Second Impressions Series

OLIVIA

I scrubbed soap on my skin while I leaned my head closer to the running water.

It was like Sarah threw a bucket of iced water over me when she told me his full name. Darius. Robert. Rothschild.

I’d heard the rumors about him, the rumors about the ruthless businessman supposed to take over the Rothschild empire. The reports were wrong. He was not charming.

He was insufferable.

What kind of soap was this? Organic? I still felt dirty with a kind of dirt that hid underneath my skin.

I tried to scrub it off and scrub his insufferable face from my mind. I had the urge to run as far away from this house as fast as I could.

That man was haunting me, making my stomach twist in a knot. That brute animal! I snarled, sounding like a vicious animal myself.

I exhaled deeply and turned the water down, wishing I could dig a hole for myself and hide forever.

When I finally left the steamy bathroom wrapped in a towel, Sarah was waiting for me on the bed, tucked in blankets and lying comfortably on a pillow.

Her eyes were distant and lost, staring at the same spot on the ceiling. God knew how long she’d been laying there.

“Are we sharing this bedroom?” I asked, breaking her trance. The room was humongous and luxurious, with a beautiful balcony and a private living room.

It had been a while since we’d had alone time, and I didn’t know how to begin this…bonding.

I knew she was hiding something from me, though.

“Maybe, if that’s okay with you.” She patted the bed for me to sit by her side.

Her face relaxed as soon as I sat and tucked one of her golden locks behind her ear. To me, she was so beautiful.

“I am so happy you are here,” she said with a mix of neediness and sadness. She grabbed my hand. “I have missed you so much. I need my sister.”

“I’m here, but don’t you prefer to sleep with Alexander?” I squeezed her hand in return.

“His parents are staying in the main house, where we’ll have dinner tonight. It will be the first time I meet them, and… I’m terrified of meeting his mother.” She looked out the window. “She is kind of…uptight.”

Strange. Was Sarah intimidated? Her usual spark of happiness was dimmed, giving so much weight to what Alexander’s mother would think of her, and it bothered me.

“They might not like me, but they will love you, Ollie. You are the smartest person I know.”

So that is what this was about. Not fitting in with the Rothschilds.

“Sure they will.” I smiled, but a trace of sarcasm slipped through.

Guilt over my reckless behavior that day hammered my head. Shame! Shame! Shame!

I decided to keep the details of the ride to myself. Not that I cared what Darius thought of me; it was a little nudity, for God’s sake! Nothing too shocking for the twenty-first century.

Get over yourself, Ollie. He is probably thinking about a million things besides you.

“Will you do that for me?” The spark in her eyes was coming back.

“What do you mean?”

“Make a good impression,” she answered in a beat.

Now I had to impress that douchebag and his uptight family? This was just hilarious.

“Right, because I am the epitome of perfection, Sarah.”

How was she expecting me to help? I wasn’t going to impress anyone. I didn’t even have a real job to brag about, and this was the fucking Rothschild family. What could I possibly say to impress them?

Nothing.

She watched me with pleading eyes.

I poked her ribs and teased her, “Maybe. I’ll have to think about it.”

On the next episode of How to step it up for my sister’s sanity… I was going to do this for her. I was going to play along. Only because I cared about her happiness.

It was a matter of public record that Alexander wasn’t exactly the jewel of the family, so that would help us stay away from the spotlight.

I changed the topic. “Okay, time to get ready for dinner.” My eyes scanned the room for my things. “Sarah, I think my bags are still in the car.”

“No, silly, open the closet.” She pointed at a sliding door.

“Did someone already unpack my clothes?” I entered the big walk-in closet.

“Not exactly.” She was suppressing a grin. Weird.

There was no sign of my bag, only a rack full of dresses with their tags still on. A long sleeve haute couture gown popped at the end with a tight mermaid figure, low back cleavage, and long feathers in the tail.

Wasn’t that a bit much?

“Getting ready for the next red carpet, Sarah?” I replied, checking the golden texture of the dress. Looking at the embellishment on the fabric, this dress had to be worth six figures.

“No, silly, they are for you.” She spoke as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

I twist my neck to look at her. “Liar.”

“No way are you wearing your cheap clothes to the event Alexander’s mom is planning,” Sarah informed me.

“What?” I snorted. “Couldn’t you give me a heads up? You know how much I hate dressing up. And thank you for calling me cheap.”

“What would be the fun in that?” She was amused, and finally some joy sparkled in her eyes. “I am the one who has the eye for fashion, Olivia, not you.”

Ouch!

“Sarah, where is my bag?” I hissed.

“Don’t even bother. I already asked the staff to throw it away.” She waved her hand in the air. “No worries, they only threw out the clothes. If you can call them that.”

This was so typical of Sarah. It wasn’t the first time she had gotten rid of my things. Once, she had given everything to a local charity and declared she was doing humanity a favor.

“You bitch!” I eyed the window, considering a last-minute escape. “Again?”

“Don’t be so dramatic. You have a closet full of new clothes now. Think of me as your fairy godmother.” She winked. “I already picked your outfit for tonight’s dinner.”

“For tonight’s dinner? I was planning to dine in my pajamas.”

“You funny girl,” she laughed.

“Maybe a pair of jeans and a nice sweater?” I pushed, silently praying.

“Unacceptable, Ollie. Remember, we are going to meet the whole family tonight.”

I rolled my eyes.

Here we go again.

Over the next hour, we got dressed and ready.

Sarah looked gorgeous in a white sleeveless jumpsuit with gold accessories and cherry red lipstick, while I wore a dark silk halter dress with crossover straps.

I had to admit I still looked classy with the low-cut back.

Sarah always styled me so elegantly, but I was anything but that. I had never dressed like this for a simple dinner.

“Isn’t this too much skin for this weather?” I asked.

“Afraid of catching a cold? You look hot! Don’t you dare change.”

You audacious girl.

“Are you planning on selling me like a buffet, Sarah?”

“Ollie, no one can resist a beautiful woman.”

“Oh, sorry.” I gagged, talking about beauty as a high form of currency. Becoming a piece of meat to be judged on my looks was not my jam.

“Remind me what makes me beautiful? Is it only my looks?” I asked sarcastically. “All this time, I thought you were going to butter them up with my brains.”

“That too.”

I decided to pull my hair into a high ponytail, but the impostor syndrome kicked in while I was putting on some lip gloss.

Look at you, pretending to be someone you are not.

Now she wanted me to wear these uncomfortable sandals. “Isn’t it stupid to put on heels just to walk to a house one block from this one?” I whined.

“No, it’s not stupid,” she replied, pulling me out of the bedroom with the heels in my hands. Sarah was in a rush, which meant she was nervous.

I slid the heels on quickly and followed her downstairs.

Darius and Alexander were in the living room, holding drinks. They both looked casual and relaxed.

Darius wore tailored wool-blend trousers and a black T-shirt, and Alexander wore dark jeans with a cashmere polo sweater. A sweater! We looked ready for a party.

Damn it. Fucking Sarah and her dress-up ideas.

Alexander stood. “Wow, you ladies look ravishing.”

He walked toward Sarah to wrap her in his arms and give her an intense, passionate kiss that wasn’t appropriate for an audience.

I was left standing awkwardly with Darius as my only company, silently gazing at me.

He sat with crossed legs, his chin resting on one hand, and a single finger on the other hand tapping on an empty scotch glass.

The picture of an unbothered devil.

Was he not going to greet me?

“Darius,” I mumbled, deciding to break the ice.

Of course, he didn’t speak. His eyes wandered slowly over my body, paying close attention to my heels, until he met my eyes with a raised eyebrow. An insulting acknowledgment.

His finger never stopped tapping on the glass.

What was up with this dude and the up-and-down looks? Feeling so superior and shit.

“Finally, some clean shoes,” he said.

Asshole.

I would not grant him an offended look. No, it was better to give him the cold shoulder.

So I headed directly to the bar, feeling his eyes glued to my back and most definitely my ass, thanks to the low-cut black dress that hugged my hips and legs. I decided to sway my hips a bit.

Why not tease him with what he could never have?

I poured a drink and swallowed it all before pouring another. God, how I’d needed this. It was better to drink than blush in front of this fucking snob.

Finally, Sarah and Alexander stopped sucking each other’s faces and returned to being civilized people.

“A woman who drinks hard liquor,” Alexander chuckled.

“I’m on a whiskey diet,” I replied with a smile. “Want some more?”

“Sure.” Alexander held out his glass.

“You, sis?” I glanced at her. Her red lipstick was long gone and needed an immediate retouch.

“Not feeling in the mood tonight,” she muttered.

I didn’t ask if Darius wanted more. He could pour it himself.

Before anyone could say anything else, someone from the staff came to tell us that dinner was being served and we should be on our way to the main house.

Darius stood. “We better get going. We shouldn’t keep Mother waiting.”

Sarah fixed her makeup quickly, and we followed them outside and to the main house.

We were warmly greeted by the staff as we entered the manor. This house felt different, homier. I could see a wall full of frames—pictures of family trips, mostly Alexander and Darius when they were babies and their childhood in this house.

A grand piano was decorated with candles and flowers. The ambiance was cozy and inviting, like a normal home. This manor was extraordinary. Unique. Imposing yet inviting.

Darius guided us through the open-concept room that led to a huge double-sided fireplace and the dining room beyond.

A beautiful place to dine. Intimate and beautiful, impressively framed by tall windows that revealed the white sanded beach beyond.

Four heads turned directly to Sarah, throwing daggers with their cold stares. Fucking murderous. I could already see us in a true crime documentary.

These were the family members we were about to dine with.

The Rothschilds.