I can’t see myself trading the fast pace of the concrete jungle for the mellow vibe of the City of Angels. I’m a New Yorker through and through.
“If we lived in the same city, it would be reminiscent of our time in Nepal—two badass rebels against the world,” she says.
“Nepal…” The memory washes over me like a caress and I offer my partner in crime a warm smile.
Keira and I met not long ago, but you’d never tell by how well we get along. Even if we live on opposite sides of the country, we’re constantly in touch. We’re the same age, and we both ranaway from our lives when everything around us came crashing down.
That’s how we ended up on the other side of the planet at the same time. For six months Nepal was her refuge. I was there for two. We left the monastery we were staying at with a greater sense of self-awareness, self-actualization, and a lot less hair. Leaving that safe cocoon was bitter sweet. I returned to a city I love, a father I worship, and to a stepmother I loathe. Keira moved back to her hometown.
I pluck my phone from the table, my fingers already typing the gossip site’s URL.
“I need to put an end to this madness. The celebrity content creator needs to retract this ridiculous wedding announcement before people start believing the lies. Then, I have to deal with my stepmonster.”
“The shit’s about to hit the fan,” Keira says.
“Damn right. Someone needs to butt out and shut up.”
I reenter the kitchen to the main house an hour later.
Keira flinches. “Where are you going?”
Since she returned to LA, she’s been living with her older brother’s best friend who’s now her boyfriend. Rhys Hartford’s guesthouse is quite posh, but pales in comparison to his magnificent, modern mansion, aka the main house.
“You’re not dressed to hang out at the pool,” she says.
After breakfast, I swapped the jeans shorts and yellow tank top I was wearing for a more fashionable getup. “No pool time today,chica. I’m going to battle, so I had to dress the part.”
Her eyes travel the length of my body. “What does that mean?”
“There’s no phone number to reach the gossip site. I sent numerous emails, but given their influence, I’m sure they’re bombarded with messages. No doubt, mine is lost somewhere in their inbox. I tried to call my stepmother, but it goes straight to voicemail. Ditto for my father. Exasperated, I called my father’s executive assistant. At least I was able to reach her.”
“And?”
“Everyone is walking on eggshells on the executive floor.”
“What happened?”
“My father and stepmother are locked in his office and they’re engaged in a yelling match. From what I hear, it’s ugly.”
“Your stepmother is a piece of work,” Keira says.
“Daddy has to be fit to be tied to lose his composure in front of the staff. I can only hope he’s tired of getting stepped all over. I love him to pieces, but marrying that woman was his biggest mistake.”
Keira gives me another onceover. “Okay, there’s a war raging in New York, but that still doesn’t tell me where you’re going.”
“I’m not holding my breath when it comes to getting a response from the gossip site and since my dad is duking it out with his wife, I have to rely on Plan B.”
“Which is?”
“I want to know why Phoenix König and my stepmother concocted this little scheme. What’s in it for him?”
With a careful step and balancing on her cane, Keira comes to stand in front of me. The top of her blonde head reaches below my chin. Barefoot, I’m an inch shorter than her, but since she’s wearing flip-flops and I’m wearing high heels, I tour over her.
“You called and made an appointment with the tycoon? He had time in his busy calendar to fit you in at the last minute?” Her tone is laced with skepticism.
“I tried, but his guard dog—whoever is manning the switchboard is giving me the runaround. Even though I keptgiving the person my name, she refused to believe me. I have a sneaky suspicion she thinks I’m a whack job.”
“If your text and social media messages exploded, I can imagine how it must be for someone like Phoenix König,” Keira says.
