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“And by a large margin,” Niko said, beaming. “Knowing who’s still to go, I’ve got no doubt those gold medals are yours.”
A whoop spilled out of me. I caught Niko in a hug, and then Jasper and Quentin, and finally Rafael who’d come over to join the celebration. My bodyguard tucked his head over mine and squeezed me hard. “That was really something.”
Niko clapped his hands, radiating excitement. “Ten weeks, and then World Championships, here we come!”
TWENTY-NINE
Luciana
I gotno real welcome on my return to the Cordova mansion. A few of the underlings hanging around dipped their heads to me in acknowledgment, but it was hard to tell if they even realized I’d been gone for a week.
Better if they couldn’t tell. Better if my absence had proven just how little my presence was needed in the running of the Deadly Rose empire.
I’d thought that Mom might be eager to drag me straight back into her schemes, but my phone had remained silent even though I’d texted her this morning to let her know I was on my way home. As I stepped into the foyer, I braced myself to meet her piercing gaze or hear her cutting voice carrying from the top of the staircase.
Nada.Herabsence was so jarring that I hesitated for a moment at the foot of the stairs, feeling like I was an actress in a play who’d just realized she’d missed memorizing a few pages of the script. Now what?
I gathered the determination that’d carried me since our victory at the National Championships around me, as bright as the shine on my skating costume. I was wearing my gold medal, tucked under the collar of my long-sleeved band tee. The high of our performance still quivered through my veins.
I knew where I belonged, beyond any possible doubt. It was time to stop pretending and stride forward into that future.
And maybe, after all of this, Mom would finally understand that running the Deadly Rose empire wasn’t the life I was meant for. She might be stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid. It would be way better for her to have an heir who actually appreciated the role too.
Keeping my posture straight and confident, I motioned to a nearby lackey. “Let my mother know that I’m home—and that I’d like to talk to her as soon as possible.”
He nodded and hustled off, pulling out his phone. That didn’t tell me anything about where she was or when she’d get here. I tramped up the stairs and made my way to my childhood bedroom.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I glanced around the expansive space. Funny how this was the largest bedroom I’d had in all my jaunts around the continent, but it felt by far the most suffocating. It was barely even mine. Mom had picked out the décor, dictated what I was allowed to hang on the walls.
What here would I even want to bring with me when I left? I’d taken all the essentials when I’d first run away.
I hadn’t been able to pack much in the way of clothes, though. There were some outfits I’d missed: my black cargo pants with the zippered pockets and buckles, my super-cozy hooded sweatshirt with the plaid sleeves, my black-and-neon-pink checkerboard leggings that I could just imagine Jasper’s expression on taking them in. My studded leather jacket would have come in handy as the weather cooled off.
Well, I might as well pull everything together while I had the time. Go forward as if I expected to succeed—that was the best attitude, right?
I was just squishing a few pairs of stripy socks I’d always been fond of into a suitcase when my regular phone buzzed. A text from Mom appeared on the screen:We can speak in my office now.
My heart gave a little lurch, even though I’d asked for this meeting. I took a deep breath, swiped my hands over my hips to make sure they weren’t sweaty, and marched down the hall to face the music.
I rapped on the door in my usual pattern and waited for her terse reply: “Come in.”
I entered the room to find Mom’s back to me where she was standing by the window next to her desk. She waited until I’d come to a stop in the middle of the room before turning to face me.
Her face might as well have been carved from ice, and her voice was equally frigid. “You’re back from your little vacation. It’s time we get down to work.”
Oh, no, I wasn’t letting her direct the conversation this time.
I squared my shoulders and met her gaze steadily. “It wasn’t just a vacation. My partner and I placedfirstat the National Championships—that makes us the best in the whole country.” My hand rose to the disc of my medal under my shirt, but I didn’t pull it out, gripped by the sudden fear that Mom would wrench it away from me.
Mom offered me nothing but a derisive snort in response. “The best at spinning around on the ice in a sparkly costume. What an honor.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone. “You got what you wanted. Now that the distraction is dealt with—”
“Dealt with?” I broke in, frustration crackling through my veins. “I’m not finished. Placing that high means we’ve earned a spot at the World Championships, to compete with the best from every other country. Only a handful of people manage that every year. I worked my ass off to get good enough to make it.”
“And I’d like to see you apply the same obsessive focus to ourrealwork,” Mom said. “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so now that you’ve had your moment in the spotlight. I have you meeting with the head of one of our Houston affiliates tomorrow afternoon, and there’s a deal I expect you to supervise the following night. I want to see you training with the troops every morning this week as well.”
My jaw clenched. I shook my head. “No, Mom. You’re not listening. Ican’t. Worlds is in just a couple of months—we have to keep training and—”
Mom cut me off with a flash of her dark eyes. “Youhave toget your head out of the clouds and be the Cordova you’re meant to be. I’m not going to tolerate any more talk of your ridiculous hobby. I think I’ve been more than lenient. It’s time for you to give your full commitment.”
