Chapter 103
Marvin clutched his chest dramatically and gasped, “Sharl, that really hurt.”
The rest of the brothers all turned to glare at Nicholas, practically ready to roll up their sleeves.
One of them thought, ‘Seriously? Making a move on our sister right in front of us? Do you think we’re just standing here for decoration?
Nicholas calmly spoke up. “Don’t wor
worry, take good care of her and fill her in on how things work at the academy”
He glanced meaningfully at Marvin, thinking, “Didn’t he ask me to talk Sharon out of it? How am I supposed to do that if he doesn’t even give me a
chance?
Marvin swallowed his frustration. Nicholas‘ look now reminded him of what he needed to do. He had to get Nicholas to talk Sharon out of going to the House of Obsidian
Marvin gave a nod. “Fine. We’ve got something else to take care of anyway. You’re in charge of watching my sister. If anything happens to her, even a single scratch, you’ll be the one to blame.”
He suddenly changed his attitude, catching the other brothers a bit off guard. Still, all eight of them were on the same page, and since he had spoken, none of them insisted on staying. They just left together.
Once they were out of earshot, Richard asked in disbelief, “What was that? You just handed that punk an opening?”
Marvin replied, “Didn’t you say you wanted Nicholas to talk some sense into Shari? He needs a shot at it. Besides, folks from the Four Great Families and
the Elders” Council are about to show up. We’ve got to make sure everything’s in place. No room for screwups.”
Wallace nodded, “Exactly. We’re not about to let Shari’s Hunter Coins go to waste.”
Richard knew exactly what that meant, but the thought still rubbed him the wrong way. He just didn’t want Nicholas to get a shot. It didn’t help that Nicholas had that troublemaking face that every girl seemed to fall for.
Richard pondered, ‘Out of everyone in the younger generation, Nicholas is definitely the most popular with the ladies. And Shari is so sweet and soft- hearted. What if she ends up falling for that type too? Ugh, this sucks. I want to cry!
Then, one by one, the eight brothers reluctantly made their exit.
Once they were gone, the pavilion fell quiet
After Sharon sat down on the stone bench, she asked, “What did May say to you?”
Nicholas hadn’t even had the chance to sit when his fiancé beat him to the punch. He’d been in the middle of thinking up an excuse–maybe something
dramatic to rattle her a little.
But honestly, he doubted Sharon would ever be intimidated. After all, anyone who could send a member of the Pierce family flying with a single punch was definitely not someone to mess with..
Nicholas quietly sat down across from her and repfed, “They asked me to talk you out of going to the House of Obsidian.”
“So? Are you going to try and talk me out of it to?” Sharon asked as she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide and innocent, but something in her expression had shifted. There was a quiet force behind it now.
Seeing that, Nicholas, who usually feared nothing and no one, found himself gulping nervously. He thought, ‘Man, this fiancée of mine is g real handful
Even so, he kept a calm expression and said, “What I meant was your brothers really care about you.”
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Chapter 103
Sharon replied, “I know
Nicholas asked, “But why are you so set on joining the House of Obsidant
Sharon glanced at him and said, “The House of Obsidian is mysterious. And you’re the one who said I’d only find people like me at the academy”
“The House of Ivory isn’t that different. The House of Obsidian is always doing dangerous, difficult work that nobody appreciates. They’re constantly taking on risky missions, and they have to keep it all hidden from the public.”
“You mean like when you suddenly disappeared before? Was that you going out on a mission?”
Sharon recalled that time when someone from the Crawford family got kidnapped. She and Nicholas had been on their way to Vance Mansion when he abruptly left halfway through.
Nicholas nodded, “Yeah. No matter what’s going on, when a mission comes in, we have to respond immediately. It’s our duty and our responsibility”
Sharon suddenly remembered all those times she’d run into people from Oriston Academy. Every time, Velvyn had shown up too. It was pretty clear now that Velvyn had some connection to Oriston Academy.
She asked directly, “What was that thing in Vance Mansion’s parlor that looked kind of like a crocodile?”
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