Catherine's POV
Monday morning and Julian still hadn't come home since the breakfast fight, and the longer his absence stretched, the more I regretted telling him that.
I tried not to think about him, but his face wouldn't leave my head. Also, Mom and Richard are leaving for Italy for a full month today. One whole month with just me, Gabriel, and Julian.
The staff here didn't live in the same house as us. They had their quarters and would only come into the mansion to work and leave afterward.
As for Gabriel, he hadn't said a single word to me since that morning either. He just went quiet on me. He'd never done that to me, so somehow, the silent treatment hurt me.
Mom's voice called from downstairs.
"Catherine! Come down, please!"
I pushed to my feet and sighed. "Coming!"
When I reached the living room, Mom stood close to an older woman with short silver hair.
"Catherine, I want you to meet Mara."
The woman nodded politely. "Hello, dear."
"Hi," I said, trying to sound cheerful. "You'll be staying with us?"
"Yes," Mom said. "Just while we're gone. She'll be supervising the staff, handling things in the house. Don't worry, she's worked for Richard before, so she's practically family."
Mara chuckled softly. "Yes. I've known Gabriel and Julian since they were kids. Gabriel used to be such a crybaby."
I had no idea Gabriel was present with us until he groaned from behind me. "Enough, before you start with the embarrassing stories."
Mom laughed.
I couldn't help it, I laughed too.
"Now," Mom said, clapping her hands, "I have one last thing before we leave."
She turned toward Gabriel, her eyes twinkling with that "I have a surprise" look.
"Before you say anything, I didn't break anything," he said quickly.
Mom just smirked and reached into her bag. "Relax, you're not in trouble." Then she pulled out a shiny car key and dangled it in front of him. "This was supposed to be your birthday present next month, but your father and I decided to give it early."
Gabriel blinked. "Wait. What?"
Mom grinned and nodded toward the driveway. "Go on, look."
He turned, saw through the window, and his jaw literally dropped. Parked outside was a sleek, black Benz.
"You're kidding," he breathed. "That's mine?"
Mom nodded proudly. "All yours. Consider it an early gift for being a good son."
Gabriel laughed, disbelief written all over his face. "Oh my world, this is—this is insane!"
I smiled, genuinely happy for him. "Congrats, Gabriel."
He smirked at me, still riding the high of excitement. "Thank you."
For a brief moment, it felt like the air had cleared. Like we were just siblings again, then I saw the way his smile faded when his eyes flicked back to me.
Mom didn't seem to notice. She checked her watch, sighed, and started grabbing her bags.
"We should get going. The driver's already waiting to take us to the airport."
Gabriel hugged her tight, his face still glowing from the car surprise. "Thank you, Mom. Seriously. Tell Dad I am grateful. He's officially forgiven for missing my last birthday."
Mom rolled her eyes. "I'll pass the message. Drive safe, okay? And don't let your friends convince you to race."
He laughed. "Promise."
When she turned to me, her expression softened. She reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear like she always did when she wanted to reassure me.
"You stay safe, Catherine," she said gently. "Call us if you need anything, okay?"
I nodded. "You sure you'll be okay flying this far?"
Mom smiled. "Italy isn't Mars, sweetheart."
I managed a small laugh.
She kissed my forehead. "Take care of each other."
And with that, they were gone. The front door closed, and suddenly the house felt as if life had been drained out of it.
The drive to school was painfully quiet. Gabriel's hand rested easily on the wheel of his new car, his expression calm, but I could tell his mind was somewhere else.
I tried to break the silence. "You're really not going to talk to me?"
He didn't look away from the road. "I'm driving."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"Then why are you asking stupid questions?"
I exhaled sharply, biting back a retort. "I was just trying to talk."
He glanced at me briefly, then back at the road. "Maybe don't. Not right now."
That stung, more than I'd admit. So I turned my face to the window, watching the world blur by, pretending not to care but my throat felt tight.
We reached the school parking lot a few minutes later. Gabriel parked the car like he'd been driving it for years.
As soon as he aligned the car, a few boys rushed to him, his friends probably.
"Bro, holy crap!" one of them shouted. "Is that yours?"
Gabriel grinned, finally alive again. "Yeah. Birthday came early."
"No way!" another guy said, circling the car like it was sacred. "Man, your dad's got taste!"
Gabriel shrugged, trying to play it cool. "That's not news."
I got out quietly, but of course, one of the guys noticed.
"Yo, G," he said with a grin. "You didn't tell us your sister's this hot."
I froze and turned to Gabriel, whose grin vanished instantly.
"Don't even start," he said flatly, glaring at them. "She's off-limits."
The guys exchanged awkward laughs. "Alright, chill. Just saying, man, she's cute."
"Yeah, and I said she's off-limits," Gabriel repeated, with a sharper voice this time.
That shut them up real quick. They started laughing it off, walking toward the school gates while Gabriel trailed behind.
I stood there for a second, watching him go.
I muttered under my breath, "Two brothers mad at me. Perfect."
As I started toward the school building, a familiar voice called from ahead.
"Catherine!"
I looked up and smiled weakly when I saw Tessa. I immediately ran to her.
"Hey," I said, relieved to see a friendly face.
She pulled me into a quick hug, her tone holding excitement and concern. "Girl, I've been trying to call you! I heard what happened at the party."
"I hardly have a network."
Tessa snorted. "Scratch that. What happened? I told you to avoid those girls, they are trouble."
I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I did but she still came for me."
Before she could say anything, someone slammed hard into my shoulder from behind, causing my books to fly out of my hand, I stumbled forward, nearly losing my balance before hitting the floor.
"Hey!" Tessa gasped, rushing for me.
The girl who bumped me barely glanced back. "Watch where you're going," she snapped, striding off without an apology.
I froze for a second, stunned. She was the one who bumped into me, so why the fuck did she blame me?
I caught sight of Sasha a few feet away, walking with two of her new friends, laughing like she'd just watched the best show of her life.
It was quite understandable now.
Tessa helped me up, glaring at Sasha's retreating group. "That's Kristine," she muttered. "She's one of Sasha's followers. I bet Sasha told her to do that."
I dusted off my jeans.
Tessa frowned. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, bending to gather my books. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Tessa sighed, looping her arm around mine. "They will get bored soon."
I hoped so.