Brody was able to see through all the bull and didn’t run away. I’d gotten a taste of what no man had ever given me, and I was too weak to walk away from it. When did I become so needy?
Now, he was gone, and I had no one to blame but myself. It would be no surprise if the kindness I’d been shown earlier from his family was replaced with anger and vengeance.
“Ms. Lee-Xiou?”
I supposed the physician must have called my name a couple of times before Dex nudged me out of my haze. I had disappeared into my own mind.
I was physically and emotionally tired. “Yes?”
“I hate to ask you at this time, and considering the late hour, but we’ll need your signature on some of the financial paperwork. Can you follow me to my office?”
“No. Before I do anything, I need to see Brody for myself so that I know this is real. Otherwise, my mind won’t accept him being gone.”
He nodded. “I understand. I’ll take you down to the morgue. It’s in the basement of the hospital.”
Chapter 11
Nina Lee-Xiou Manchetti
Nina sat down at the vanity in her hotel room and stared into the mirror. Not only had this been a long day but today’s events had also been a long shot. It was a dream she never knew she wanted.
Slowly Nina inhaled, and little by little released the air from her lungs. She was somewhat still in disbelief. After a lifetime of feeling inferior, Nina had finally bested Gina.
Carefully, she picked up her night cream and applied a bit of it to her face. Nina studied her reflection. Her eyes danced. Not only did they sparkle as she examined her image, but they swayed to the beat of the glory of winning. It wasn’t an easy or hollow victory either. And, given that Gina had been groomed her entire life to succeed Chang, even if she didn’t know it, made this triumph that much more sweet.
Chang was a master of manipulation and had subtly convinced Gina that without being the leader of the Family Council she wouldn’t be strong, powerful, or in control of her life. He knew the challenge of not being able to achieve her goals, for an overachiever, would make her want it even more.
Nina wondered what he would think now that she’d claimed the leadership role for herself. She’d beat the odds and had proven him wrong. As a matter of fact, it felt good to be able to prove Chang, Gina, and even Laurette, wrong. Granted, Chang and Laurette were both dead, but it still bothered Nina that Gina had always been her parent’s favorite. Couple that with their lack of faith, and it was the motivating force behind all of her actions over these past years.
Nina could still recall the many conversations she’d had with her father as if they’d only happened yesterday, but one, in particular, stood out amongst all of the others. She’d come home from school upset. Aoki Cho was the sexiest guy in her high school class. She’d had a crush on him for two years, but he hadn’t been interested. After finally gathering up the nerve, she’d asked him to the spring dance. He’d told her, you’re nice and all but do you think you could hook me up with your sister? Nina wasn’t just angry she was livid! She’d asked this fool out, and he’d tried to get her to hook him up with his sister? How was it even possible to be this level of a jerk? Never mind the fact that they were identical twins! If he had a crush on Gina, then he surely should have wanted her too. It boggled her mind how anyone would want to spend any time with Gina. She had such disdain for the people at their school. She walked around in one of two ways; either with her nose in the air or her head in a book. Gina acted like she was better than everyone else. It was Nina who tried to fit in and be nice to the people around her. This time, she was willing to do whatever it took to get Aoki to choose her. Gina wasn’t going to win this round.
After pining for Aoki for more than two years and finally working up the courage to talk to him, in an instant, he had broken her heart. It didn’t matter what she did; he wasn’t interested in her. All her tricks only served to get Nina in more trouble. On that day, always coming in second to Gina was overwhelming. She couldn’t bury her emotions like usual. Instead, Nina had to face Chang while at her weakest state.
Gina and Nina had come home from school. They hadn’t had time to do anything and were still dressed in their schoolgirl uniforms. Nina couldn’t even have the satisfaction of being able to slam the door behind her because the bodyguards were around.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Nina mumbled. “Nothing. What’s wrong with you?”
Gina wasn’t quick to respond. “Something’s up. Your mouth is usually going a mile a minute about whatever silliness happened at school. You were mostly quiet in the car on the way home. Did something happen?”
“Nope. I just don’t feel like talking.”
“Hmmm . . .” Gina took off her backpack and sat it down near her feet. “You’re lying. Are you sure you don’t
