Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“Yes,” I whimper.
“We will fix it.”
“It’s ruined. I have nothing left of my mother or father. I can hardly remember her anymore. All I had was the memories of dressing up in this dress and even those are fading with time. I don’t remember her face,” I murmur.
“You don’t have pictures?”
I shake my head. “No. After my father got remarried to Bianca, my mother’s things started to disappear and then there was a so-called accidental fire that burned only things that had belonged to my mother, including photo albums.”
He sighs and rests his chin on top of my head. “So, you don’t know,” he murmurs.
“Know what?”
“Nothing.”
I turn to face him, swiping at my tears. “I don’t know what?”
He searches my eyes. “You said that the international office is closed. Where’d you get that idea from?”
“The lawyer that read the will said Daddy sold off that office before he died. I was away on a tour of Greece just before he died. It was a birthday gift from him. I’d been gone for months. No one told me he was ill. When I would call, he would put on airs.”
“Bianca fired anyone who would tell me. Staff who were like family to me, all gone. I arrived the day he passed away after our old butler was able to reach me with the news that I needed to rush home.”
“The lawyer said my father made a few changes to the will during that time and sold the other company,” I explain.
Princeton tilts his head at me. I have no idea what he’s thinking and the look is starting to make me nervous. I wrap my middle again.
“What?” I whisper.
“I would like you to come to Europe with me. I think the trip would be quite revealing.”
“I don’t have time to run away with you. I need to figure out what I’m going to do without a job. I have savings, but I can’t live off of that forever. I… I don’t know what I plan to do now. I wanted to buy them out, but their petty asses will never sell to me now.”
He cups my face and tilts my head back. “Cinder, I need you to trust me. Come with me to Europe. Everything will work itself out.”
With that, he crushes my lips with his. This kiss is a bit different from the one earlier. It’s more like someone who has found something lost. Someone eager to claim something that belongs to them, or in this case, someone.
When he breaks the kiss, I’m dazed. I guess that’s why I open my mouth and babble like a fool. “Okay, I trust you.”
* * *
Princeton
Cinder.
It’s not a common name at all. However, it’s a name I know well. My mother has a lot of explaining to do. I don’t know how to feel about this.
I have so many questions swimming in my head, but I pushed them back after watching her fall apart in her office. Something inside me wants to do nothing more than protect her and get to the bottom of what has caused her pain.
I don’t like Bianca Estevez and her daughters. I get a feeling that they have lied about more than a phone. I plan to find proof of just that.
“Are you all set?” I ask as Cinder enters the living room of her apartment.
“Almost. I need to let my neighbor know I’ll be gone for a while. She’ll worry. She’s always looking out for me,” she says with a small smile.
I nod. “Mother has decided to travel with us.”
“Oh, okay. I won’t be long. Do you need to make a stop for your things?”
“No, I’ll have all I need when we arrive.”
She palms her forehead. “Right, it’s your home.” She pauses for a second. “I can recommend some great planners for your event.”
“Why on earth would I need another planner? You will do just fine. I love your work,” I say with a smile.
She beams back at me. The ball from last night truly was a gala to be remembered. I have no intention of finding someone else. Although, I question the need to have the event at all. However, I won’t be telling her that yet.
I reclaim my seat as she heads for the door. She jumps a little when she opens it. I go to stand, but she releases a laugh.
“Hello, Ms. Randell. I was just coming to knock on your door.”
“I heard noises coming from your apartment. I thought you were at work. Was the ball that amazing that you had to take the day off?” the woman says.
Her voice seems familiar, but I can’t put a finger on it. I can’t see her from here. The door and Cinder are blocking the view.
“Actually, I quit this morning. It’s a long story. I’m heading to Europe for a while. That’s what I was coming to tell you,” Cinder replies.