Family Business

Checking

Claire's pov

Perturbed by my hesitation, my uncle swatted me again.

"Rispondimi adesso, ragazzina (Answer me now, little girl)!"

"Si signore," I replied, biting my tongue as I swallowed my pride. He's not worth me getting this upset over. I hate that he can make me so angry and defensive with so little effort. It's incredibly annoying. No, it's beyond annoying, it's infuriating really. "There I said it, now let go of me, jer... please." I stopped myself at the last second from calling him a jerk.

Releasing me, he replied, "That's better," with a smug grin on his stupid face.

"Why are you even up here? I thought you were too busy to go riding with me, so why are you in my room bothering me for no reason?" I snuck in a quick rub on my smarting bum when he wasn't looking.

"I just came to check on you. As your guardian, I'm responsible for your health and well-being," he replied, in his pompous ass British tone he's already perfected at such a young age.

"Okay, you've fulfilled your civic duty now so you can go. Bye," I said, trying to encourage him to be on his way. Since he still had my phone, I got my laptop out and flipped it open to fart around on YouTube as I sat back down on my bed.

"Shouldn't you be studying your Italian?"

"Shouldn't you be entertaining some airhead dimwit in your bedroom? It is past noon, afterall." My uncle didn't say anything, he just gave me a look somewhere along the lines of amusement mixed with anger and disbelief. "So maybe we both should just mind our own business." When he still didn't respond, I taunted him a little more. "Yeah, real quiet now. That's what I thought."

EJ's pov

She certainly is her mother's daughter, I thought to myself as I shook my head and chuckled. If this is the mouth she has on her at age eleven, I can't imagine what a delight she'll be at sixteen.

"You're a piece of work, Claire. You know that?"

She sneered at me with that annoyed look I swear is permanently etched on her face. Looking past the contempt directed at me oozing from every pore, I had to remind myself that underneath it all; the rude smart-ass comments, snotty facial expressions and exasperated eye rolls, is a confused lonely and lost child who just misses her parents.

"Here's your phone back, twerp," I said, gently tossing it next to her on the bed.

She looked at me kinda shocked as she hesitantly replied, "Thanks," expecting some sort of catch or added caveat.

"I have to get back to work. I expect you to spend some time studying your Italian."

Ignoring me, she picked up her phone, immediately calling one of her friends.

I paused in the hallway right outside her door, hearing her say, "No, it's ok, I can talk now. The vice-president of killing all things fun is gone."

"I heard that," I said lightly, as I returned to her doorway, re-entering her field of vision. I was amused more than anything else.

"Ok, so we don't have to fit you for hearing aids yet. I'll cross that off my to-do-list," she sassed.

"Why vice-president?" I asked, smiling.

"Because Grandfather's president. Deal with it!"

"Good Lord," I muttered, quietly laughing as I walked away.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing my father's bidding and meeting with some clients. By the time I returned to the mansion, it was nearing dinner so I quickly showered and changed. Stopping outside Claire's bedroom, I could hear her talking to someone, despite the door being closed. Why are kids so damn loud all the time?