Aurelia suspected Beverley hadn't finished her thought that Fredric, Leopold and herself were the former.
But Leopold would beg to differ. He was firmly in the latter camp, and there was no arguing that.
Elvis couldn't help but let a sardonic smile creep across his face. "Melissa, if you had even a tenth of Aurelia's grace, I'd count my blessings."
Aurelia chuckled lightly. "Melissa is far prettier than I am. She's the acknowledged as a hottie."
Elvis didn't share that opinion. Melissa was too overtly glamorous for his taste. He preferred someone like Aurelia, who was refreshing, unpretentious, and stunning in her simplicity.
"Her beauty must have come at the cost of her IQ."
Leopold bristled at that. Melissa might not be perfect, but she was his sister, and he wouldn’t let an outsider like Elvis take cheap shots at her.
Aurelia caught his drift and whispered, "Melissa isn't dumb. She's a bit lovesick. Once one gets bitten by the love bug, the dopamine rush can mess with his cognitive functions, leading to a bit of an IQ overdraft."
Elvis glanced her way, his eyes full of subtle meaning. "Do you ever get lovesick?" he teased, his tone light and playful.
Aurelia offered a wry smile. "Everyone has their moments, and I'm no exception. It's not like we can control the dopamine." She shifted gears smoothly. "But right now, my heart is still. I'm not interested in romance anymore."
Beverley jumped in. "Because Leopold broke your heart. You need time to heal before you can open up to love again, right?"
Aurelia didn't respond, which seemed to be an admission in itself.
Leopold's eyes flickered in the lamplight, looking in deep contemplation.
Was her refusal to reconcile because he had wounded her, and the scars hadn't yet faded?
She didn't care about him, so why would she be hurt?
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