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I look at Alaric. He was friendly with me when we last met, but his loyalty lies with Klaus.

It’s clear that he’s fiercely protective of his friend. It’s admirable, really.

“I love that you’re looking out for Klaus, but I would never hurt someone I care about,” I say.

“So you’re being completely honest with him?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

He’s looking at me like he knows something about me.

“If you’re talking about infidelity, that’s not something I’m capable of,” I say.

“That’s his Achilles’ heel,” he says. “Since he’s in love with you, it will bring out his jealous and possessive side. If he ever thinks you’re being unfaithful to him...”

“I would never,” I say, cutting him off.

I know Alaric is only looking out for Klaus, but it feels like my head is on the chopping block. I don’t like the insinuation.

“Did you really tell him everything about you, Emma?” he asks.

The way he’s looking at me makes me believe he knows something about me. Something I try to hide from the rest of the world.

Elysium.

I wonder if he knows I work at a gentlemen’s club on the weekends. I haven’t told Klaus about it yet, but it’s something he needs to know if we’re going to be in a relationship. It will be a difficult conversation, and it’s not something I wish to discuss with Alaric.

A gust of wind whips my hair around.

Alaric studies my face. I work to keep my expression passive.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” I say. “Of course he doesn’t know every little detail of my life.”

“We had a nanny before you,” Alaric says. “She came under the guise of being a caretaker for the kids, but she had her own agenda. I’m just doing my due diligence here.”

I take a step forward, looking up at him.

“I know what you’re trying to say, Alaric,” I say. “Just because I’m not wealthy like you doesn’t mean I’m trying to take advantage of Klaus. I couldn't care less about his wealth. I like him for who he is, not for what he can give me.”

“I never meant to insinuate anything of that sort,” Alaric says. “But I learned some things about you that I don’t think Klaus knows yet.”

My cheeks burn. The air turns stifling, too thick to breathe. Even my clothes feel suffocating.

He knows about the gentlemen’s club. I half-expect him to pull out a photograph of me in the skimpy uniform all the girls wear at the club.

“What did you find?” I ask.

“I know about your family background, Emma,” he says. “I know about your father.”

My vision swims at the edges.

“I don’t have anything to do with that man,” I whisper.

“But you can imagine why it raises questions, right?” he asks.

“I haven’t spoken to that man in fifteen years,” I say. “He was barely ever a part of my life.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that everything about you is a fabrication,” he says. “Emmaline Juliet Knight, heiress to the Knight fortune. You have millions of dollars under your birth name, but you refuse to touch a single dollar your father left you. Why?”

“That’s really none of your business, Alaric,” I grit out.