Her hand automatically went to her own hair in an attempt to smooth it down. Cecily knew in this weather, it was probably a curly afro-puff. It was the furthest thing away from being perfect, but she couldn’t do anything about it now.
Not only was her hair a mess but as Cecily looked down at her worn pair of stressed jeans, high-top Chuck Taylors, and Rage Against the Machine t-shirt, so was she. In contrast, Nina was wearing a designer all-white pant jumpsuit that was tapered to fit her hour-glass figure. Clearly, they were a mismatch. In hindsight, maybe, Cecily should have spent a little more time on her appearance.
Unfortunately, the priority had been getting the chance to meet her mother, so much so that she hadn’t put a lot of thought or effort into the rest.
After Nina had sat her purse down on a side table, she responded. “It is well past time for us to meet.”
Cecily chewed her bottom lip. “I’ve waited my whole life. I have so many questions.”
Nina sat down. “Yes, we’ve got a lot to discuss, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Please have a seat, Cecily. Get comfortable. I’m sure we’re going to be here awhile.”
Cecily sat next to Nina. Part of her still felt as if this was a dream. She was dying to touch her just to prove that it wasn’t. “I guess my first question is why did you pretend to be dead all these years?”
Nina rolled her shoulders in an attempt to loosen up the stiffness. This day had gone from bad to worse. The members of the Council wouldn’t allow her to appoint new members who should have been chosen by her since she was the head of the organization. They wanted to vote on her selections. She needed to figure out how to turn that sentiment around.
As if her day couldn’t get any worse, when she arrived back at the hotel, Nina knew immediately that the young woman at the front desk demanding to see her was Cecily Manchetti. Initially, this was an unwelcome shock to her system, but on second thought it also was just the ammo she needed to get Gina out in the open. So maybe this day wasn’t going to end as badly as it started.
“That’s a difficult question to answer, but I’ll do my best. My father wasn’t like your dad. Luciano was an incredible man and my one great love.”
Cecily hung onto her every word. “So, you did love my father?”
“Yes. I loved him and you very much.”
“Then, what happened? Why did you leave us?”
“Everything was so complicated back then.”
“I can handle whatever the answers are. I just need to know them. I’ve felt as if a piece of me has been missing my entire life. Only you can help me put them back together.” Tears appeared seemingly from nowhere, but they were probably always bubbling underneath the surface.
“I . . . I can’t say I’m sorry enough, but I need you to understand I did it to save your lives. Unfortunately, after everything, even faking my own death wasn’t enough to protect Luce from Chang.” Nina wiped away an imaginary tear. “I would have done anything to keep you both safe.”
Something was off. Maybe Cecily was reading more into it than she should. Nina was saying all the right words, but it didn’t feel as if she meant them. Why hadn’t she placed her arms around her and hugged her like she had always dreamed?
Cecily slowly bobbed her head up and down as she wiped away tears that continued to stream down her face. Her words came out as a whisper. “Chang stole so much from me.” She held her hands in her lap twisting them together. Pointedly, she looked Nina in the eyes. “Once he died, why didn’t you come back for me then?”
Nina pressed her hands against her heart as if her words pained her. “Cecily, you may not believe me, but Chang wasn’t alone in his theft of what was stolen from us. I needed to make sure I could protect you from my sister, Gina. She’s a clone of my father.”
“Gina?”
“Yes. Have you met her yet?”
Cecily was slightly skeptical. “Umm . . . yes. She doesn’t give off warm and fuzzy vibes, but she doesn’t seem like she would want me dead either.”
Nina tried to mask her contempt for Gina, but Cecily saw the hate before she could hide it. “Don’t let her fool you. She is cold, calculating, and would do anything to consolidate her power including killing you. That’s why your Uncle Alex refuses to allow her to be a part of your life and why I need all of this security. She’s gunning for me. If Gina knew that you were here, she would attempt to kill us both. Does she know you’re here?”
A chill ran down Cecily’s spine. She wasn’t sure what to think. “But why? Why would she do that?”
“Because she wants to control my father’s empire. She has money, but Gina wants power.”
“From what I’ve heard about Chang, I don’t know why either of you would want anything that had anything to do with him.”
“It’s a lot more complicated than what you can understand right now.” Nina pursed her lips. “Does she know you’re here?”
“I didn’t tell her where I was going when I left.”
“But, you have seen her?”
Cecily didn’t understand why Nina was so
