After my conversation with Lucius, I realized I was in grave danger. Being alone with him in Paris would be the same as surrendering to all my passions and his raw instincts. I can't stop him, and I can't stop myself when we're close. I have to find a way to avoid it, or I'll lose Killian forever—and the truth is, I love him.
The only solution I could come up with was to find a way not to be alone with him in France, at least to buy some time while I figure out what to do about all this.
Saying goodbye to Annia and Evangelina was harder than I expected; it was more gut-wrenching than I'd imagined. As I left them at the Vandereck mansion's landing strip, they smothered me in a thousand kisses—a literal storm of affection—and the best part was the promise that we'd see each other soon. Of course, I told them about my trip to Paris, not just to keep them in the loop, but to beg them to save me from myself. I needed them to come to the rescue before the fragrances of France and his masculine scent drove me to throw myself into Lucius's domain in his penthouse. And they, like guardian angels, swore they would; in fact, they were thrilled at the idea of meeting up in Paris in a few days.
Near Longfield, we switched from the plane to a helicopter. When we finally touched down at the mansion, Ursula was waiting at the helipad with a few men to handle the luggage. She signaled for me to follow her.
Killian and I blew each other a distant kiss when no one was looking, and I followed Ursula inside. As soon as we were alone, she turned to me.
"Carmilla, everything has changed. A few days ago, I told you we should be allies, and now we're in serious trouble. You need to know that this woman, Evangelina, has completely upended the situation between Killian and Annia. The only information we had about her was that she was Annia's 'special friend,' but it turns out that because of her, twenty-five of the empire's top fifty lawyers ended up being dismissed. The proposal she made was accepted by Mr. Longfield. There will be no wedding—instead, it's some kind of adult adoption."
"So what's the problem?" I asked. "I was there when she presented the plan to Killian, and he asked her to move forward with it. It seemed brilliant."
"Too brilliant," Ursula replied. "As if she had prepared and studied it long in advance. That's exactly the problem. Last night, Mr. Longfield told me—and only me—that he doesn't trust Evangelina. He says no one without formal expertise in the field could have humiliated all those sharks like that during the presentation. Do you understand now?"
"I'm starting to. He thinks Evangelina is a Vandereck agent, pushing a plan that looks good on the surface but might actually be a trap," I said.
She nodded. "Vandereck is the villain here, and our master believes he's behind it all. But he doesn't know why or for what purpose, and when he doesn't understand something, he becomes paranoid. He starts changing everything and everyone around him, retreating even further. He even stops communicating with me. I've been through this before: he doesn't write, he doesn't speak—he just stays with his sons, and they relay his orders to the rest of us. I can't go through that again."
The moment I heard that, it clicked: I was right. This woman loves Mr. Longfield. I thought for a few seconds and then continued.
"I have a solution. After I sign the new contract to design Lucius's perfumes, he's taking me to his plant in Paris. Annia and Evangelina will meet us there."
"What's the point?" Ursula asked.
"The point is that you need to resolve Mr. Longfield's uncertainty as soon as possible. I have no doubt that Evangelina is brilliant, but he's not going to listen to me."
Ursula interrupted. "Mr. Longfield can't simply summon Evangelina to a meeting; Vandereck would find out and assume she'd been bribed. Then the distrust and paranoia would be on both sides, and everything would fall apart."
"He can't—but I can," I clarified. "I could ask them to come tomorrow so we can all go to Paris together. Mr. Longfield could use that opportunity to test Evangelina—some kind of intelligence test or whatever he deems necessary. If she's not who she claims to be, the plot will be exposed. But if she really is a genius, he'll be reassured, knowing the plan was only meant to save her 'special friend' from an arranged marriage she hated—one that was even affecting her health. Wouldn't you have done the same for Mr. Longfield?"
As soon as that last question left my mouth, I wanted to kick myself. I saw Ursula falter completely; her tone shifted, and with a mix of rejection and fear, she replied, "Your idea would only make you look good, as if you're the one holding the reins over Miss Annia and Evangelina."
"No," I said calmly. "Because you'll tell Mr. Longfield this was entirely your idea—that you asked me to contact them. That way, he gets his answers, and you get the credit."
She looked at me for a few seconds. "And what do you get out of this?"
"I can't lie to you," I answered bluntly. "In return, I want you to ask Mr. Longfield to allow Killian to go to Paris as well, even if it's just for a few days. He told me he had to handle business for his father elsewhere. If he needs an excuse, tell him whatever you must. But help me—I can't be away from Killian for that long, and I can't be alone with Lucius without…"
She pressed her hands to her head. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did."
"Tell me you're not in love with Mr. Longfield," I shot back.
She brushed off her uniform nervously and, as if she hadn't heard me, said, "Fine. I'll speak with him immediately. I'll make him believe it was all my idea and let you know how it goes."
She walked away, moving even faster than usual.
I rested in my room, went over the final details of the cabin's exterior design with Manuel, and two minutes later, Ursula appeared.
"You have the green light to call them. Ask them to come tomorrow."
I told her I had both their numbers, but she would need to enable them so I could call. She did so immediately.
When I called Annia, she picked up on the third ring. I told them I urgently needed to see them at the mansion tomorrow so we could go to Paris together, without giving further details. She immediately understood.
"We're leaving right now—no delays," she said. "Did you know that being away from you for even a few hours causes depression? You're one of a kind. See you tomorrow. We love you!"
I confirmed to Ursula that they were coming, and she replied, "Carmilla… yes—to the question you asked me earlier. The answer is yes. You're the only one who knows. If you help me, I'll help you."
I felt a surge of emotion—not just because I had realized before anyone else that Ursula was in love with Mr. Longfield, but because I had gained a truly powerful ally.
And I was going to need her. Sooner or later, everything here is going to fall apart. It will be my fault for falling in love with Killian, and my fault for being vulnerable to Lucius. And it will be my fault, my friend, because the truth is… I want them both.
Can I be even more direct? I can with you, right? I want to make love to Killian and have sex with Lucius for the rest of my life. But since I know that's impossible, I'm going to listen to my heart and stay as far away as I can from the elder Longfield brother.
I signed the contract with the perfume company: an astronomical salary, like everyone else in the group, a five-year minimum commitment, and a bonus.
I told Killian everything via text, and he was excited about my attempt to keep him close and stay away from Lucius. Though he didn't think it was likely his father would give him more than two days in Paris; the business he had to handle was non-negotiable.
A massive storm broke out. At 3:00 a.m., a noise on my balcony woke me up. Terrified, I looked outside and saw Killian asking me to open the window. He had climbed down from the terrace like a cat just to avoid the hallway and another "cloned blonde" incident. I laughed when I saw him out there in the rain. When I let him in, he pulled off his soaked shirt. I made him sit on the bed and dried him with a towel.
"You know what would have been even more romantic than your Romeo entrance?" I teased. "If you had brought chocolates."
He stood up and, without a word, went back out onto the balcony. Even though I tried to stop him, he jumped and, using his strength, climbed back up to the roof. Ten minutes later, he dropped down again outside my window. He pulled a box of chocolates from his pants and held a red rose between his teeth for me.
I ate one—it was delicious—kissed him deeply, and lifted my arms so he could pull off the shirt I was wearing as pajamas. He had it off in a second and carried me to the bed. As soon as he undressed, he tried to dry himself with the towel, but I wouldn't let him; the water droplets sliding down his body were a work of art.
As he leaned over me, I asked, "Do you love me?"
"You know I do."
"Say it while you do it. Every time you thrust inside me, say, 'Carmilla, I love you.'"
He smiled and whispered, "Get ready, because you're going to hear your name a thousand times tonight."