“Can I at least have my thoughts to myself? Do I always have to share everything with you?!”
Gina extended her arms out in front of her and put her hands up as if to say stop. “Fine. Be pissed because I give a shit. So, I won’t. I’m going to study.” She turned around and went upstairs. She continued to speak as she mounted them. “But, when you’re ready to be a human again, I’ll be in my room.”
“Nina!” She heard the sound of her father’s voice calling her from his office. It wasn’t a surprise. She knew they would be having a face-to-face sometime today. Briefly, she closed her eyes then turned on her heels to see what he wanted. Nina peeped her head around the corner of his office door. “You called me?”
His voice was stern. His dark eyes were hard as his brows knitted together. “Come in and close the door.”
She did as he asked. The best course of action was to get the discussion over with as soon as possible. Nina was respectful, and answered, “Yes, Sir” in Mandarin. “Shì, Duìyú juéshì.” Chang wanted them to speak English and French but never to him. They always had to address him in their own language.“I got a call today from the headmaster of your school.”She kept her eyes focused on him. Nina learned a long time ago to keep eye contact with her father. He demanded it. Her nervousness couldn’t be entirely hidden, Nina shifted her feet from side to side. Chang narrowed his eyes, and she immediately stopped. Slowly, he walked over until he stood directly in front of her. It wasn’t a surprise when he struck her across the face. Chang hit Nina so hard that she tasted her own blood. “You little slut. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”Nina whispered. “I’m sorry.”“Did you think attempting to seduce that boy in the bathroom was going to get you what you wanted? You’re a Lee-Xiou dammit! I’ve given you every advantage in life when society would shun you. Yet, you would do this?”He smacked her hard across the other cheek. Nina’s head jerked in the other direction. The vein in Chang’s neck pulsed, while his eyes bulged as if they were going to pop out of his skull. Chang didn’t yell. He never yelled. He thought yelling was for those not sure of their own power. Somehow spittle escaped as he spoke through clenched teeth. “You will not bring shame to this family’s name. It’s bad enough you carry the sin of looking more like your mother than me but this . . . this will not be tolerated.” Nina stayed silent and did her best to hold her tears at bay. If they were to leak down her cheek whatever punishment Chang was going to give would be ten times worse.His words sliced through every part of her body, but his most cutting remark was yet to come. “Gina would never have done something so disgusting. You may not be the smarter sister, but you have enough of my blood in your body to use your wits, not your tits.” Nina was gutted. She wondered if she would ever live up to precious little Gina’s standards. She never made mistakes.“Get out of my sight! I can’t even stand to look at you!” Nina rushed out of his office and not a moment too soon because the first of many tears began to flow.
As Nina remembered that horrible day, she also wondered if that was the moment she’d started to hate Gina.
She may not have been her parent’s favorite, and they may have lacked faith in her but after tonight she was the queen. Yes, tonight was a culmination of a singular focus and determination. She could now finally put old ghosts to rest.
Nina’s smile was slow, but it eventually stretched across her entire face as she gazed into the mirror with the knowledge that Gina had to be devastated at this turn of events.
Thinking about her place in the Lee-Xiou family, Nina would have never in her wildest dreams believed the members of the Family Council would have selected her as its leader. Technically, they didn’t actually pick her since Gina removed her name from contention. But, she didn’t care. The result was the same. Nina Lee-Xiou was now its leader.
She’d taken a huge gamble when she returned to her old life, and it paid off. Nina was confident that the ghosts of her recent past life couldn’t touch her here. Being the leader of the Family Council guaranteed it. But, if she planned to keep it that way and be successful in her role, she wouldn’t let her current enemies threaten it. Several loose ends would need tying up, and that would mean those members who didn’t vote for her and Gina.
Chapter 12
Gina Lee-Xiou
Every step I took was excruciating. To keep my sanity, I needed to focus on something . . . anything. I started counting, one, two, three . . . it took thirty-five steps to walk from the nurse’s station to the elevators and ten seconds for the doors to open. Once we stepped inside, Brody’s doctor pressed a button, and they closed.
I hugged myself tightly as my head tilted toward the floor. Breathe, Gina . . . just breathe. I continued to count, only this time, it was the carpet tiles on the floor. Dex rested his hand lightly on my shoulder.
