Chapter Thirteen: Lies

Mark stopped the car at the security checkpoint of the Eastcliff Residential area, the home of the most powerful and wealthiest people of the city.

Of course, the Alessandro Family was one of the most powerful and wealthiest families. Even though I had next to no idea exactly what kind of business my brothers ran.

I was slowly learning about the wealth and power that my brothers held in their hands.

I was a little confused since it was the first time we needed to stop for the security check. But I soon got my answer as Mark turned towards me with his cold eyes.

I was waiting for him to burst out in anger, however, his words were completely different from my prediction.

"Forget about everything that happened today. I took you to a cafe and then drove you around the city for a while. This is exactly how we spent the morning. You met no one and saw or heard nothing."

His voice was deep and carried a dangerous edge in it. The kind which promised a hell to go through if you went against his wish.

Since my life was already an image of hell itself, I was in no mood to add extra spice to it.

As his familiar eyes bored into me, I tried to gulp the saliva down my dry throat. I seriously had no interest in pissing off this man.

He already was not that fond of me. Who knew what would happen if I ended up making him angry by mistake?

I nodded my head hurriedly, not wanting to test his patience. I still had to decide which one of these two was more intimidating - Mark or Domenic.

The first one had already made it clear that he did not like me even a single bit. His harsh tone and cold eyes were the proof.

Mark had barely said a single word to me or about me that was not laced with either anger, frustration, or judgment.

While Domenic had not been harsh or cold towards me, but at the same time, he was also not the warmest or sweetest one.

He carried an indifferent aura around him. Like everything would be fine as long as you follow his rules and did not create any problems.

"Good," Mark muttered and started the car and took off towards the Alessandro Mansion.

Looked like we really didn't need to stop for the security check!

No more words were exchanged between us and I was very happy about that.

Within the next ten minutes, we were already climbing the stairs of the mansion. It was around noon when we reached the mansion, meaning it was the time for lunch.

Normally, most of my brothers would be out due to their work or for God knew what other things they did. However, as I entered the living room I found every single one of them present there.

I was a little confused to see all of them. They were dressed in either branded suits or jeans and shirts, not something I assumed they would wear on their off days.

Daniel and Domenic were the first to notice me and Mark as we walked closer to the couches that were placed around the coffee table.

I was about to open my mouth to ask the question and clear my confusion when suddenly a woman in her late thirties walked out of the dining room with Simon.

She was tall, around five-seven or five-eight with shoulder-length blonde hair. Her lips were painted bright red and her blue eyes twinkled from behind her glasses.

"Oh my! Hello, my dear. You are just as gorgeous as the rest of your brothers. There's no doubt that you are their young princess. Just look at you!"

I was suddenly pulled in a tight hug by the woman as she kept shrieking nonsense. It took a lot of effort from my side to free myself from her clutches.

However, the very next second, a hand snaked around my shoulder making me jump a little.

I turned to look at Mark in surprise but he gripped my shoulders and made me again look at the smiling woman.

"Aww, so sweet. Your brothers definitely love you a lot. All of this is just a formality that is needed to be completed. Otherwise, Mr. Alessandro, we do not doubt that you will take care of Emilia and keep her happy." The woman said as she looked at Domenic with a smile.

I was so confused that my mind had even stopped working at all. I just stood there still like a stone as I watched the woman praising my brothers and how well they were taking care of me.

"Emilia, this is Mrs. Smith. She is from the head department of the orphanage. She is here to make sure that you are living here a happy life and don't have any kind of problems." Domenic told me as he introduced the woman.

"Oh! Umm....well, hello Mrs. Smith."

I finally got my brain under control and plastered a small smile on my lips.

Since now I knew the identity of the woman, that explained the presence of all my brothers.

"Sorry for being late. I just took my baby sis to have some fresh air. I hope you won't mind." Mark said to the lady with a polite smile.

Baby sis? Was this man for real?

If I had not to pretend that everything was completely normal, I would probably be gawking at Mark with my jaw hanging open.

I was not surprised about the lie that he just told everyone. Rather, I was left speechless by the endearment that he used for me and the soft smile that was visible on his lips.

Bravo! The devil could smile. Even though I could see clearly that the smile was just as fake as his words.

However, looked like Mrs. Smith was completely oblivious of it. She just kept praising Mark for his efforts that he was putting in to make me feel comfortable and a part of the family.

Only if she knew!

At that time I had no idea that the next few minutes were going to destroy all my hopes and dreams.

That once again I would be left hopeless and broken. That I would regret having a heart.