Chapter 6
6
R AIN
My gaze follows him as he vanishes down the stairs.
A few moments pass before I turn around, walk into my apartment and lock the door.
The phone vibrates on the kitchen counter with an incoming call.
I grab my cell and answer the call just as someone knocks on the door.
“Neil. I’m sorry… Can you wait a second?” I ask before tearing my phone away from my ear and striding back to the door.
Expecting to see Lex again, I open the door without looking through the peephole first.
A gasp falls from my lips as I lay my eyes on the brown-haired woman standing in front of me.
Her smug smile makes me sick.
“My, my... Look who I found,” she says.
“Miss Rain, there’s a woman in the building,” Neil screams, agitated.
I lift my cell to my ear, my eyes trained on the woman’s face.
“Her name is Daria Morgan,” he says, panic surging through his voice. “She was here a moment ago, and now she’s gone. She said she’s your sister, but something doesn’t add up. I’m afraid she might be heading to your apartment. Do you want me to call security?”
“No, it’s okay. She is my sister, and she’s here with me already. Thank you,” I say dryly as I take her in.
Annoyed with her, I hang up the phone.
A smirk pulls to her lips, prompting me to roll my eyes. Everything has become so damn predictable.
Pushing me to the side, she invites herself in. I glance up and down the hallway and at the stairs.
Did she see him leaving?
Even more irritated, I pivot and shut the door behind me.
Leisurely, she walks into the living room. My eyes stay glued to her at all times.
She wears one of her man-baiting outfits, a sleeveless, skintight, black dress, and an oversized designer bag paired with matching heels.
She’s leaner than she used to be, and her hair is longer, the color a few shades lighter.
She plops her bag onto a chair, retrieves a cigarette from the inside pocket, and lights it, showing disregard for me.
My eyes fall on her red-coated lips.
“You can’t smoke in here.”
As if she hasn’t heard me, she blows the smoke up and glances around nonchalantly, studying her surroundings.
“A cigarette won’t ruin your posh place,” she says, her eyes sweeping the furniture, the large windows, and my outfit.
She props herself against the table, crosses her arms over her chest, and slowly brings her cigarette to her lips.
“I’m sure you can afford to clean it if the smell bothers you so much,” she says after taking another drag and breathing the smoke out.
I take a small step toward her, my phone still in my hand.
“Why are you here, Daria?”
A devilish smile pulls at her lips.
“Aren’t you happy to see me? After all this time?”
“Are you?”
“Sure. That’s exactly why I’m here,” she says, hardly withholding a chuckle while rolling her eyes.
“What are you doing here, anyway?”
“In New York? Or here, at your marvelous place?”
The irony is glaring.
“Both.”
Cocking her head to the side, she flashes a condescending smile that I know so well.
Her eyes go down, taking me in.
“You look good,” she says, studying me while taking another drag off her cigarette.
Her lips form a perfect O as she lets the smoke out.
“Different,” she says, quirking her lips.
“Care to answer?” I ask curtly.
“Well...” she murmurs, pulling a chair out, scraping it against the floor. “I, um... I have some business in New York.”
Gingerly, she takes a seat.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“I’m taking a break.”
“What kind of people take breaks from school?”
“People who don't have money,” she throws back at me sourly.
“Isn’t Dad helping you?”
“Yes, he is. But he has a new family to take care of. With a new wife and a kid, there’s so much he can do with his salary.”
“What about...? Dick... or Joe... or... What’s his face?”
“Haha. Funny. I’m single,” she says.
That’s scary.
“So, you’ve moved to New York?” I ask.
A secret smile creases her lips.
“Something like that.”
“What made you stop by?”
She shifts in her seat, pointing to the flowers.
“It’s a no-brainer, little sis. I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.”
“Why can’t you use your phone like everybody else?”
A knowing smile beams on her face.
“Lex Harrington didn’t use his phone. Why would I?”
My heart pounds in my throat, and my hands sweat as I swallow hard.
My reaction registers with her and puts a smile on her face.
The satisfaction glinting in her eyes makes my stomach clench.
“Anyway... Mom blabbered something about you finding a good job, and I wanted to find out more since I’m strapped for cash right now. At first, I thought it was silly chatter––you know, wishful thinking––but then, she mentioned where you lived, which grabbed my attention. I know a thing or two about this neighborhood. Has she been here?”
Silently, I frown.
“Right... That’s what I thought,” she continues. “So she doesn’t have a fucking clue her offspring, the little golden goose, set her new residence in one of the most luxurious places in Manhattan. Had she known that she might have been interested in finding out where her beloved princess got her money from.”
She blows the smoke to the side and dunks her cigarette into my glass of water, her eyes turning dark.
“But see, I’m not Mom. What makes perfect sense to her doesn’t fly with me. This whole bullshit about you being a luxury real estate broker didn’t cut it for me, sweet pea. Frankly, I’m surprised she bought it. It doesn't make much sense even for someone clueless like her, but hey... That’s our mom.”
A wicked smile lines her lips.
“So, I decided to dig deeper into this story and maybe come here and see for myself. And then–– call it luck if you wish––a man I met the other night showed me your picture on his phone while we were having dinner. He didn’t know your name, and later, I found out why. He had a drink too many and talked too much, some high-powered executive whimpering that he hadn’t made it on your... list?”
Sucking in a sharp breath, I step to the side and sink into an armchair. I cross my legs and look at her, poker-faced.
She smiles, feigning amusement.
“It turns out the man was on your shortlist initially, but he got kicked off by a younger stud. So there he was, licking his wounds, trying to comfort himself with a bottle of scotch. And me.”
She pauses.
“What’s your point, Daria?”
“My point is, I wanted to see the change for myself. And here I am at your beautiful residence, finding a woman instead of the girl I used to know. And then, another surprise awaits me at the door. Arms wrapped around your body, and lips pressed against yours. Alexander Harrington, himself, looking like a million bucks. What happened with James Sexton? Was he too busy to fly in this week?”
Taking a long breath, I push up to my feet and stride to her.
I toss my phone on the table, grab my glass of water, turn my back to her, and strut to the open kitchen, evading her eyes.
The sound of running water fills the silence for a minute as I wash the glass.
A few moments later, I turn around and glance at her, patting my hands dry with a kitchen towel.
She pushes out of her chair, heading to me.
Her heels clink-clank against the marble floor before she stops next to the kitchen island and watches me dispose of her cigarette butt.
“You’ve come a long way, little sister. All those years of righteousness have finally come to an end. It turns out you and I aren’t so different. You should thank me for paving the way,” she says, smiling wickedly and oh, so entertained.
I glare at her.
“I guess not...” she continues. “Well, at least we no longer have to lie to each other. I’m glad you finally realized life is not what you thought it was,” she says, her face darkening with a different thought. “By the way, does James know Lex was here tonight?”
I give her an empty gaze.
“Mmm, he doesn’t...” she says, stretching a mischievous smile. “All right, then…”
All of a sudden, in a hurry, she spins around and darts back to the table.
Before I have the chance to say something else, she collects her bag and makes a beeline for the entrance.
“That might change, though,” she tosses at me on her way out, winking at me as she vanishes out the door.
* * *
RAIN
“No, she didn’t,” Eve says, disbelief spreading over her face.
“Yes, she did...” I murmur.
“Your fish fillet, Miss,” the waiter says, sliding the plate onto the table in front of Eve.
“And lobster ravioli with tomato cream sauce for you.”
He sets the second plate in front of me.
“Thank you,” I say as he smoothly pulls away.
Candles sit on the tables, and a soft piano tune floats in the air. The restaurant is also illuminated by small table lamps.
“Mmm... This is delicious,” she says. “How is yours?”
“Perfect. You want a bite?” I say, pushing the plate closer to her.
She picks up a smooth ravioli and pops it into her mouth.
“It’s delicious,” she comments before taking a sip of wine and eating fish again. “So she knew all this stuff about you...” she goes on, reflecting on our conversation.
“Yes.”
“What was she after?”
“I don’t know. Nothing, really. She snooped around as usual but didn’t ask for anything.”
“That’s strange.”
“Yeah, it is… But whatever she’s after, she’s not gonna get it from me.”
“She could get you into a lot of trouble.”
“She could, but the story she got from that man is hard to prove. By her own account, the man’s claims were nothing more than a drunkard’s words.”
“How did she shack up with him?”
“Hmm... That’s a good question,” I say, dabbing my mouth with a napkin.
I bring my glass of wine to my lips and take a sip before enjoying the sweet aroma of grapes lingering in my mouth.
“I suspect she’s in the same line of business.”
“Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Everything. The way she was dressed and her interest in my whereabouts. The fact that she’d moved to New York, and not in the least, the man who had kept her company.”
“She’s no longer in school?”
“Nope. She took a break from it and blamed it on money, which was another clue.”
“Maybe that’s why she’s not so anxious to mess with you. If she branches out in the same line of business, it’s in her best interest to avoid family feuds.”
“Yeah, it may be. Although she threw something else at me when she left.”
I set my napkin to the side and lean back in my chair.
“Lex showed up at my door today,” I say.
Her mouth falls open.
She sets her fork to the side before clasping her hands together in a fist below her chin.
“Lex Harrington?” she says, grappling with surprise.
Her eyes glimmer with a smile.
“He still has the hots for you?” she asks.
“Yeah, he does.”
My rueful smile makes her grin fade.
“We talked... Mainly about James, but when he left, he kissed me. We were in the hallway, in front of the door, and Daria showed up right after he vanished down the stairs. Later, she wanted to know if James knew about Lex.”
“Fucking bitch.”
“That she is.”
I motion for the dessert menu.
Soon, we begin reviewing our options.
“Cheesecake for me and chocolate cake for the birthday girl,” Eve says, placing the order.
The waiter nods and walks away.
“So what’s your plan?” she asks.
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this kind of work. I need something to fall back on, a backup plan. I have a few ideas and some capital, but I’m not willing to risk it and lose everything.”
“Maybe one of your rich ’friends’ can help you,” she says, smiling.
“I was thinking about that too,” I murmur, lowering my eyes to my phone and sifting through my contacts.
Moments later, the server sets our desserts on the table.
“I may have just the right person for that,” I say, making a call and raising my eyes.
Eve takes a bite of cheesecake.
The call goes straight to voicemail.
“Hi. It’s me. Call me when you get this. I might need your help,” I say.
“Who was that?” she asks, grinning.
“David Moore.”
She tilts her eyebrows up, a questioning look sliding over her face.
“He was my first client.”