Spencer.
The girl he loved.
And now that he had accepted his feelings, he realized that Domenico was right. Love was a stealthy son of a bitch, the way it fucking snuck up on people and made itself felt all of a sudden. He still couldn’t pinpoint the hows and whens, but what became exceedingly clearer to him with every second that passed were all the instances love had been the driving force behind his words and actions.
She probably didn’t know it, but he had actually only signed up for a fucking Facebook account when he learned it was the only social networking site she used. He had even hurriedly people to his network before adding her, not wanting Spencer to think she was the only person he wanted to talk to online.
Seemed fitting then, he mused absently, that Spencer had also chosen the same platform to make their relationship official.
And then there were all the times he sought her company when work or Caro matters were particularly frustrating. It had made a whole fucking world of difference to him, just seeing Spencer all riled up because of him. In those days, her bitchiness had made him want to strangle her. These days, it was still the same…and kiss her at the same time.
His thoughts drifted back to Luka’s theory on the correlation between chemical compatibility and love, but this time the idea no longer bothered him. He hadn’t realized it at that time, but he had a feeling the reason Luka’s theory chafed on him so was because he had resented the possibility of Spencer being the person he had fallen in love with because he had been physiologically programmed to do so.
He was in love with Spencer because of all the things that made her the person she was. It was his choice and not a matter of destiny that he had fallen for her, and one day, Etienne was determined to prove this scientifically as well.
But for now, all thoughts of quantifiable formulas for love had to be set aside. He had his own love to take care of, and he could already feel himself tensing as he reached his apartment and asked Anderson where Spencer was.
“In the library, sir. She’s been on the phone since dinner.”
Etienne stiffened. “With whom?” Because if it was a fucking guy—
“Caylie Sonora, Your Highness.”
Fuck.
Caylie…was Luka’s fiancée. Caylie was the one person the normally reserved Luka told everything to. Caylie…had to know everything about sangferia, and since Spencer was no idiot…
Etienne was at the library in seconds, and the first thing he saw were the track marks of dried tears on Spencer’s beautiful face.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Despair and regret shot through Etienne. Once again, Spencer had caught him lying before he could tell her the truth, and this time…this time, he wasn’t sure at all if she had it in her to forgive him.
It had started with a phone call. Caylie Sonora, a Caro heiress, was on the phone, Anderson had told her while she was at the library, trying to get through another chapter on Caro history. And at the butler’s assurance that Caylie was in good terms with his master, she had taken the call and was immediately greeted with a sweet, feminine voice from the other end.
Caylie, as it turned out, was quite the fun-loving chatterbox, and it had surprised Spencer to realize that this was also the same Caylie she often read about in society pages. Apparently, ‘hiding in plain sight’ was common practice among their kind, and why numerous celebrities and famous figures were of their race.
After that, what was supposed to be a short courtesy call with Caylie inviting Spencer to another party she was hosting (‘I was supposed to meet you the other night, but you guys never showed up) turned into a Q&A session, with Caylie assuring her she was free to ask any questions about their race. Most other Caros are stuck-ups, Caylie had told her, so I’m your best bet as a reference person.
One thing led to another, and when they started swapping about each other’s love stories, it was then Caylie unknowingly dropped a bombshell on Spencer. You got tested for sangferia, too, didn’t you?
Sangferia, she had asked.
Virgin’s blood, Caylie had translated. Etienne is sort of like the Elon Musk of our race, and he’s the one who discovered about how a virgin’s blood, if proven chemically compatible with a Caro male, could increase the latter’s strength…
And that was when Spencer’s heart had started to break.
“I’m sorry.”
The tautly spoken words drew Spencer out of her reverie, and a gasp escaped her when she found Etienne already down on one knee in front of her. His beautiful face was harsh with regret, and it hurt to see him that way. But what hurt even more was how she couldn’t stop thinking of the way he had kept lying to her.