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looked at me, his stare as hard as his jaw. Shaking his head, he let out an irritable sigh. “I’m not going anywhere until this assignment is over. I’m here to do my job—not for small talk.”
    Annoyance dripped from his tone, and I couldn’t understand why. What had I done, other than apologize, that warranted such a nasty reaction? At a loss for words, I picked my pink headphones up from my lap and placed them back in my ears. I shifted in my seat, directing my attention back to the window. Goose bumps prickled the back of my neck, only this time it wasn’t because of Roman’s knee rubbing against my thigh. I could feel his cold gaze lingering on me, and the muscles in my stomach twisted. Closing my eyes, I tried to erase the day from my mind.
    If only it was that easy.

AFTER WHAT FELT like the longest car ride in history, we eventually arrived at the entrance to our driveway. Theo reached out and punched a few numbers into the little metal box, causing the black wrought iron gate to slide open. The house set just about a mile beyond the gate. White and red oak trees lined both sides of the curvy cobblestone driveway, making it seem like you were driving through a tunnel. Our eight-car garage came into view as well as the large white stone fountain my mother had installed in front of the house when I was just an infant.
    Theo pulled into his usual parking spot and turned the car off. By the time I unbuckled my seat belt and stuffed my headphones back in my purse, Roman had already slid out of the car and held the door open for me. Sliding out, I tossed him a quick “thank you” and walked to the already opened trunk. As I reached in for my suitcases, Roman attempted to grab them from my hands.
    “I got it,” I insisted, gripping the handles tighter. I swore a battle of tug-of-war on my suitcase was about to start, but instead, Roman dropped the handles. He stood looking at me with his beautiful facial features hidden behind the scowl that was on full display. Without saying anything, he turned and slammed the trunk lid shut before walking out of the garage.
    I stood there, my hands still grasping the handles of my bags and my face aflame. Everything inside me wanted to scream. I barely knew this guy, and yet he was treating me like I was his mortal enemy.
    “Everything okay, Miss Julia?”
    I was too livid to realize Theo still stood there. My cheeks burned with embarrassment at the thought of him witnessing my outburst. Swallowing hard, I gave a quick nod and walked past him into the house.
    Everything at home was just the way I remembered it. The only difference was the increase in security. New cameras hung in every corner, and there were a few new faces I didn’t recognize. The house was quiet and my father was nowhere in sight. He was most likely still working, which I should have expected. I was sure he would introduce me to everyone once he got home. In the meantime, I headed to my room.
    A sense of relief washed over me when I dropped my suitcase to the floor. Finally, I was alone. I could at least have privacy in my room. Most girls my age envied this space. My room was bigger than most apartments, and it had become more sophisticated over the years. At one point, the walls were bright pink, but now they were light gray with dark gray accent walls. A large, white, tufted headboard decorated my king-sized bed, which was adorned with a light seafoam blue comforter and several throw pillows. Matching curtains draped across the French doors, which led to an enormous balcony. Standing on the balcony provided a spectacular view of the courtyard and pool terrace. The en suite bathroom sat off to the left and featured a separate stand-up shower and extra-large Jacuzzi tub. My closet was filled with endless racks of designer clothing. More than half of them still had their tags attached, indicating they had never been worn.
    Like my mother, I never cared for material things. Mom had grown up as a single