The absurdity of it all punched a hole in my composure, and I couldnāt stop laughter from leaking out in the middle of TĆa Lupeās platitudes. The more I tried, the harder my shoulders shook until my aunt stopped and stared at me in horror.
Some of my cousins had drifted off to take advantage of the mansionās pool or arcade, but the remaining family observed me like Iād murdered their favorite pet.
āWhatās so funny?ā TĆa Lupe demanded in Spanish. āYour father is on his deathbed, and youāre laughing? That is beyond disrespectful!ā
āItās funny you should say that, tĆa, considering you only come around when you want my father to pay your bills. Howās the house in Cartagena? Still under the million-peso renovation you so desperately needed?ā Steel flickered beneath my amusement.
āYou should talk. Youāre a spoiled little brat who wastes my brotherās money without everāā
āLupe. Enough.ā My uncle placed a hand on her arm and firmly steered her away from me. āNowās not the time.ā He cast an apologetic glance at me, and I summoned a wan smile in response.
Unlike TĆa Lupe, TĆo Martin was quiet, even-tempered, and cautious. He lived in the same half dozen outfits year-round and didnāt give a crap about the lifestyles of the rich. I had no idea how heād ended up with someone like my aunt, but I supposed opposites did attract.
āNo, Lupe is right,ā TĆo Esteban, my fatherās eldest sibling, said. āWhatās so funny, Xavier? You havenāt been home in months. You refused to take over the company, so poor Eduardo here is stuck doing your job. You are constantly pictured in the gossip rags, partying and wasting God knows how much money. I told Alberto to cut you off a long time ago, but no, he refuses.ā He shook his head. āI donāt know what he was thinking.ā
I did. Money was another form of control for my father, and the threat of cutting me off was more powerful than the act. If he actually cut me off, that would be it. I would be free.
I couldāve cut myself off, but Iāll be honestāI was a hypocrite. I railed against Lupe for using my father as an ATM machine when I did the same. The difference was I admitted it.
The money was a prison, but it was all I had. Without it, Xavier Castillo as the world knew him would cease to exist, and the possibility of losing the only value I had was more terrifying than living the rest of my life in a gilded cage.
āOh, you know Alberto.ā TĆa Lupe scoffed. āAlways holding on to the romantic notion that my dear nephew will someday stop being a disappointment. Honestly, Xavier, if your mother were alive, she would hateāā The rest of her sentence cut off with a shriek when I grabbed her by the front of her shirt and yanked her toward me.
āDo not ever talk about my mother,ā I said, my voice deceptively soft. āYou may be family, but sometimes, thatās not enough. Do you understand?ā
My auntās pupils were the size of dimes, and when she spoke, her words shook. āHow dare you. Let go of me this instant, orāā
āDo. You. Understand?ā
The feather in her ridiculous hat quivered with increasing intensity. It was a testament to her unlikability that no one, not even her husband, stepped forth to intervene.
āYes,ā she spit out.
I released her, and she scrambled back to TĆo Martinās side. āExcuse us.ā Sloaneās cool touch soothed some of the flames raging in my gut. āXavier and I need to discuss some media matters in private.ā
I followed her out of the room, passing my auntās vengeful gaze, Dr. Cruzās frown, and a host of other silent judgment.
I wished I cared.
I was glad I didnāt.
Sloane led me to my fatherās office down the hall. She closed the door behind us and faced me, her expression not betraying an ounce of emotion. āAre you done?ā
āShe had it coming.ā
āThat wasnāt my question.ā Four strides brought her close. āAre. You. Done?ā She punctuated each word with precision.
My jaw tensed. āYes.ā
Was what Iād done smart? Probably not. But itād felt damn good.
Of everyone in my family, TĆa Lupe was the last person who should talk about how my mom would feel. The two had never gotten along. TĆa Lupe had seen my mother as competition for my fatherās time and moneyāwhich was disturbing on so many levelsāand my mother had disliked her sister-in-lawās shameless self-aggrandizement.
āGood, because if youāre done, itās my turn to speak.ā Sloane tapped the globe on my fatherās desk. Red pins highlighted every country where the Castillo Groupās beer had the biggest market share.
Half the globe was red.
āThis is your inheritance,ā she said. āA global empire. Thousands of employees. Billions of dollars. You are the only direct heir to the Castillo Group, and even if you refuse a corporate position, your name means something. It means there will always be people looking to take you down, to take from you, to get what they feel like they deserve. Some of those people are right down the hall. Your jobāāshe jabbed a finger at my chestāāis to be smart. This is a critical time not only for your fatherās health but for your future. If he dies, itāll be a feeding frenzy, no matter what his will says. So unless youāre willing to give up your inheritance and work for once in your life, keep your hands to yourself and your temper under control.ā
Unlike earlier, her touch burned.
Indignation shriveled beneath her steady stare. She wasnāt being malicious or unsympathetic; she was being practical, and in typical Sloane fashion, she was right.
āTough love, Luna,ā I drawled. āYouāre good at that.ā
I stepped away from her and toward the globe. I spun it idly, watching the Americas roll by, followed by Europe and Africa, then Asia, then Australia.
I stopped it when South America came into view again and plucked the pin out of Colombia. It pricked my thumb, but I hardly felt it.
āHave you ever wished someone would die?ā I asked softly. āI donāt mean figuratively or in a moment of anger. I mean, have you ever lain awake at night, dreaming of how life would be better if a specific person didnāt exist?ā
It was the closest Iād ever come to shining a light on my darkest thoughts, and the somber ticks and tocks that followed sounded like hammers striking at my walls.
The English grandfather clock in the corner was one of my fatherās prized possessions. Rosewood case carved with an intricate inlay design, face crafted of chased silver, hallmarked numerals by a famous London silversmith. Heād paid over one hundred thousand dollars for it at an auction, and its imposing sentry felt like an avatar for his reproach.
A breeze brushed my skin as Sloane reached for the pin. āYes.ā Her fingers grazed my palm for a single, lingering second before she pushed the pin back into the globe. āIt doesnāt make us bad people, nor is it an excuse. We canāt always control our thoughts, but we can control what we do about them.ā
Her gaze coasted from the antique surface of the globe to my eyes.
āThe question then,ā she said, āis what are you going to do next?ā
CHAPTER 13
Sloane
Gloom shrouded the Castillo estate for the next twenty-four hours as the patriarch hovered on the precipice between life and death. The staff worked more slowly, the family talked more quietly, and the sunshine streaming through the windows dulled the second they hit the mansionās dread-laced air.
I stayed out of everyoneās way except for Xavierās.
I didnāt deal well with broody billionaires, nor was I particularly good at comforting people. However, I couldnāt bring myself to let him wallow alone, which was how I ended up searching the mansion for him with reinforcements in hand.
I had some free timeāIād finished the press statement last night, and no major outlets had picked up Perryās piece about my misadventures in Spain. I wasnāt a celebrity, but the lack of response was suspicious. Nevertheless, I took it as a gift from the universe; I had enough real problems without creating hypothetical ones.
I finally found Xavier camped out in the den with an ESPN documentary about the worldās top athletes. One of his arms draped across the back of the couch while the other held a bottle of the Castillo Groupās signature drink.
Tousled hair, cashmere sweats, three-hundred-dollar T-shirt. That was the Xavier I knew and didnāt quite love.