The arrangements were made, and time was the only condition yet to be met. It was also the one thing that passed by so quickly that one would think Cleopatra had access to a time machine.
They ate to their heart’s content; some of the best chefs were here, and the fact that this was a place Cleopatra rarely stayed in made it special. This meant they had the house to themselves, but they remained professional even without her to command or instruct them. This showed discipline, as there was still authority present in the house. However, they didn’t wear fancy clothes.
“It’s time,” Ella said at the table. They hadn’t seen her sister since their earlier conversation, but judging by the parked car, they knew she was around—unless she had taken one of the numerous cars she had available.
“Jane, are you sure you’re fine with this?” Kyle asked, making sure. Jane nodded to confirm.
“I am,” Jane responded, but this time, her body language showed that she wasn’t just saying it to help her friend. She had had time to process it and was becoming more accepting of the situation. After all, these were the same two people who had gone on a date before, and nothing had happened. What was the difference now? Even if it meant she would be sleeping alone.
“Then it’s decided,” Kyle said with an exhausted sigh, wondering how he had gotten himself into this mess. He should have kept his mouth shut. If he had, he wouldn’t have been dragged into their family drama. But he also had to stand up for Jane. He couldn’t allow her to be disrespected in his presence because he knew how sensitive she was about such things.
“I’ll escort you to your room to make sure everything is all right in there. Ella, wait for me here, or I might get lost,” Kyle said.
Jane knew this would inconvenience Kyle and didn’t want to make the situation any worse.
“I-I’m fine—!” Jane was interrupted by Kyle, his voice stern.
“I wasn’t asking for permission.”
Jane’s mouth immediately clamped shut, but a smile crept onto her face because Kyle had reminded her that she came first with this action.
Ella watched on, not understanding why she was nervous, but she knew she was going to spend the night with Kyle. She hadn’t shared a room with him for so long, even though she knew they wouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed.
–
Kyle escorted Jane, keeping the fact that he had met Cleopatra to himself. No one knew about it because he knew it could complicate things. He also knew it was none of their business—he had to keep his work and personal life separate.
Kyle had to tell himself that he might be mistaken. This was the lie he told himself. He looked at Jane, and she looked at the ground. He instantly knew that he would rather be spending the night with her.
“I’m sorry about this,” Kyle apologized. The way she looked at him in response told him that she wasn’t expecting such an apology.
“It’s fine,” Jane muttered, but Kyle wasn’t going to accept that.
“It isn’t. I didn’t consider how you would feel about this. It was a selfish decision on my part, but I couldn’t listen to her speak poorly of you. I don’t care if she’s the Queen of England,” Kyle said, and Jane couldn’t contain her smile. It was so wide that it seemed her cheeks might burst from it.
“…No one disrespects you in my presence, princess,” Kyle added, and Jane giggled softly.
“T-Thank you,” Jane said, showing her gratitude.
They soon arrived at their location, standing in front of the door where they would part ways.
“It’s taking everything in me not to touch you right now,” Kyle said, his face gentle.
“I really want to touch you,” he admitted, but he knew that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“I-I want to be touched by you,” Jane confessed. She was getting more expressive about these things, much to Kyle’s relief because now he could verbally confirm that she desired him as much as he did her.
Kyle knew there were others in the building, but would that mean they saw him acting all lovey-dovey with her earlier when Ella had gone to meet her sister for the first time? That was a possibility, and Cleopatra might have done it intentionally to turn them against each other.
Kyle knew from their first meeting that Cleopatra was manipulative, so this wasn’t out of the question. He had developed a new theory: What if Cleopatra knew about his relationship with Jane because of the cameras he suspected were in the mansion? But knowing her sister still secretly sought her approval, she might have referred to him as Ella’s boyfriend to throw them off.
If that was the case, what would putting them in the same room achieve? They both would have to be willing for anything to happen. This told Kyle that Cleopatra wasn’t done. This couldn’t be her trump card, but Kyle wasn’t about to play into her games, even though he had unknowingly walked into a web.
But even prey can become the predator with the right conditions, and Kyle was going to create those conditions. He left Jane and began his journey back to Ella so they could go together to the room.
–
Ella sat quietly, waiting for Kyle to return so they could head to the bedroom. But she couldn’t help thinking about the possibility of something happening. It was an intrusive thought that had nothing to do with how she felt about Kyle—everyone has them.
More than that, she respected the fact that Jane trusted her enough to let them share a private space. She wasn’t going to take that for granted, but she needed advice, and there was one person she could turn to—Calista.
Before her intrusive thoughts could win, Kyle walked into the room, interrupting them. Ella immediately cleared her throat and dismissed the thought.
“How did she take it?” Ella asked.
“She’s fine with it, and this time, she’s not just faking it,” Kyle responded, but Ella could tell he sounded irritated, as if he wanted to get it over with.
This made her feel guilty because this was happening because of her. If she had spoken up right away, this wouldn’t be happening. But Kyle had the finances and status to gain some respect from her older sister.
They walked to the room, but Kyle held her hand. Ella knew he didn’t have to do this, but he had to make it convincing if there were cameras around. That would also explain why they could leave the workers in the house.
“The house… does it have cameras?” Kyle asked in a hushed voice.
“No, not that I remember. My parents valued privacy above all,” Ella responded.
“You think we’re being watched?” Ella asked, but if that was the case, if there were truly no cameras, it would nullify Kyle’s earlier theory.
“Are you sure?” Kyle asked, but Ella hesitated before responding.
“A lot of things could have changed over the years, so I wouldn’t rule it out,” Ella said.
“I guess you’ll need to be prime Angelina Jolie tonight because we need to sell this,” Kyle said. Ella wondered what he meant, though she didn’t say it out loud.
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire
“You’re so weird,” Ella teased, but Kyle rolled his eyes in irritation.
“Hey, is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?” Kyle asked, which was enough to diffuse the awkward tension between them.
“Very funny,” Ella said, but Kyle realized that this wasn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
“Think of it this way: You get to enjoy a fraction of what Jane enjoys every day,” Kyle boasted, but Ella only rolled her eyes in response.
She knew Kyle was cocky, but she also couldn’t deny that she was curious about experiencing even a fraction of how he treated Jane. It wasn’t because she was envious or wished she were the one Kyle was dating, but simply out of curiosity.
They arrived at their door, and Kyle was surprised not only by how big it was but also by the setting. There was a sweet scent in the air.
“It looks like your sister made sure to set the mood,” Kyle said with a sigh, but he couldn’t deny her exquisite taste in candles because the scent was appealing.
Kyle sat on the corner couch, subtly observing the room to see if he could spot any cameras.
“I’ll take the couch. You’re welcome,” Kyle said, but Ella snickered.
“You act like such an old man,” Ella said before lying on the bed. What neither of them knew was that the candle in the room served as an aphrodisiac.
This was something that Kyle recognized a little too late because it didn’t take long for the effects to start showing.