Nods and murmurs rippled down the table. Father never gets this serious toward us. He usually kept his hands off the upbringing of his two younger daughters, choosing to focus all of his attention on his heir. For him to get emotionally involved like this meant things were serious. And it supported Scarlett’s theory that everything was somehow related to the family business.
But Bianca’s musings were interrupted by the arrival of the waiter, who took their orders with practiced efficiency before topping off wine and water glasses.
As soon as he was gone, the family patriarch spoke again. “Now that that’s out of the way, I have a big announcement to make.”
All eyes turned toward him. From the way Scarlett was about to burst out of her seat, it probably had something to do with work. Or her. Or both.
“I’ve already announced to the board that I will be retiring in the coming year. The news will go out to the press in a few days, so I thought now was the perfect time to make the announcement to my children and their significant others.” He always kept a stiff upper lip when referring to his progeny. Even Scarlett.
Vivianne clapped her fingers together in a show of applause. “Tell them the rest, Phillip!”
“Ah, yes. As you can undoubtedly guess, Scarlett will be my successor, taking over as CEO of Black Diamond Holdings. She has been working closely with me over the past year to prepare her for taking up the mantle. I’ll be decreasing my involvement with the day-to-day running of the company over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition. I’m confident that Scarlett has what it takes.”
His eldest gave him a firm nod. “I’m ready to take on whatever you throw my way, Father. Especially with such wonderful support from my family… and at my side.” She took Isabel’s hand on the table. “And if it’s all right, I have an announcement of my own to make. It may not come as a surprise to you all, but Isabel and I are moving in together.”
Vivianne’s congratulatory tittering stopped. Parker was the only person who dared speak. “Doesn’t she live there already? I’ve seen movers bringing her stuff in.”
Scarlett only allowed herself to shoot one dagger from her eye. “It’s true that Isabel spends most of her time in my apartment. And she has moved a few things over already, just like Julia moved a few things into your apartment before you two ‘officially’ moved in together.”
Parker crossed her arms. “Oh, I see how it is.”
“I think it’s great!” Julia cut in, holding her wineglass up in a toast. “Congrats! Especially to you, Isabel. You’ll love the amenities of this place.”
“Thank y—”
But Isabel didn’t get to finish her sentence. Not with Vivianne slapping a hand on the table and giving Scarlett and her girlfriend a look that threatened to slice their heads from their bodies.
“Yes, the amenities,” she said. “It must be lovely to move so far up in the world, right, Isabel?”
“Mom,” Scarlett said firmly. “Don’t.”
“Don’t do what? Remind Ms. Isabel that she’s only here at your whim? What will happen to her when your mid-life crisis is over? When will you get over this phase of yours? For God’s sake, Scarlett. You’re about to become CEO of everything your ancestors built long, long before even I was here. This is who you want to become your partner? This is who will take my place one day? This girl?”
Isabel was more than a little pale, refusing to make eye contact with anything other than her plate. Julia dropped her fork, her hand over her mouth. Parker looked at Scarlett, who was as red-faced as Isabel was pale.
“Where the hell is this coming from?” Scarlett asked. “You’ve been acting like you’re totally fine with our relationship. Supportive even. You’ve paid for Isabel’s security detail through all this stalker nonsense. You were showing off her artwork to your snobby friends, talking about how talented she is. And now, this? What gives? I thought you were finally getting over this homophobic ‘phase’ of yours!”
The waiter chose that moment to appear, delivering their appetizers. Silence fell over the table. Her eyes still fixed on Scarlett, their mother gestured to the waiter to pour her another glass of wine.
It wasn’t until he was gone that she finally spoke. “I expect more from you, Scarlett. Parker has always been the way she is. You, however, are not like her. So you didn’t want to be with Adrian, who, mind you, was the best partner we could have ever asked for for one of our daughters.” She gestured toward Isabel. That’s fine. “But this?”
Slowly, Scarlett rose to her feet, fists clenched on the table in front of her. But before she could open her mouth to unleash the hell brewing inside it, her mother spoke.
“At least I have one unbroken daughter.”
All the air left the room. Bianca’s chest clenched. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. She didn’t see how the others reacted to her mother’s statement. She could hardly feel it when Parker put her hand on her shoulder and gently shook her from her frozen stupor.
“You’re…” Bianca could barely think above the cacophony of raised voices around her. “You’re wrong.”
But no one heard her.
She drew in a deep breath for courage. “They’re not broken. We’re not broken. Because I’m not straight, either.”
This time, Parker heard her. She gave her younger sister a warning look, one that said, ‘Now isn’t the best time.’
But Bianca didn’t care. She slammed her fists onto the table as she shot up from her seat.
“I’m gay, too!”