't already know the kind of person she is.

Carmen is sweet and kind, and her intentions toward me have been pure from the start. So even though we weren't on good terms for a while because of what I did, I don't think that has changed anything about her personality. Or so I hope to believe.

Either way, whatever this is, I'm willing to play along and find out what's going on. If she genuinely wants to have a chat with me like old times, then I'm up for it. But if there's something else beneath the surface, then... I don't even know what to say.

I force my legs to move as I stride toward the other end of the room. I'm still clad in my towel, and my hand is holding another small towel against my damp hair.

As I get closer to her, her eyes travel to my legs and her brows rise in bewilderment, curiosity quickly replacing it.

"What's that?" she asks, and I glance down at my feet to see what she's inquiring about.

I realize it's the ankle monitor that has caught her attention. I'm yet to take it off. Actually, I can't take it off since Lorenzo has access to unlocking it.

Lifting my gaze, I force a smile and reply, stating the obvious, "An ankle monitor."

Her irritation is palpable as she places down her coffee mug. "Lorenzo made you wear this?"

She has no idea, I see. She has no idea how deranged and unhinged her brother is.

Regardless of my thoughts, I nod subtly, settling into the chair directly across from hers.

"Why?" she demands fiercely.

I shrug casually. "It was my first day at work. Apparently, it's just a measure to ensure I don't try to run away again."

Carmen laughs, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Hell, nah. This is too extreme. Too crazy."

"I wouldn't blame him," I say, pretending to justify his mad precautions, even though, deep down, I'm cursing him in all sorts of ways.

Carmen stares at me in disbelief. "You wouldn't?"

I shrug, "I mean, I did try to run away before. It created a symphony of chaos in the house, so it's good that he's just trying to make sure history doesn't repeat itself."

Carmen's mouth parts slightly. She stares at me like I've lost my sanity. "There's no way you're defending his actions right now. It has to be that you're just saying all this because I'm his sister."

She's absolutely fucking right.

But what would she have me do?

It's not like I can complain about her brother's madness to her when I know full well that our friendship is barely standing on solid ground.

For all I know, Carmen is just here to test me and gauge the perspective I have on her brother after what happened today. Hell, who knows if it wasn't her brother who sent her to me?

Either way, I'm keeping up this facade and acting like I understand that crazy psychopath.

When I remain quiet, Carmen sighs exasperatedly, rubbing a hand against her forehead in distress. She turns back to me. "I'm really sorry about this, Liora. Lorenzo is seriously taking this too far. I'll talk to him. How could he force you to wear this?"

He did a lot worse than that, but that's a discussion for another day.

"It's fine," I reply softly, brushing her off. "It's no big deal."

My eyes drift to the tray on the table that I didn't notice before. I spot some freshly baked cookies on one side and a few bread buns.

My throat waters, and my stomach subtly growls at the enticing snacks Carmen brought.

"You can have them. I made them for you," Carmen tells me. She must have noticed I was staring too hard at the pastries.

Not bothering to pretend that I'm not hungry, I reach for one of the cookies and shove it into my mouth. The instant burst of flavor has me closing my eyes briefly to savor the taste.

The cookie tastes so sweet. Carmen is definitely too good at this baking thing.

"Do you like it?" she asks with soft excitement when I reopen my eyes to reach for another one.

With my mouth full, I nod in affirmation.

She grins. "Glad you like them."

I eat two more before drinking from the bottled water she brought with her too. I think I'm almost full.

"They're great. I missed your cookies, honestly," I admit, heaving a sigh.

"Just my cookies?" She feigns a frown, and I chuckle softly.

"I missed you too, Carmen," I say in a vulnerable, remorseful voice. "I thought you'd never speak to me again. I was really sad and worried. However, I'm glad we're talking now," I finish with a smile spreading across my face.

"I missed you too," Carmen says, waving me off playfully. "Besides, I think I like you too much to cut you off after one mistake. You already apologized and promised it won't happen again, so we're good."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She smiles warmly. "What you did really hurt me because I..." She stops talking and shakes her head. "That's the past. Let's not talk about the past anymore, Liora. Instead, tell me how your first day at work went! Lorenzo said he made you his new secretary. Tell me about your experience working for him?" she asks, her voice laced with a hint of excitement.

I let out a heavy sigh. I don't know why the mention of her brother always has me sighing in frustration.

Licking my lips, I struggle with where to start. "It was okay. I was introduced to some of the staff. They were friendly. At least, most of them were." I wince at my own statement.

"Did you happen to meet Clara Cross?" she inquires.

I nod firmly. "Yeah. She's the one who mostly helped me figure things out at the office."

"She's Alec's assistant. They've been together for a long time now. She's good."

"Yeah."

Awkward silence descends upon us as I avoid the elephant in the room.

Eventually, Carmen probes, "So... what about my brother? Did he give you a hard time?" She scoffs derisively, shaking her head. "I bet he did."

I don't even know how to answer her question because if I said he didn't give me a hard time, I'd be lying to her.

Lorenzo absolutely made me rethink my life's choices today.

"I'm really sorry about my brother, Liora," Carmen apologizes, her soft silvery-blue eyes locking with mine. "He's a lot, I know. I'll talk to him. He can't keep treating you like this."

I remain quiet, at a loss for words.

"For someone who cares about you, he doesn't have a nice way of showing it," Carmen grunts, averting my gaze.

My heart skips a beat at her words, and I swallow. "Y-You think he cares about me?" I ask, my voice low with skepticism.