He was dressed in all black shirt, pants, jacket, looking like a dangerous shadow. The car is ready, he said.
Theo will be in the lobby with security. I’ll be in the room next door, 847B.
If anything happens, if she tries anything, you call for me. I will. He crossed the room and took her hands.
I don’t like this, he said again. I know. Berlin rose on her tiptoes and kissed him softly.
But I need to do this for me. For the girl I used to be who never had anyone fighting for her.
Zire’s forehead pressed against hers. You have someone now. I know. She smiled. That’s why I’m brave enough to fight for myself.
He kissed her deep and fierce and full of things he couldn’t say. “Come home to me,” he murmured against her lips.
“Always.” The Grand Monarch Hotel was exactly Nadine’s style. Opulent, expensive, dripping with the kind of wealth that made ordinary people feel small.
Berlin walked through the marble lobby with her head held high. She wasn’t small anymore.
The elevator carried her to the eighth floor. Room 847 was at the end of a long corridor.
Berlin paused outside the door. 23 years of fear and manipulation pressed against her chest.
23 years of being told she was nothing, nobody. Garbage that someone threw away. She thought about the key pendant around her neck.
Thought about Zire waiting in the next room. Thought about the woman she had become.
Strong enough to stand up to monsters. Brave enough to demand what was hers. She knocked.
The door swung open immediately. Naen Thorne stood in the doorway dressed in designer clothes that probably cost more than most people’s rent.
Perfect makeup, perfect hair, cold, calculating eyes. Well, well, Naen smiled like a snake. The prodigal daughter.
You’re right on time. She stepped aside. Berlin entered the suite. It was luxurious. Elegant furniture, panoramic windows, champagne chilling on a side table.
And sitting on the couch, looking uncomfortable in a cheap suit, was Vernon Thorne. Berlin’s adoptive father looked older than she remembered.
Grayer. The gambling debts had clearly taken their toll. Berlin. He nodded stiffly. You look different.
That’s what happens when you stop letting people treat you like garbage. Nadine laughed, settling into an armchair like a queen on her throne.
Still so dramatic. Sit down. Let’s discuss your payment. Berlin remained standing. I’m not paying you anything.
The temperature in the room dropped. Excuse me. Nadine’s smile vanished. You heard me. Berlin’s voice was steady.
Calm. I’m not giving you a single dollar. Not now. Not ever. Then I’ll expose you.
Nadine’s eyes glittered dangerously. I’ll call the Langston’s right now. Tell them their precious daughter-in-law is a fraud, an impostor, a charity case pretending to be.
Zire already knows. Silence. Nadine’s face went through several expressions. Shock, disbelief, calculation. You’re lying.
I told him everything 3 days ago. Who I really am. Why I was sent here.
What you’ve been holding over me. Berlin smiled coldly. He didn’t throw me out. He kissed me.
