Four Of A Kind

Chapter 116: [3.18] Emotional Damages

I stared at Iris standing there in her ridiculous “spy” outfit—sunglasses, hoodie, and baseball cap—looking like she’d walked straight out of a bargain bin detective movie. My brain struggled to reconcile the image of my responsible little sister with this teenage delinquent who’d apparently skipped school, forged documentation, and traveled across state lines just to… what? Investigate my employers?

“Let’s take a walk,” I said, my voice maintaining that dangerous calm that Iris knew meant she was in serious trouble.

“Can I come?” Harlow bounced on her toes, looking between us with sparkling eyes. “We could get more bubble tea and—”

“No,” I cut in, perhaps too sharply because Harlow’s smile faltered. I softened my tone. “Family matter.”

Harlow nodded with sudden understanding. “Oh! Of course! Family is super important. We can talk later!”

Cassidy smirked. “Have fun with that, Scholarship Boy.” She turned to Iris and added, “Nice meeting you, kid. Good luck.”

I handed Harlow the folder I’d been carrying. “Notes for the festival booth. We’ll discuss it at your home.”

Harlow accepted both with a nod, her eyes darting curiously between me and my sister. I could practically see the questions bubbling up inside her, but for once, she kept them to herself.

I took Iris by the elbow and steered her away from the Valentine sisters, walking in silence until we reached Central Park. Finding an empty bench near the entrance, I sat her down and took a deep breath.

“Start talking.”

Iris removed her sunglasses, looking remarkably unrepentant. “I wanted to meet them.”

“So you skipped school and traveled to another state? Without telling me?”

“Would you have said yes if I asked?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “That’s not the point.”

“It kind of is.”

“How did you even get here?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

Iris straightened up, suddenly animated. “I forged a doctor’s note to get out of gym class. Coach Martinez barely looked at it. Then I slipped out through the broken camera door by the cafeteria, walked to the station, and caught the 1:15 train. I transferred at 30th Street and took Amtrak to Penn Station, then the subway uptown.”

She said all this like she was describing a particularly clever science project, rather than a series of increasingly concerning decisions.

“You spent your emergency money on this?”

“It’s an emergency to make sure my brother isn’t working for psychopaths.”

“They’re not psychopaths.”

“I know that now. Harlow is nice. Even the angry one—Cassidy—seems okay.”

I stared at her. “You realize how dangerous this was, right? Traveling alone, going to an unfamiliar city—”

“I met a nice old lady on the train named Elaine. She gave me half her sandwich and helped me navigate Penn Station.”

My eye twitched. “That makes it worse! You’re accepting food from strangers now?”

“She reminded me of Mrs. Delgado.”

“Iris…” I trailed off, at a loss for words. The thought of her making this journey alone sent my heart into my throat. Every newspaper headline I’d ever read about missing teenagers flashed through my mind. “Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?”

“But nothing did happen,” she countered. “I was careful.”

“This isn’t like you,” I said finally. “You’re usually the responsible one.”

Iris looked down at her hands. “I needed to see them for myself.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve changed since you started working for them.” Her voice was smaller now. “You wear nice cologne. You’re always distracted. You stare at your phone with this weird look on your face.”

I felt my ears warming. “I’m just trying to be professional.”

“No, it’s more than that.” She looked up at me, and I saw genuine worry in her eyes. “I’m scared, Zay.”

That pulled me up short. “Of what?”

“That they’re going to take you away.”

“What? That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” She challenged. “They’re billionaires with a mansion. They can give you things I can’t. A fancy car. Nice clothes. A real bedroom instead of a couch.”

The hurt in her voice made my chest ache.

“Iris, no one is taking me anywhere. It’s just a job.”

“You like them,” she said accusingly. “More than just as employers.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. She wasn’t wrong.

“One of them kissed you,” she continued. “And now you’re all weird and mysterious about it. You won’t even tell me which one it was.”

“Because I don’t know,” I admitted.

“Or because you don’t want to admit which one you want it to be.”

I blinked at her. When had my little sister become so perceptive?

“Look, nothing is happening between me and any of the Valentine sisters. It would be completely unprofessional.”

“But what if they like you? Would you quit?”

“No. We need the money.”

Iris’s face fell. “That’s what I thought. Work comes first. Always.”

Something about her tone made me pause.

Was that what she thought of me? That I was some kind of work robot who couldn’t care about anything else?

“It’s not that simple,” I said. “They’re my employers. There are boundaries.”

“Who kissed you, Zay? Just tell me.”

“I already told you, I don’t—”

“You told me Vivienne last night,” she interrupted. “But you were lying. I could tell. So which one do you hope it was?”

That caught me off guard. I’d been so focused on figuring out who kissed me, I hadn’t really considered which sister I wanted it to be. Or maybe I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself.

“It’s Cassidy, isn’t it?” Iris pressed. “The angry one.”

“What? No.”

“Your ears are red.”

“Because this conversation is inappropriate.”

“Oh my god, it is her!” Iris’s eyes widened. “You like the angry one!”

“Keep your voice down,” I hissed, glancing around the park. “And I don’t ’like’ anyone. They’re my employers.”

“You keep saying that like it makes your feelings magically disappear.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “What do you want from me, Iris? What’s the point of all this?”

Her expression softened. “I want you to be happy, Zay. You deserve that.”

“I am happy.”

“No, you’re not. You’re surviving. There’s a difference.”

I had no response to that. She wasn’t wrong.

“Whichever one of them it is,” Iris continued, “I want to make sure she’s good enough for you. That’s why I came today.”

“And what’s your assessment so far?”

She considered this seriously. “Harlow seems nice. Like, genuinely nice. Not fake nice. She lights up when she talks about you.”

I nodded, unsurprised. Harlow lit up talking about everything.

“And Cassidy…” Iris paused. “She’s tough to read, but I think she cares about you. She got defensive when I asked if you were being treated well.”

“That’s just Cassidy being Cassidy.”

“Mmm-hmm. And what about the other two? Vivienne and Sabrina?”

“What about them?”

“Do they like you too?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “Vivienne is… professional.”

Iris rolled her eyes. “That tells me nothing.”

“There’s nothing to tell. And Sabrina is… Sabrina.”

“Wow, so helpful.” She kicked her feet against the bench. “You really won’t tell me which one you like best?”

“Can we please change the subject? Like to how you’re grounded for the next century?”

Iris grinned, unrepentant. “Worth it. I got to meet the Valentine sisters and confirm my suspicions that you’re hopelessly in love with at least one of them.”

“I am not—” I stopped myself, seeing the trap. “You’re impossible.”

“I’m your sister. It’s literally my job to drive you crazy.”

I checked my watch, deciding to take control of this conversation before it spiraled further. “It’s getting late. We need to get you home.”

“Are you going to tell Mrs. Delgado I skipped school?”

“No.” I stood up. “But you’re writing a three-page essay on transportation safety and the dangers of traveling alone as a minor.”

“That’s so lame.”

“Would you prefer I call the school?”

She grimaced. “Essay it is.”

As we walked toward the Lexus at school, I couldn’t shake the thought that Iris was right. I had changed since I started working for the Valentines. I’d been so focused on maintaining professional boundaries that I’d refused to acknowledge what was happening.

“Hey, Iris?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for coming to check on me. Even if it was completely irresponsible and dangerous and you’re absolutely never doing it again.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“And for what it’s worth, I’m not going anywhere. No matter what happens with this job or… anything else. You’re stuck with me.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” I nudged her shoulder with mine. “Now let’s go home before Mrs. Delgado sends out a search party.”

“Wait, does this mean I still have to write the essay?”

“Absolutely.”

“But I solved the mystery of your Valentine crush!”

“You didn’t solve anything.”

“I totally did. It’s Cassidy. Your ears went red when I said her name.”

“They did not.”

“Did too. And now you’re getting defensive, which is further proof.”

I rolled my eyes. “Think whatever you want.”

But as we kept walking, I couldn’t help wondering if she was right.

Did I have a preference? When I thought about the kiss on the steps, whose face did I hope to see?

The image that came to mind made my stomach drop. Because if it was who I thought it was, I was in far more trouble than I wanted to admit.

“Hey, can we stop for a hot dog?” Iris asked, pointing to a vendor. “I spent all my money on train tickets.”

“You realize that’s like rewarding your bad behavior, right?”

“Consider it emotional damages. I’ve had a traumatic day discovering my brother’s secret harem.”

“It’s not a—” I stopped myself again. “Fine. One hot dog.”

She grinned triumphantly. “I knew you weren’t really mad.”

“Oh, I’m furious,” I corrected her. “But you’re still my troublesome little sister.”

“And you’re still my hopelessly romance-challenged big brother.”

I couldn’t even argue with that.