Arya's POV

I was still kneeling on the floor, hugging Christabel and breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo, when I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Matteo's voice cut short our reunion.

—Mrs. De Santis.

I looked up, reluctantly loosening my embrace around Christabel, and froze.

Three guards I'd never seen before stood behind Matteo. Their faces were stern, and my eyes immediately went to the weapons strapped to their belts.

They weren't even trying to hide them.

An icy feeling settled in my stomach and I slowly stood up, instinctively placing myself between those armed men and Christabel.

"What's going on?" I asked Matteo.

His expression was unreadable, as always, but there was something different about the way he looked at me.

"Mr. De Santis has arranged accommodations at a nearby hotel," he said. "I will escort you and your family there. You will wait until tonight, when Mr. De Santis will join you for dinner."

My father's snort of contempt was immediate.

—Accommoda