Chapter 13.

*****

I sat at breakfast on Sunday morning, but I had yet to eat anything. I was practically shaking because Adrian was right beside me. He, however, was eating like nothing had happened. He actually looked quite pleasant.

"Jess... Are you alright?" Maximilian looked at me raising his brows.

Everyone's eyes shifted to me including Adrian's. I felt my face heat as I felt slightly embarrassed under their gazes.

"Um... I'm – I'm good – fine." I said averting my eyes back to my food.

"But you have not touched your breakfast, Sweetheart." The Queen pushed.

I looked at her and smiled. "I'm just not hungry right now... I think I may have eaten too much yesterday." The brothers laughed while the King and Queen stared at me amused.

"Probably, you barely left any pizza for Adrian." Maximilian smirked.

"Don't lie!" I pushed his shoulder.

"Uh – I have evidence." He said. I sucked my teeth as everyone laughed at us.

I rolled my eyes as he smirked at me waving his phone. Everyone's eyes turned to Adrian as his phone went off.

"My apologies, everyone. I forgot to turn it off." Adrian pulled his phone from his pocket and stared at the screen.

"No matter. Is that Emily?" I bit the inside of my cheek as Adrian nodded in response as he looked at his father, "You are excused, send her our greetings." The King said.

"Yes, and tell her to come to dinner sometime." The Queen smiled.

"I will." Adrian said as he got up and walked out answering his phone.

I noticed the table had gone awkwardly silent after that.

"So, Jessica. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Everyone's eyes shifted to me as the Queen smiled. I felt myself blush at the attention. I had a feeling being here was going to make my face burn off eventually. They were actually waiting for my answer. Why did I have to be the distraction from the tension?

"Well?" Edward raised his brows when I hadn't answered after about twenty seconds of silence.

"N-no." I said. I never had time for that, but I had kissed a few guys... so that they could get threatened or killed by my mission partner... Mmm... Somehow, from that, I have deprived that a relationship would be much worse.

"Never?" Maximilian pushed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I swear I'll be the one to kill him before the people that are after him do.

"I-I have –" I stuttered embarrassed.

"Oh my God! You have never had a boyfriend!" I felt myself blush furiously as the King and Queen stared amused when Edgar shouted that.

Why did this mission have to be so embarrassing?

"I cannot believe that, you are so beautiful." The Queen said.

"Huh, yeah, right." Edward smacked Maximilian's arm as smirked at me.

"Hey! I know the perfect boy for –"

I forced myself not to let out a shout of relief as my phone went off.

"I'm sorry, excuse me." I answered my phone as I got up and walked out. I looked at my phone and smiled answering it, "Lily!" I said clearly sounding relieved as I made my way upstairs towards my room.

"I presume I called at a good time?" she sounded like she was smiling.

"You have no idea." I said exasperatedly.

"I'm not even going to ask what it's about. How's your mission going?" she asked.

"You mean my vacation?" I frowned annoyed. She laughed.

"Ari, you'll be happy you got such an easy mission once you start the test. Trust me, it's completely draining." She said, "Anyway, I called to tell you something." She said. I could hear the excitement laced in her voice.

I bit my lip. It was big... "What is it?"

"I'm getting married!" she screamed into my ear. I pretty much dropped my phone and had to catch it before it hit the floor.

"Uh – To - To who?" I asked recovering quickly.

"Riaaz... From the Egypt base." She said. I had heard of him, he was one of the top five 3rd levels in Africa. Sometimes they would come to our base.

I let out a sigh. "You're serious?" I asked pushing my door open.

I walked into my room and stopped, her voice drowning out of my ear as my eyes fell on Adrian seated at my bed. He looked at me and gave a smile as I let my door shut behind me. He stood up opening his mouth but stopped when he realised I was on my phone.

"Ari? Aria? Are you there?" I blinked looking away from Adrian to the curtain that covered my window.

"Uh... yes... I'm here..." I said slowly.

"Is there someone with you?" She asked.

"No – yes, not really. Hey, why have I never met him?" I asked. She was quiet. "Liliana... how long?" I frowned.

"Um... three years." She said.

"And you never told me?" I asked shocked and quite frankly, hurt.

"Ari, you have to understand why... What we do –" she was saying.

"Can't be an excuse for everything." I cut her off. "I can't believe you would keep something that big to you from me! I'll talk to you later." I hung up before she could say anything else.

Three years. She had been with him for three years and she never told me.

"Jessica –" Adrian began.

"I know why you're here." I cut him off not wanting to talk about what happened at the shop last night, "And Adrian, I won't tell anyone if you won't. It's not a big deal, don't worry about it, I can keep a secret. That was – I have no idea what it was, but it was wrong. I won't tell anyone, I promise." I smiled.

He stared at me blankly for a few seconds before he let out a sigh and smiled.

"Wrong... yes... yes, it was... Thank you, Jessica." He said.

"You're welcome." I said.

He didn't make a move to leave though; he just kept his eyes on me, his facial expression one that I could not make out.

"Adrian." I mumbled nervously as I ran my hand up my arm pushing my sleeve up.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I was just leaving." He said before he walked out of my room not giving me another glance.

I let my smile drop once he was gone. It was wrong... but it had felt amazing... I was stupid for kissing him back, I knew he was engaged and on top of that, he was a client. Why didn't I just push him away? Why had he kissed me anyway? Obviously HE knew he was engaged. None of my questions were going to get any answers, simply because I never wanted to bring it up again. I wasn't going to, it wasn't necessary.

I sighed as my mind dwelled back to my sister. I wondered if our brothers knew about him. Was it just me? I hoped not, I really didn't want to be the only one she left in the dark. I put my phone in charge and put it under my pillow.

I changed from the jean and sweater I had planned to wear today to a swimsuit paired with shorts. Maximilian had said earlier that he would just be having his friends and Candice over today so I didn't have to worry about going anywhere today.

I pulled on an oversized Nike hoodie I had snatched from Maximilian because I had found it on the gym mat and just decided not to return it to him. It went down to my mid-thigh. I brushed my hair into a bun before I grabbed a towel and left to go downstairs.

I walked into the indoor pool and pouted seeing Gabriel and Jaime splashing around in it. I was kind of hoping I would be alone.

"Mornin' Jessie!" I cried out when Gabriel pulled a foam gun out of the water and shot at me. I barely dodged the spray of water before I glared at him, "Oh shit –" he stuck the gun in the water trying to fill it up.

I pulled off the hoodie not bothering with the shorts as I dived into the water and swam at him. I shoved him into the water and grabbed the gun from him before I sprayed water into his face as he resurfaced.

He coughed as Jaime laughed and high-fived me while I smirked.

"Geez, I'm sorry." Gabriel pouted as he ran his hands through his hair.

I looked up hearing Shayne dive into the pool followed by Thandi and Jade.

I looked outside to see Maximilian sitting on a bench in the garden with Candice beside him. He kissed her cheek as she giggled. She had never been mean to me...Maybe everyone just pre judged her... she was nice when I had punched Brandon in the hall the other day...

I knew that the twins were attending a charity event with their parents today so they would not be joining us anytime soon.

We played around in the pool, me constantly glancing at Maximilian to make sure he was still there, I don't know why because there were other guards watching him as well – oh wait, there was that forty second window. I stopped seeing him stand up pulling Candice with him. He smirked at me and pointed upstairs to where his room was. I faked a gag knowing why he was smirking and he laughed leaving her confused as she looked between us.

I turned back to the others in the pool and caught the ball as Gabriel threw it at me. I realised we were playing some sort of Monkey in the Middle thing with Jade being the monkey. I held the ball as she dove at me only to throw it to Jaime just as she reached me. She glared at me and I laughed.

When we got sick of the pool, everyone dried up and wanted to watch a movie. I decided to do some work, and while everyone sat in the TV room I went to my room.

I logged onto my account and checked on how far they were with figuring who was threatening Maximilian. That wasn't my job; my job was to protect him as they came at him.

They had not even gotten a lead since the guy I killed, if I hadn't killed him he could have been our lead. Well, what's done is done...

I looked at my phone as it buzzed before I reached out and looked at the screen. It was a new number, so it didn't have a name.

'Hey. Brandon. Save my number.'

Brandon? Where had he gotten my number? Only the King, Queen and their sons had it... Well, and Gabriel, Jaime, Shayne, Thandi and now Jade... And I knew there was no way any of them could have given it to him. Was he a hacker?

I gave a laugh at myself.

Don't be stupid... Just ask him.

'How did you get my number?'

I turned back to my screen and began reading through the messages Diego had sent me until my phone buzzed.

'A friend, Love. What are you doing tonight?' I frowned as I read it.

'Why?'

What did he want? Was he planning to do something to me? Was he faking an identity and was actually working with whoever wanted to kill Maximilian?

Wait, he wouldn't know to target me... unless he wanted to target Maximilian's family. I rolled my eyes at myself.

You're getting messed up about nothing here... He has nothing to do with any of that.

'Maybe we could hang out... Get to know each other. I'll pick you up outside the palace at six. Wear something nice.'

Wait, what?

I frowned deciding to dial his number. It rang a couple of times before he answered.

"Hey..." I said slowly.

"Hey, Babe." I frowned at the name.

"Um, about that message –" I began.

"Yes, I'm asking you out. Don't worry, tell Maxi not to get his trousers all twisted, I'm just taking you out to dinner." He said.

"Yes, I don't – I don't think that's possible. I – um – I'm working. And... I can't exactly go out with my cousin's arch enemy while I'm living at his house..." I said slowly. I was winging it; I had no idea how to handle the situation. I've never been in it before!

I heard him chuckle. "You let Maximilian dictate who you go out with?" he asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just saw you as this independent girl that makes her own decisions... But I guess you're too much of a child to do that, or is that just what Max says? Was I wrong to think you strong enough to do things yourself, without his approval?"

I sucked my teeth trying to find an answer to that. Was he really low enough to try and play that on me? I crossed my arm over my chest as I glared at my laptop screen.

"Goodbye, Brandon. And just for future reference, maybe try to be less of a dick when you're asking a girl out, she might actually look your way then." I said before I hung up without letting him say a word.

I froze as I clapping.

"Oh my God! I love you, Cousin!" I groaned as Maximilian yelled that before he dived at me causing both of us to fall off my bed and land head-first on the wooden floor. "Ah!" he groaned running his head. I got up and kicked him in the side just for the fun of it, and because he was an eavesdropping idiot, how had he gotten into my room without me noticing?

I slammed my laptop shut; the agency automatically logs you out after ten seconds of no movement of your account, or suspicious movement.

"Why are you here?" I frowned down at him as I rubbed my own head.

"I was hungry," he pouted.

"So? This isn't the kitchen... Weren't you with Candice?" I asked.

"I was, but I got bored after the third round." He smirked up at me.

"Third round of wha –? Oh – ew! Shut up and get out of my room." I said pointing to the door.

"No!" He grabbed my ankles laughing, "Let me get you pizza for what you did to Brandon." He smiled up at me. "Pizza, Jess. Pizza." He smirked.

I glared at him before a smile broke onto my face at the funny faces he was making up at me.

"Fine," I said, "But I want a slushie too." I added.

"As you wish." He said.

*****