Page 10 of Seeds of Sorrow

HADINA

Hadina knewit was wrong to be so resentful towards her sister, but she truly couldn’t help it. Zellie was a cold, calculated asshole. All her life, Hadina had wished to be like her elder sibling, to find a companionship with her kin, but Zellie had never allowed it. She made sure to keep Hadina at arm’s length, lest she get too close and figure her out.

The irony wasn’t missed by Hadina as she thought about her sister’s fears. Zellie had wanted to rule Adis & Co.in whatever way she saw fit, and most definitely without the intervention of their father. Her truth was quickly made clear when Zellie’s plans unfolded, leaving Hadina and their father to find out about what Zellie really wanted to do. After all, the only thing Zellie craved more than power was money, and she had planned to corrupt the family business to get her fill of both.

Uncovering that betrayal was the nail in the coffin for Hadina. The little girl inside who so desperately wanted her sister’s approval disappeared in that instant, killing any youthful naivety she had left. She knew Zellie was ruthless, but she thought both her sisters respected their father enough to never betray the family. It was how she ended up in charge of the business, leaving her big sister seething.

It had broken their mother’s heart that they weren’t close, always arguing and bickering over something or other. “La familiashould always stick together!” she would say, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. Then she would storm off, muttering in Spanish so that not even Hadina could understand.

Now, as they sat around the dining table with fake smiles plastered on their faces, Hadina had to resist the urge to bitch-slap her sister for the heartache she had caused them all. She couldn’t understand how her father had forgiven Zellie so easily, welcoming her back into the family fold. It had pissed everyone off when Hadina had refused to rehire Zellie within the family company, though Hadina had no regrets over her decision. Five years had passed and Hadina was no closer to forgiving Zelina than she was when it happened.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Peyton!” Piper sing-songed, clasping Peyton’s hand in her own.

Peyton smiled and nodded politely, but Hadina noticed the way she carefully extracted her hand without Piper noticing. There was more to Miss Dimitra than what she presented on the surface, and Hadinaachedto discover every little secret she had. She’d always loved a tricky puzzle, and Peyton seemed like just that.

Hadina looked at her sisters, offering Piper a small smile. Pip had opted to leave her hair down, the chestnut-brown curls bouncing down her back. Her features were soft, big brown eyes and pouty lips, which had always made her look young and innocent her entire life. It was a stark contrast from Hadina’s sharp angles and Zellie’s fierceness.

Zellie swiped a strand of her hair from her face, though the black strand bounced back into place on her cheek. She had gotten it cut over the last month, replacing her long locks with an above-the-shoulder feathered bob that framed her face. She had almond-shaped eyes like their father and dark brows that were shaped in a way that made her look permanently angry—which she was.

The three of them looked like their parents in their own way and shared slight similarities, but they were also incredibly different. Hadina was harsh, Zellie fierce, and Piper soft—much like their personalities.

Piper clapped her hands, beaming from ear to ear. “I’m so excited to see everyone. It feels likeforeversince we last had dinner.”

“We have dinner every month, Piper. Don’t be so dramatic,” Zellie snapped, her perfect persona slipping.

She would try her best to make Peyton think she was the prodigal daughter, but Zellie couldn’t act to save herself. Her mask would soon be shed to show the vicious bitch she was underneath. She only hoped that Peyton didn’t get herself caught in the crossfire.

Hadina could never bear to see her little sister sad, so she glared at Zellie and offered Piper the truest smile she could manage under the tense circumstances. “Ignore her. It’s good to see you, Pip. Did you get up to any mischief this week?”

Piper rolled her eyes. It was a running joke within the family that Piper was too innocent, effectively the odd one out in their morally gray family. She had chosen to stray from the career paths of her sisters, choosing instead to become an art dealer. Hadina had often teased that there were plenty of ways to make that into a very lucrative criminal empire, but Piper always scolded her and told Hadina that one of the three had to remain good and lawful.

“Yes, I killed a man for telling me that Picasso was the greatest artist to have ever lived. Like, hello, have you everseenone of Van Gogh’s masterpieces?”

Hadina couldn’t help but smile as Peyton let out a loud laugh, throwing a hand over her mouth and nose as a snort escaped. Piper sat up a little straighter, looking at Peyton like she had just found her new best friend. Something stirred in Hadina and she resisted the urge to pull Peyton closer to her side while warning her sisters away from her.

The sentimentality and possessiveness of her thoughts made her sick. She shook her head and took a large gulp of her wine, choosing to tune out the conversation rather than letting her newfound emotions take over. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but Hadina swore to bury whatever she was feeling.

When dinner was served, Hadina found herself shoveling food into her mouth to avoid speaking. She didn’t cook very often now but she suddenly ached to be in the kitchen, cooking menudo with her mother over the stove while they sang along to Selena. Taking a bite out of the steak in front of her, Hadina had to swallow down a sigh. Family dinner each month always made her horribly nostalgic, grief-stricken, and just plain grumpy.

She could see her father giving her a warning look out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t make herself care. If he wanted her to be on her best behavior, he was effectively asking her to keep quiet, and that was precisely what she was doing.

Every so often, Peyton glanced at Hadina, offering small smiles and concerned looks. It pissed Hadina off. She had been too open with Miss Dimitra in the garden earlier, lowering a piece of the barrier between them that she wanted kept firmly in place. Peyton was no different from anyone else, which meant Hadina had to keep her distance. But something about that insufferable ray of sunshine kept her talking everyfuckingtime.

“Cat got your tongue, Hadina?” Zellie purred, turning that predatory smile on her sister.

Hadina grinned, making sure to show all her teeth. “Sorry, I was just waiting for you to say something interesting enough to require my attention.”

At that moment, their father smacked his hands down on the table, causing the cutlery to clatter against the plates. Hadina winced, looking between her father’s angry gaze and Peyton’s apprehensive expression.

“Could you all pretend that I raised you with a goddamn ounce of decorum and manners please? You aren’t exactly showing our guest any consideration.”

Zellie, never one for staying quiet while being lectured, scoffed. “She’s not exactly a guest, Papi. You hired her—solo es una simple sirvienta.”

The room went eerily quiet as Zellie’s words sank in. Peyton stared down in front of her, her fingers playing with a loose thread on the tablecloth. Hadina looked to her father, waiting for him to say something, but he just shook his head. Hadina sighed, resigned that she would have to be the one to call Zellie on her bullshit once again.

“Eres una pinche perra maleducada! Apologize to Peyton, Zelina.” Hadina’s voice brooked no argument, but Zellie laughed in response.

“Oh, am I supposed to be intimidated by your use of my proper name? You don’t scare me,hermanita. Besides,” Zellie continued, “I’m only stating facts. She’s not family or a guest—she’s just some random girlPapihired to keep him company.”

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