I didn’t fake a smile. “Checking in?”
She gave that fake smile that drove me crazy. “Honey, how long do you plan to ignore me?”
“Forever.”
“That’s a long time to be bitter. I suspect I’ll outlive you.”
“Bitter?” I hissed. “You and Father lied to me…my entire life.”
“No. We just decided to tell you when you were old enough. You took an interest in the hotel even when I encouraged you to stay away. Now, you’ve forced our hand, and we can’t protect you any longer. If you had listened to me from the beginning, none of this would have happened.”
This wasn’t the time or the place for this conversation. Our voices carried easily in the large room, bouncing off the tile walls and the open spaces.
“Let’s talk about this later.”
“No. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to name the place and time. We’re doing this now.”
Bitch.
“Let’s have dinner.” She pulled on her black gloves once more then tightened her coat.
I didn’t want to make a scene in public, so I let her win—this time.
We went to my favorite local place and shared a bottle of wine.
Actually, I hogged it while she had a couple of sips.
Our food arrived at our table, and we still hadn’t said a word to each other.
Mother picked up her fork and stirred her pasta around. “I’ve given you ten minutes to say your piece. Since you haven’t spoken a word, I’ll talk now.”
I stared at her food.
“When your father opened his hotels, he didn’t have a lot of money. He needed investors, which is where the board comes from. But even then, it wasn’t enough. That was how he began offering special services to special characters.”
“And that’s never bothered you?”
“No. When I looked at your father, I saw an ambitious man who would do anything to make his dreams come true. I never loved him, but I considered myself very lucky that I got to marry someone with that kind of success.”
“You married him for money.”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “Power. That’s why I married him.”
This wasn’t brand-new information to me, so I didn’t judge her for it. Their loveless marriage had a pragmatic beginning. There was tension over the years because things weren’t always smooth.
“Power is better than money.”
“And you were never worried some of these men might hurt you?”
“No. We’ve formed an alliance with them. All we do is facilitate a location for them. We’re untouchable, and it’s been a pleasant experience for nearly thirty years now. If anything, I feel safer knowing exactly where the bad guys are.”
“Because they’re under your roof,” I jabbed.
She placed her fork in her mouth and sucked the pasta off the end. Her mouth moved slowly as she chewed. “I’m sorry you’re disappointed, but this is the real world. You either adapt or you die. The partnership has been a very successful one.”
“You’re breaking the law by laundering money.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Lots of people,” I snapped.
“But not rich people.” She drank her wine.
Was I the only sane person in the world?
“I’m not sure what you want me to say, honey. I’m sorry you’re upset, but it’s not going to change anything.”
“One day, that hotel will be mine.”
“And it’ll also belong to your husband. You’ll choose the right man to handle it.”
My eyes narrowed it. “I don’t need a man to handle anything—”
“Yes, you do. If you want that hotel, then yes. If you want to go work somewhere else and live a simple life, then no.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Those are my terms. It’s for your protection. Your father and I agreed on that.”
“The man who used to hit you?” I asked coldly.
She stilled at the accusation, like she had no idea I knew that.
When I was growing up, I caught glimpses a few times. He seemed to stop when I got older, probably because he wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore. My feelings for him were conflicted, because it seemed like he genuinely loved me and would do anything for me, but he wasn’t so kind to others.
She set her fork down on her plate. “I think you’re confused—”
“I’m not confused. I distinctly remember you falling to the ground after he punched you. Then he kicked you.” I could replay it in my mind so easily…all these years later. There were other moments I could recall, when my parents wouldn’t look at each other over dinner, when they would only smile when other people were around. Sometimes, it seemed like they respected each other, even had affection for each other, but it took a very long time for that to happen. Being around other figures in society showed me how fake relationships were, how no one was truly happy.
She stirred her pasta. “We worked through it. He stopped.”
“I know he did.”
“I wish you hadn’t seen that. I don’t want you to think badly of your father.”