Chapter 47 WARNING ANNABELLE

Chapter 47 WARNING ANNABELLE


Adeline's POV

I called Annabelle the next morning.

"Hey! I was just thinking about you. Want to get coffee?"

"Yeah. Actually, that would be great. I need to talk to you about something."

"Ooh, sounds mysterious. Is everything okay?"

"Just... sister stuff. Can you meet me in an hour?"

"Absolutely. Our usual place?"

"Perfect."

I hung up and stared at the photos on my phone.
The evidence from Russio's safe that proved Grey was an asset…an assignment, and Annabelle was a target.

But how could I tell her that without revealing everything? Without exposing what I'd found? What I'd done?

I couldn't show her the photos. I couldn't explain how I got them.
Which meant I had to convince her with words alone, no proof.

Our usual café was quiet mid-morning. Annabelle was already there, two lattes sat in front of her, waiting.

"So," she said as I sat down. "What's the sister emergency?"

"It's about Grey."

Her smile faded. "Of course it is. You still don't like him."

"Belle, I'm just concerned—"

"You're always concerned about everything, about everyone I date, about every decision I make."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it? You've been skeptical of Grey from the start. You never gave him a real chance."

"I'm trying to protect you."

"From what? From being happy? From finding someone who actually cares about me?"

"From someone who might not be what he seems."

She set down her cup. "What does that mean?"

"It means Grey's background doesn't add up. There are... inconsistencies. Things that don't make sense."

"Like what?"

I couldn't tell her about the fake credentials, the fabricated identity, or the sealed records.

"Just little things like his job, his history. The way he talks about his past."

"You're being vague. What specifically concerns you?"

"Belle, I can't explain everything right now. But please, just trust me. Something about Grey feels wrong."

"Feels wrong? That's it? That's your evidence?"

"I know how it sounds—"

"It sounds like you're jealous. Like you can't stand that I found someone first. That I'm happy and you're stuck in some mafia marriage."

"That's not what this is about."

"Isn't it? Because from where I'm sitting, you've been different since you married Kayden, more suspicious, more paranoid. And now you're projecting that onto my relationship."

"This has nothing to do with Kayden."

"Doesn't it? You're married to a literal mafia heir. Your husband's family is involved in god knows what. But I can't date a normal finance guy? That doesn't make sense."

"Grey isn't normal—"

"He's more normal than your situation! At least he doesn't come from a criminal empire. At least his family isn't constantly under investigation."

The comparison stung because she wasn't wrong.

"I'm not saying don't date him. I'm saying be careful. Take your time. Don't rush into marriage—"

"We're not rushing. Six months is plenty of time."

"It's not. Not when you barely know him."

"I know him well enough. I know he's kind and patient and treats me like I matter. That's more than most people get."

"What if he's pretending? What if this is all an act?"

"An act? Why would anyone go through that much effort to trick me? I'm nobody. I don't have money or power or anything worth manipulating me for."

Because you have me, I thought. Because you're the way to get to me.
But I couldn't say that.

"Belle, please. Just... slow down. Postpone the wedding. Give yourself more time to really know him."

"Why? So you can keep finding reasons to hate him? So you can keep trying to convince me he's secretly evil?"

"I'm not saying he's evil—"

"But you're not saying he's good either. You haven't said one positive thing about him since we met."

"Because I don't trust him."

"Based on what? A feeling? Some vague suspicion you can't even explain?"

"Yes. Based on instinct. And my instincts are usually right."

"Your instincts." She laughed bitterly. "The same instincts that led you to marry a man who blackmailed you? The same instincts that put you in a family that kills people for a living?"

"That's different—"

"How? How is it different? You made a choice based on what you thought you had to do. I'm making a choice based on what makes me happy. Why is yours valid and mine isn't?"

"Because mine was about survival. Yours is about—"

"About what? Love? Happiness? Things you don't think I deserve?"

"That's not what I meant—"

"Then what did you mean, Addy? Because it sounds like you don't think I'm smart enough to choose my own partner. Like I need you to approve every decision I make."

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"I don't need protection! I need support! I need my sister to be happy for me instead of constantly questioning my judgment."

"I am happy for you if you're happy. But Belle, if there's even a chance Grey isn't who he says he is—"

"There isn't. You're inventing problems because you can't accept that maybe, just maybe, I found someone good. Someone real. Someone who actually loves me."

"What if he doesn't? What if this whole relationship is—"

"Stop……Just stop." She stood. "I can't do this. I can't sit here and listen to you tear apart the best thing that's ever happened to me based on nothing but paranoia."

"Belle, please—"

"No. You know what? Until you can be supportive, until you can actually be happy for me, I don't want to hear it. I don't want your warnings or your concerns or your suspicions."

"You're my sister. I'm allowed to be concerned."

"You're allowed to be concerned. But you're not allowed to sabotage my happiness because of some feeling you can't even explain."

She grabbed her purse.
"I'm getting married in six months, to a man I love who loves me back, and you can either support that or you can stay out of it. Your choice."

"Belle—"

"I love you, Addy. But right now, I don't really like you very much."

She left.

I sat there, staring at my untouched latte.
I'd failed. .completely failed. Not only had I not convinced her about Grey, I'd pushed her away, made her defensive, made her dig in deeper.
And now she wouldn't listen to anything I said about him.

My phone buzzed with a text from Annabelle.

And for the record, Grey has been nothing but supportive about you. About us being sisters. He's never said one negative thing about you, even though you've been awful to him. Maybe think about that.

The guilt hit hard.
Because she was right. From her perspective, I was being unreasonable. Cruel, even.

She had no idea Grey was an asset. That their relationship was an assignment. That I had proof of all of it.

But I couldn't show her that proof without revealing things about myself, about Kayden's family, about the world we lived in.

And if she knew those things, she'd be in even more danger.

I drove home in silence and found Kayden in his study.
"How did it go?"

"Terribly. She thinks I'm jealous, paranoid and trying to sabotage her happiness."

"Did you tell her about the files?"

"I couldn't. She'd want to know how I got them, where they came from, and then I'd have to explain everything."

"So we're stuck. We know Grey is dangerous, but we can't prove it to the one person who needs to know."

"Exactly."

Kayden pulled me close. "We'll find another way. Another angle."

"What if there isn't one? What if Grey marries her before we can stop it?"

"Then we make sure she's protected. We keep watching him. And the moment he makes a wrong move, we act."

"That might be too late."

"It's all we can do right now. Without more evidence. Without something Belle will actually believe."

I told him everything that happened at the cafe.
"She's giving you an out. A way to repair things."

"By pretending I'm okay with this. By acting supportive while knowing what I know."

"Yes, and I know that's hard. But right now, keeping a relationship with Belle is more important than being right. If you push her away completely, you lose all influence. All ability to protect her."

He was right.
As much as I hated it, he was right.

"I have to pretend to like him, to support this engagement while knowing he's a weapon aimed at us."

"We both do. And we have to make it convincing because if Grey suspects we're onto him..."

"He'll accelerate whatever he's planning."

"Exactly. So we smile, we congratulate them and play the supportive family."

"While gathering evidence to destroy him."

"While gathering evidence to save her."
I nodded. But everything about this felt wrong.

Watching my sister fall deeper for someone who was using her. Pretending to be happy about an engagement that was really a trap.
Lying to protect her while she walked further into danger.

But what choice did I have?
At least this way, I could stay close. Keep watching. Keep preparing.

And when the time came to act, I'd be ready.
Whatever it took.