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C L A I R E

When Vaughn walks into our hall some hours later, my Dad's phone drops from his hand at the sudden sight and he jumps up from his seat on the sofa.

Vaughn's appearance is anything but expected or accepted for that matter.

He is wearing a black suit today with a black shirt underneath, masking himself as Lucifer's prodigy. His shoes are fashionable and they shine as he walks with long strides. He doesn't look at Dad because his eyes are on our ceiling, taking in the expensive decorations which we can no longer afford to change. I have never been to Vaughn's house but by the way he keeps getting richer every day, I am sure it will be a stunning place to live in.

When his eyes move, they spot me on the first floor looking down upon him. His warm, brown eyes scan my body like they always do, making me aware of why I avoid being alone with him in the first place.

I don't want to repeat the mistake we made once.

He looks ridiculously gorgeous. His black hair has a messy cut and his cheeks are adorned with light stubble. His jaw looks like it could be used as a sharp weapon — meant to kill. His lips are pillowy, calling to be kissed and I remember being kissed by them on the night of my eighteenth birthday — under the stairs, in this very house.

"What are you doing here?" Dad interrupts, the hint of anger clear in his voice.

"I was invited," Vaughn replies without breaking his eye contact with me. I stare at him with the same confidence.

"Who invited you?"

This time Vaughn does look at Dad. "Ask your daughter."

He walks towards the sofa and takes a seat, putting his legs over the coffee table in front and crossing them at the ankles. My Dad is a cleanliness freak and it is pretty clear that Vaughn knows that too. He likes annoying Dad.

Vaughn puts his arms behind his head, his biceps under the black fabric flexing like he is auditioning for modeling for GQ as he watches Dad amusedly. Dad looks up at me, startled by the news. I roll my eyes and start to climb down the stairs.

"Did you invite him?" Dad questions when I reach the last step.

"Yes," I answer, not looking at Dad but at Vaughn, who is staring at the chandelier with a disinterested look on his face.

"About what?" Dad asks but I ignore his question.

Vaughn looks between me and Dad, sensing the trigger in the air.

"Claire, about what?" Dad repeats and I turn to him.

"Stop pretending to care when you don't. It's my business and it has nothing to do with you."

Dad's nostrils flare and I know that if Vaughn wasn't in sight, he would have shouted at me. Dad likes to maintain his image in front of others, especially his enemies, and Vaughn is the emperor of his enemies. A little part of me is sorry for making Dad feel that way. His reason for hating Vaughn is genuine — that guy is the reason why he lost his beloved son. But that doesn't justify his mistreatment of me. I deserve his love too even though I understand why he feels such resentment towards me.

"Fine, do whatever you want to but be ready before the Senator arrives," Dad huffs.

His phone rings just in time and I see that it is Senator Campbell himself in the caller id. Dad eyes me as he receives it and starts talking. He throws Vaughn a dirty look before walking away. I stare at his parting figure as he walks out of the door and into our garden feeling sorry for both him and me for what we had done to our relationship in the last four years. Mom is the one who is holding us together and it is only because Dad loves Mom.

"That's your revenge face, blondie." Vaughn's voice makes me withdraw my eyes from Dad and I find him close to me.

I am left unguarded suddenly, the proximity making my body instantly alert to his closeness. His eyes are on me; the dark chocolaty irises fixed on my blueish ones.

I take a step back only to place my foot on the edge of the step behind me. I slip and he catches me in his arms, preventing my fall with his hands around my waist. I grip his arm tightly, digging my nails into his bulging biceps, as I balance myself. My heart races at my close save from a potentially bad fall and I close my eyes, sighing in relief.

"Thank you, God," I murmur.

"Not God, nemesis. I think you know my name pretty well," Vaughn whispers in my ear, his lips grazing my neck softly, making my body tingle in response. "What's my name?"

I pull back a little to look at him. He has a small smile on his face, a cunning smile meant to mock me. As I glare at him, he returns my glare by stealing a glance at my lips. He trails his tongue above his lower lip as his hand presses against my waist, bringing our bodies closer together until his hips are pressed to mine. He is way taller than me and I feel like a child every time he holds me that way. It is like he wants to prove that he can always dominate me when it comes to physical confrontations.

Accidentally, of course.

I smirk, letting my hand move to the nape of his neck, my fingers cold against his hot skin. He closes his eyes when my fingers brush over his skin, sighing deeply. I pull his face closer until my lips are touching the lobe of his ear.

"It's Romeo, isn't it?" I breathe in his ear and he lets go of me instantly.

His reaction makes me laugh as I pull back to see his face which is fixed in a furious glare.

Vaughn hates being called Romeo ever since he played Romeo in the sixth grade. He had a stomach ache the entire day and left halfway during the balcony scene to go to the washroom which made the audience burst into laughter. Chris had to take his place and he narrated the entire incident to me later.

Ever since the incident, Vaughn learned his lesson and started to take extra care of his health. He did that quite impressively. By the time he was in high school, he was the hottest guy on campus — an eye candy for both girls and boys alike.

I used to have fun taking advantage of his popularity by selling his number for a dollar to the girls in my class because he was Chris's best friend. My business collapsed badly when Chris found out and punished me by making me return all the money with an interest. I had to carry his and Vaughn's bags to school for an entire month as an added penalty.

But to this day, Romeo & Juliet acts as a trigger to Vaughn. He clenches his jaw and I notice his tense muscles. I might have made a mistake by upsetting him at the wrong moment and my laughter fades.

"Fine, it's Vaughn." I roll my eyes as I try to correct the situation.

If I need his help, I will have to suck up to him because what I plan to ask of him is big and if I fuel his hatred, he will never agree.

The tension in his body eases and the smirk comes back. He puts his hands in his pockets as he watches me curiously.

"What do you need from me?" he asks. "Don't tell me you wish to continue where we left four years ago."

His anger is transferred to me with those words. Ever since the slip-up at the party, his words started to be full of sexual innuendos. I never stop him because stopping him will make him know that it annoys me and anything that annoys me delights him.

Instead of giving him the satisfaction of winning this game, I smile. "In your dreams, Jackson."

"Trust me, nemesis. In my dreams, we do everything without our clothes on...usually in my bed."

I show him the finger which makes him chuckle. He knows I will regret that night forever even though we stopped at the right time. I can only imagine what would have happened if his lips had gone any further down than my neck. He was drunk, I was drunk and Chris was the one who caught us and had a heated argument with Vaughn the next morning for playing with his sister's honor.

I miss my brother a lot and I am about to shamelessly hurt his memories.

"Follow me," I sigh as I turn around, erasing my brother's thoughts from my mind, and start climbing up the stairs.

"Yes, maám."

Asshole