She asked a staff member where she could find her. The woman did not understand English, so Braylee switched to Mandarin. It was one of several languages she spoke fluently. She pointed Braylee in Gina’s direction.
This was the last place she wanted to be but felt the need to have another heart to heart conversation. Braylee knocked on the door. She recognized Gina’s voice immediately when she heard her say, “Please come in.” Braylee did just that. Slowly, the door crept open, but as soon as it was fully open Braylee stood face to face with Gina Lee Xiou again.
*****
Alex stood with his hands in his pockets looking down at the floor not exactly sure what to say to Cecily. She sat in the middle of the bed with her knees raised to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Still refusing to look up at him.
He raised his eyes to her. This was a disaster, and she was caught in the middle of it. “Cecily…” Alex walked over to where she was and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I hate that you had to find out this way.”
She stopped staring into space and turned accusatory eyes at him. “No Uncle Alex, you hate that I found out at all. You were never going to tell me. Nobody was going to tell me. Why?”
“I can’t say that you’re wrong. If we could keep all this madness away from you we would have. I’m not sure how much of this is an unbelievable coincidence or how much of this is due to the Xiou family, apparently Chang Xiou, wanting to exact revenge on our family.”
“Why? I…I don’t understand?”
Alex sighed deeply as he ran his hand over his face. Cecily deserved the full truth. “A long time ago, two Manchetti bother’s fell in love with an incredible woman.”
She whispered, “That lady in the rain?”
He nodded. “Yes. Your father knew her as Nina. I knew her as Gina. He never knew that I knew her at all. He was so in love with her, and she chose him. Gina told me that she loved your father and that she was pregnant with you. When Luciano found out he was going to be a father, there was no way I could take that joy away from him. So, I stepped back and never told him. Then, several months later this beautiful little girl was born.”
“But, she lied to both of you? Why would she do that?”
He sighed deeply. “That’s a good question and it was only tonight that I think I finally know the answer. My guess is she lied to me because Chang wanted information about Manchetti Enterprises and sent her to get it. She lied to Luciano because she fell in love with him and wanted to protect him.”
Cecily wiped the tears from her eyes. “That didn’t seem to work because my father is dead. I can tell that there is more to this story. What else don’t I know?”
He couldn’t hide the sadness he felt from the look of utter disappointment on her face. “You are too smart for your own good. Do you know that?”
“I deserve to know the rest Uncle Alex.”
“Yes. You do.” He hesitated before continuing. “Shortly after you were born, there was a terrible car accident. We thought Nina died in that car crash. Only to discover later…she hadn’t.”
“So, she lied and pretended to be two different people and then she faked her own death? This is totally unreal. Why would she do that? How did you find out that she was still alive? Was having me so terrible?”
“No. Don’t think that way. You’ve been the best thing to happen to all of us—ever. I never figured out why she faked her own death. I honestly don’t know. Maybe she was afraid of her father? Maybe she wanted to protect Luciano and you? I found out that she was still alive when I came over here on a business trip. Apparently, Xiou Incorporated and Manchetti Enterprises were both working to acquire the same manufacturing facility. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me when I came here to take a tour of the place only to turn around and see her. Somehow, she managed to disappear before I could catch up to her. But, after hiring a private investigator, he was able to confirm that I wasn’t crazy, and Gina Lee Xiou was indeed still alive.”
“This sounds like something from a television show. If I weren’t hearing it from you, I wouldn’t believe it. Any of it. But, it still doesn’t answer my question of why? Why wouldn’t she want me? Why wouldn’t she want me with her? She faked her own death uncle, Alex!”
She allowed him to pull her into the crook of his arms as he attempted to comfort her. The torrential winds and rains were actually more soothing than listening to Cecily cry her heart out.
Chapter 17
Gina rolled her eyes, “Ugh—why am I not surprised to see you?”
Braylee shrugged and ignored her jibe. “I don’t know? But, I’m not here to fight with you.”
Gina walked over to the bar and poured herself a glass of Baijiu, a liquor similar to vodka and popular in China. “Why exactly are you even here? What do
