“That’s the difference between us, Gina. I would have never sacrificed my family for a company. I would have just started another one.”
She attempted to plead her case. “I came to the States to ensure Nina’s footprints to Cecily couldn’t be tracked by my father at great personal risk to myself. That has to count for something! Granted, I wasn’t successful otherwise, Joseph wouldn’t be here. But, I tried. I attempted to keep her safe.”
“Yet, here we stand in your bathroom close to an unbelievable tragedy.”
“Look Alex. You don’t understand. I’m trying to explain it to you. In my heart of hearts, I knew it was only a matter of time before Chang found out about Cecily. That’s why when I found out you were heading over here, I met you at the airport to keep you safe too. I have a plan for my father to end all of this. I’ve mostly deleveraged all out our holdings in minerals so it won’t matter if you get the TNG2 patent. Once I’m in control, I’ll be taking the company into another direction. You have to believe that.”
“What I know is that I’m taking Cecily home as soon as it’s safe to travel in this weather. I’ll deal with both you and your father once I have her back on American soil.” With that, Alexandro took Cecily and walked out of the safe room.
Briefly, Gina closed her eyes, only to open them to see the retreating backs of Alexandro and Cecily getting further and further away from her. All of Gina’s hopes were crashing down. Angrily, she turned and walked back over to Joseph. “You put Cecily’s life in danger but more than anything, you double-crossed me.” Gina reached out and took a gun from the hands of one of her security guards then put a bullet right between Joseph’s eyes. She gave the gun back. The room was soundproof. At least, Cecily wouldn’t have nightmares about hearing the gunshot that killed her cousin. Without batting an eyelash, she issued clear instructions. “Clean up this mess.”
Chapter 19
Although Gina heard the sounds of their departure, she did nothing to stop them. She sat in her office at her desk, letting the one thing she loved—the one thing that connected her to Nina—get away. She had already had several shots and intended to have several more before the night was out. A photo in a gilded frame sat on her desk, partially obscured by a lamp. She leaned forward and pulled it closer. A face, exactly like hers, smiled back at her.
“Oh, Nina…” Gina’s mind began to drift, and memories flooded her troubled mind.
15 years earlier….
Gina was sitting at her desk in her hotel suite reading the latest Xiou Incorporated financial report. She was pissed that she had to receive it just like any low-level employee. Yet, her cousin Joseph had been in on all the meetings. He was only a couple of years older than she was and nowhere near as smart. Why her father continued to pour so much energy into him was baffling. Well, not really baffling. Joseph was the son he never had, and girls were useless in his eyes.
Bang…bang…bang! Gina almost jumped out of her skin at the noise. Startled, her hand automatically went to her throat as she walked over to see who on earth was beating on the door. She looked through the peephole. She was more than surprised. “What. In. The. Hell. Nina?” Quickly, she unlatched the door and opened it. “Why are you banging on my door like a crazy person and furthermore why are you here?”
Furiously, Nina barged into the room. “Why are you banging my boyfriend’s brother?”
Gina didn’t know what to say. She’d been caught speechless. A rarity. “What? What are you talking about?”
Breathing hard, Nina put her hands on her hips. “Don’t play dumb with me, Gina. You’ll never guess who I met tonight?”
“Who?”
“Alexandro Manchetti!”
Gina raised her eyebrows in surprise as she spoke in a near whisper. “You met Alex?”
“Yes!”
“Did you tell him I was your twin?”
“No! But, I knew immediately that he thought I was you.”
Gina was suddenly feeling a little nauseous. “Oh God—what happened?”
“I pretended to be you. Given that we’ve switched roles so easily over our lifetime it was almost second nature. Now he thinks I’m a slut for sleeping with Luciano and him. You’re sleeping with him?”
Gina put her hand over her stomach. “Oh my god. Why? Why didn’t you just tell him? I’ve got to fix this.”
Nina’s eyes widened in surprise. “So you are sleeping with him!”
“Yes. If you must know. YES, I’m sleeping with him. He’s gorgeous and amazing and yes.”
Rarely did Gina give people a glimpse of her true feelings and that worried Nina more than she cared to admit. It was different between them; they were twins. They shared everything. The love and bond they had went beyond sisterhood. Unlike Nina, Gina wanted Chang’s acceptance and approval. She was constantly trying to prove herself to him, and that made Gina more and more like Chang every day. Their father could be hard and oftentimes heartless. He was capable of almost anything. Nina shook her head from side to side.
“I can’t believe this. For how long? You’re here trying to convince me to come home to marry someone just like Chang, and you’re here doing the same thing I am! Couldn’t you, at least, have found someone in a different family?”
They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
