“Your father has two wives, always has. He’s just only been legally married to one. Apparently, the government as well as the mafia frown on that lifestyle,” Mathis explained.
Stunned, I flopped back into my chair. “She’s his wife?”
“As I said, in the government’s eyes, Flora is his wife, but in a private religious wedding, he married your mother and Casimira at the same time. Only one name made it on the certificate, but they both have rings. She just wears hers on the other hand,” Mathis added. “The house was bought shortly after since they couldn’t live together here so they spent the weekends together there. You’ve been there yourself a few times, but that happened less and less when you were born. The night your mother died wasn’t the first attempt on your life.”
“Why? Why keep this from me? If he’d just explained it all to me as a child, none of this would have come as a shock,” I mumbled, my brain working a million miles an hour as it tried to figure everything out.
“I’m sorry, squirt, you deserve better from us after everything you’ve been put through,” Mathis admitted as he stood. “Your old man forbade us from telling you. He made us swear on our honor we wouldn’t utter a word about that part of his life. Didn’t want you to deal with keeping it a secret.”
“Yet she’s openly his mistress,” I commented.
Mathis shrugged. “Yeah, and no one’s gay either. They see what they want to see and persecute whatever they find that makes them uncomfortable. The world’s a fucked-up place, kid, but trust me when I say he’ll never judge you on your personal life. He can’t.”
“That’s what he meant, isn’t it?” I said, looking over at him. “He wanted me to have what he can’t, meaning he could never tell anyone that Casimira was his wife along with my mother.”
“Not if he planned on staying in power,” Mathis agreed. “To be clear, I don’t have any issues with him loving two women and committing to them. What I take issue with is how he handled it with you. He owes you so much, and the truth is a small price to pay.”
“You’re not in trouble for telling me, are you?” I asked.
My uncle looked over his shoulder and cocked a brow. “What was it exactly I told you?”
“That my little brother’s a twat,” I answered with a smirk.
“God, is he ever. Damn! That boy got none of your father in him, that’s for sure,” Mathis muttered. “Have fun tonight, will ya? Let loose and live a little. You only have one life, find some time to enjoy it.”
“Now that’s some wisdom I can get behind,” I called after him as he waved goodbye and left.
As I finished my dinner, there was a lot for me to think over. The revelation about my father was shocking, but it helped some things fall into place. I wasn’t any less furious at him, but more so gave me his viewpoint, shitty as it was. The thing that had me even more curious was why he didn’t marry Casimira when Mother died? He’d made it incredibly clear to me that Flora was business, and they would be happy to live their lives entirely separate. He needed her to stick around while I was young to put on a good show, but the witch never once tried to be remotely motherly.
Then it brought me to Liu. The surprise sibling of sorts I seemed to have acquired. Something told me the powers that be in the wings of the Caprioni Family business would have been happy to put him in power. Was it simply that my father had promised the spot to me? Liu was wicked smart and clearly capable, but he had ties to a cut-throat politician. I suppose there’s something to be said for the blind loyalty of a daughter to her father. Only problem is this daughter wasn’t so blind anymore.
“Enough brooding, Astin,” I said aloud to myself. “After all, tonight we are going out, and no one is going to ruin my dancing this time,” I declared as I headed to the bathroom to get ready.
fourteen
OnceIhadmyhair and makeup done, I grabbed my phone and texted Braxton.
Me:Hey, what kind of vibe does this place have? I didn’t really ask what kind of club this was.
While I waited for a response, I headed for my closet, taking in the clothes I’d brought from home and the new ones that had been added. Clearly, Daddy didn’t look at them since there were some dresses and other items he’d never have picked. My phone buzzed in my hand, and I looked down at the screen, surprised to see he answered so fast.
Braxton:The place is called Club Illusion. It’s an underground venue that’s all about getting lost in the music and dancing. Although I’m pretty sure not knowing a thing about the place, anything you decided to wear would be fucking sick.
I smirked, enjoying his subtle way of flirting. He had good taste which is why they put him in charge of nightlife and entertainment. A smooth talker, but he didn’t seem to bullshit me either. Quite the opposite, letting his honest opinion be the first thing out of his mouth.
Me:Thanks (kissy face emoji), I’ll be ready in fifteen. Should I meet you at the front entrance?
Braxton:Yup!
Well, that was a simple enough answer.
Setting my phone on the vanity, I flipped through the dresses, liking them all, but I wanted something extra special for tonight. This was going to be my first official outing to a club my family owned. Nothing about this night was going to go unnoticed by friends and enemies of the family alike. If I were going to be watched all night, I might as well give them something worth looking at.
Then I found it, the perfect dress. I bought it thinking I was going to sneak out for my twenty-first to hit up a club. Plans changed because my uncles took me out instead, and I’d never had the chance to wear it. The dress was black with silver sparkles all over it, making it look like the night sky. It had long sleeves and came to a stop slightly above my knee, but as conservative as it looked on the hanger, it was vastly different on. I almost didn’t try it on, but when I did, I fell in love. The back was all lacing showing off my skin, then the lacing curved at my lower back to go over my hip and down my leg, showing a large swath of skin. You couldn’t wear a bra or panties with this beauty as it would throw off the illusion.
Slipping on a pair of silver glittered-out platform wedges I knew I could dance in, I was ready. I grabbed a simple black clutch that would hold my phone. I took one last look in the mirror and looked over my hair, curled and full like a Victoria’s Secret model. I kept my makeup on the simple side, knowing I wanted my outfit to be the statement piece.
It had taken me time to get over the fact that after all the training I went through, I had some prominent scars as a reminder of what happened. Each scar told the story of what I gave to be where I am today. It’s what kept the darkness from taking me over completely once I’d let it out. My trainers, or torturers as I viewed them, did everything to break me to crack open that part every human has where they either chose to give up or face death head-on. My darkness wasn’t something I wanted unleashed on the world. I’m not sure anyone would survive it.