He didn’t hide the disdain in his voice. Soren waseverything my father despised, but he was too powerful for my father to brush off or insult. Which was another reason I idolized him.
“Really, Laurel, you missed most of the prep for the photo op,” Angela said in an exasperated tone. She was in charge of the spa and the events at the casino and controlled most of my social life. “The reservations are sold out, and we already have people lining up. You need to make sure it goes perfectly.”
I nodded, even as my heart sank. I’d forgotten about the stupid photo op today. My father gave me an affectionate smile, and I held his gaze, my smile feeling stiff on my face.
“So many people would kill for what you have,” he said. “These people adore you. Be proud of the legacy you’ll leave.”
The glint in his eye could almost be mistaken for warmth.
With a flick of his hand, Angela and I were dismissed, but not before I left my pen on my seat, turned on and ready to record. Angela was annoyingly nattering on about the photo op, but I managed to ditch her after half an hour to go back and retrieve my pen. I’d been spying on my father’s business meetings for years, not wanting to be surprised by any of his plans. I’d gotten rather good at it, actually. I peered into the dining room, making sure it was empty before crossing over to my seat. I picked up the pen and clicked it off.
The balcony door slid open, and I looked up to see Jade slipping into the room, a once-familiar sight, since the balcony had an easy way in. Our eyes met, and she shifted on her feet before her jaw clenched and she walked over.
“What are you doing here?” I sat down in a chair, looking deliberately at my fingernails. “The black diamonds are at my villa if you’re here to try and steal those.”
Jade sank into the seat next to me. “No, I came to find you.”
My breathinghitched, and I pursed my lips. Of everything I’d expected her to say, that certainly wasn’t it. “I thought I told you we were done.”
She flinched, to my irritation. She didn’t have a right to be hurt by that.
“Look, Laurel, please let me explain,” she pleaded, and I finally looked up to meet her eyes.
I couldn’t look away.
I should get up and leave, or tell her to fuck off, but I found myself rooted to the spot.
“You and Jule were my only friends, did you know that? My only…anyone.”
I shook my head, and she met my eyes. Everything about her right now was slow and careful, as if she was afraid I’d bolt.
She swallowed. “No one else ever stayed in my life. But you two did. Whenever I came here, I had you guys. I started to think I’d always have you.”
I remembered feeling like that too. That, no matter what went wrong, we’d still have each other. Warm, easy moments sneaking around the casino, laughing in our hideout.
“When Jule and I fell out, I didn’t know how to handle it. I felt destroyed, like nothing was safe. It hurt so bad, and I was so angry.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Me too. But you made me go through it alone. Made me think you’d never cared about me at all.”
“I know. I messed up so much, and I couldn’t figure out how to make it right.”
I shifted in my seat, meeting her glittering eyes.
“I didn’t think you’d want me back. I didn’t know how you could ever forgive me, but I couldn’t abandon you. I didn’t come back to use you; I came back because Iknew you didn’t have any way to make money for yourself. And the way you looked at me killed me, but I didn’t know how to fix it.”
Her voice was thick now, and I saw a tear drip down her face. She sniffed, and I passed her a napkin to wipe her nose. We sat there at the table, the only sounds our breathing and the hum of the ventilation.
“You fix it like this. By talking to me,” I said. I swallowed past the lump in my throat. She seemed serious, and my anger was crumbling, leaving a painful sliver of hope.
“I’m sorry, Laurel,” she said, sniffing again. “You don’t have to forgive me or anything, but I want you to know I’m here for you. Whatever you need, no questions asked.”
I burst into tears, and she tentatively rested a hand on my shoulder. I pulled her into a wet hug. “God, of course I forgive you, Jade,” I said, lip trembling. “I missed you so much. You and Jule were all I ever had too.”
“I’m gonna make it up to you, I promise.”
My tears continued, all the years of frustration and loneliness bubbling up in my soul. But now, Jade was here with me, to hold me tight as I fell apart. Once I’d gone through enough tissues and composed myself, I sighed. If anyone would care about my mission for Jule, it’d be her.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you,” I said. “At Jule’s funeral, I looked in the casket. The body they buried wasn’t him.”
