"Mom, these are the Valentine sisters. I work for their family. Tutoring, driving, that kind of thing." I gestured vaguely. "Valentine sisters, this is my mother, Diana. And you’ve met Iris."

The sisters murmured polite greetings. Diana’s smile never wavered, but I could see the calculation happening behind her eyes. Four identical, beautiful rich girls, all appearing at once, looking for her son? The wheels were turning.

"I’m Vivienne." The corporate one stepped forward, extending her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Angelo."

"Oh, just Diana, please." My mother took her hand, matching Vivienne’s firm grip. "Are you the one Isaiah tutors?"

"That would be me." Cassidy stepped up, eyes narrowed slightly. "He’s an excellent teacher."

"And I’m Harlow!" The sunshine sister bounced forward. "Isaiah drives me to all my appointments and helps with my projects. He’s amazing."

Diana’s smile widened. "Is that so?"

"I’m Sabrina." The quiet one gave a slight nod. "Isaiah provides... intellectual stimulation."

I needed to get them out of here before this got any worse.

"We should go," I said firmly. "Iris, I’ll text you when I’m on my way home."

"Oh, don’t worry about rushing back," Diana said, waving a hand. "I’ll be here. Take all the time you need."

That was exactly what I was afraid of.

"I’ll be back tonight," I insisted, looking directly at Iris. "Before midnight."

"We have guest rooms," Vivienne said smoothly. "If the discussion runs long."

"Isaiah can stay over," Iris piped up. "Mom and I are having a girls’ night anyway."

Mom. The word landed like a punch to my gut.

"I’ll be back," I repeated, grabbing my keys from the hook by the door.

Diana flashed that perfect smile again. "Have fun with your... employers."

The way she said it made it sound like something else entirely.

The Valentine sisters filed out into the hallway, and I followed, pulling the door closed behind me maybe a little harder than necessary.

"So," Cassidy said as soon as we reached the street. "Your mom’s back."

"Yep."

"You didn’t mention that."

"It just happened today." I shoved my hands in my pockets. "That’s why I missed the... whatever was happening tonight. She showed up unexpectedly."

"You could have called," Vivienne pointed out.

"I was dealing with a situation." I glanced back up at our apartment window. "Still am."

"Is that why you look like you want to punch something?" Harlow asked, her voice gentler than the others.

I didn’t answer. What could I say? That my mother abandoned us? That she stole our emergency fund money? That she was back now with some rich new boyfriend in California, trying to convince us to move across the country with her?

That Iris was looking at her like she was some kind of returned savior, while I knew it was just a matter of time before Diana disappeared again?

"Your mom seems nice," Harlow tried again.

"She’s not." The words came out harsher than I intended.

Silence fell.

"Is that why you didn’t call?" Sabrina asked quietly. "You were busy ensuring Iris wasn’t alone with her?"

I glanced at her, surprised by her perception.

"Something like that."

"We were worried," Vivienne said, her voice controlled but tight. "When you didn’t show up or answer your phone. We thought... well, Cassidy was convinced you were dead in a ditch somewhere."

"I checked your location," Sabrina admitted. "On the car tracker. When we saw you were home, we decided to come check on you."

"You tracked my car?" I stopped walking.

"The company car," Vivienne corrected. "All Valentine vehicles have trackers."

Great. Just great.

"You drove all the way from Long Island because I was late to dinner?"

"We drove all the way from Long Island because we were worried about you, asshole," Cassidy snapped. "We didn’t know your mom had pulled a Lazarus act."

"What’s a Lazarus act?" Harlow whispered.

"Back from the dead," Sabrina supplied.

"My mother isn’t dead," I said flatly. "She’s just unreliable."

Harlow’s face softened with understanding. "Oh."

"We should go," Vivienne said, gesturing to a black Range Rover parked across the street. Of course they’d brought the most expensive, attention-grabbing vehicle possible to my neighborhood. "We can talk in the car."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"On a drive," Vivienne answered. "We have things to discuss."

"Can it wait until tomorrow? I really shouldn’t leave Iris alone with—"

"Iris isn’t alone," Cassidy pointed out. "She’s with your mother."

"That’s what I’m worried about."

Understanding dawned on all four faces at once. It was eerie how they could do that—come to the same realization simultaneously despite being such different people.

"She’s not trustworthy," Sabrina said. It wasn’t a question.

"No," I confirmed. "She’s not."

"But Iris seemed happy to see her," Harlow said, her brow furrowed.

"Iris doesn’t remember the pattern. I do."

The sisters exchanged glances, having one of those silent conversations they sometimes did, communicating without words.

"We’ll make it quick," Vivienne decided. "Two hours max. Then we’ll bring you straight back."

I hesitated, calculating the risks. Two hours. Iris would be fine for two hours, right? Diana wouldn’t try to convince her to pack up and move to California in just two hours.

Probably.

"Fine," I agreed. "But I’m serious about being back by midnight."

"We’ll have you back by eleven," Vivienne promised.

I followed them to the Range Rover, hyperaware of the neighbors watching from their windows. Four identical supermodel-beautiful rich girls and a luxury SUV on our street? People would be talking for weeks.

"Nice ride," I commented as we approached the vehicle. "Very subtle."

"Shut up and get in," Cassidy said, but there was no real heat in her voice.

I climbed into the passenger seat next to Vivienne, while the other three squeezed into the back. As Vivienne started the engine, I glanced back up at our apartment window one last time.

I could just make out two figures—Iris and Diana—silhouetted against the light. They looked like a normal mother and daughter. Like family.

The knot in my stomach tightened.

"Your mom," Harlow said suddenly from the backseat. "She looks so young."

"She had me at eighteen," I said, turning away from the window. "She’s only thirty-six."

"That explains why people keep mistaking you two for a couple," Cassidy muttered.

I winced. "That happens sometimes."

"She’s beautiful," Sabrina observed.

"And she knows it," I replied, unable to keep the edge from my voice.

Vivienne pulled away from the curb, steering us toward the interstate.

"So," she said, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "You’re probably wondering why we showed up at your apartment unannounced."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"We have a proposition for you," Sabrina said.

"A proposition," I repeated.

"It’s complicated," Harlow added.

"And potentially problematic," Vivienne continued. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"But definitely worth hearing out," Cassidy finished.

I looked between them, at these four impossible girls who had driven two hours on a Friday night because they were worried about me, who were now taking me back to their mansion for some mysterious "proposition" while my long-lost mother played house with my sister.

My life had become completely unrecognizable in the span of three weeks.

"Alright," I said, sinking back into the leather seat. "I’m listening."