The Heir (18+ Only) - Noblesse Oblige #2

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Amrei was on a mission. She was determined to regain Levi's attentions and let him know how she felt about them; about him. It seemed, however that everyone else had other plans.

When she'd first seen Levi in the morning he had been leaving the dining room just as she was entering it for breakfast. He had murmured a polite 'good morning' in response to her bright greeting. She had been about to say something else when Ysabel appeared and dragged him off on some errand.

Later that morning, she'd seen him return by himself and waited in the hallway outside his room for him patiently. When he approached and saw her, he paused briefly, a strange emotion flickering in his blue eyes before he donned a cool, polite mask. He resumed walking until he was just before her.

"Amrei", he began, still politely. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?"

Amrei steeled herself before raising her gaze to his. She held out a hand, in which was the tie he'd tossed away in her rooms the night they'd fought.

"Your tie, Levi."

He took it from her and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"Thank you."

She fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence that followed, studying their feet as she tried to figure out how to start.

"Anything else, Lady Amrei?"

Her head snapped up at the unfamiliar sound of her formal title from his lips. She didn't like it.

It felt like he was building walls between them.

"Don't", she pleaded.

"Don't?" He arched a brow. Amrei cleared her throat and decided to start over.

"Are you ignoring me, Levi?"

"Yes", he replied honestly.

"Why?" she asked carefully.

"You know why." He shrugged. Amrei briefly wondered how he managed to make even that action look elegant before she thought of her next question.

"Are you angry with me, then?"

"Are you?" he asked instead. She was taken aback. She furrowed her brow, trying to understand what he was really asking. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, the general silence of the hallway was broken by the sudden sound of a telephone ringing.

Both Levi and Amrei searched for the source of the sound before Levi abruptly realised it was coming from the device in his other back pocket.

"Excuse me", he said to her. "My mother's calling. We will talk more later, I suppose." She nodded with a mental sigh. He ducked into his room and shut the door with a click behind him.

"Are you kidding me?" Amrei asked with a scowl. "I am not wearing that."

"But you must! This party is another chance for me to show off my designs to the socialites in attendance. All of us girls will be wearing Ysabel originals." Ysabel pushed the two-piece outfit towards Amrei again.

"But isn't it too revealing?" Amrei pointed out. She looked over at Amaris, who was sprawled on her bed, for help. The three women were in Amrei's bedroom. Ysabel had found them there fifteen minutes ago and informed them that the show they had attended earlier that afternoon was the last she needed to attend, but that she wanted to go to party at a popular high end nightclub to celebrate with 'just the girls'.