“Shh. It’s me, Simeon.”
I love how she visibly relaxes and nestles against my side, clutching my chest as if I’m her protector.
“It was so vivid.”
“Your nightmare?”
“Yes.”
Her voice shakes and she gulps, “It’s been a recurring one for many years now.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“It’s not much, really, just a memory.”
Her breath is falling back to normal levels, and she is no longer shaking as she tells me what she dreamed about and with every tortured word that spills from her lips, my anger intensifies as I plot the demise of Morgan Sorcusi—personally.
“Do you think she was telling the truth?”
“No.”
She gasps. “You mean my mom is dead and this, my quest if you like, is meaningless.”
“That wasn’t what I said.”
I lift her face to mine and whisper, “I don’t agree that your mom didn’t love you. She probably staged her own death, if that was what happened, to save herself.”
“But left me.”
Her tone is sad, and I rub my thumb over her cheek and shake my head. “She may have had no choice, you see, in our world men don’t play by the same rules as everyone else. Your father would never have given you up. You were too valuable for that.”
“Was I?”
She raises her eyes. “I’m not sure if he ever loved us. He was in love with money and everything he did was in pursuit of that.”
“Which gives you your answer.”
“How?”
“He needed you and your sisters to secure your inheritance. Without you, or your mom, he would not be entitled to any of it.”
“But he was the richest man in the world. He didn’t need our money. He had more than any of us.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“What do you know?”
I’m impressed that she caught onto my meaning so quickly, and I stare into her eyes that are level with mine, so close, so inviting but desperate for answers first.
“My father has done his homework, and your father’s empire is heavily in debt. The only way the bank won’t call in the debt is because of the inheritance paying the monthly payments. If he had sold everything, he could have paid back the debt, but he was greedy. He always believed he could recover, that the diamonds would save him, but the mines dried up years ago, leaving him with bills to pay and workers to employ.”
“How do you know this?”
“I told you. My father does his homework.”
“Do you think Morgan knows?”
“Of course. I’m guessing that’s why she kept you all under her control. Under lock and key, and was happy you fled to the convent and locked yourselves away. If anything, you did her job for her.”
