Page 76 of The Protégé

“Must be nice to gaze at everyone, huh?” I asked the seven stars blinking in the night sky as though they could hear me. I was certain there were more stars hidden from my view.

If I lived outside the city, I could see more stars. The night sky was magical. It always made me wonder what lay beyond the visible.

“Since you see everything from up there, what should I do?” I asked the stars. “What’s waiting for me around the corner?”

I imagined the stars beaming at each other, probably giggling at my ridiculous imagination.

An image popped into my head, making me smirk. “Am I in Orion’s orbit? Or way out of his league?”

I was probably some unknown space object that didn’t belong anywhere. How sad was that?

I didn’t know why, but more silly thoughts appeared in my head. “Are you friends with the moon? If so, why is it so moody?”

Everyone knew a woman’s mood was often associated with the moon.

“You don’t know? Seriously?” I asked, shifting on my ottoman. “Well, let me tell you. The moon is always moody because it’s going through phases!” I beamed at it and knew I was going crazy for having a conversation with the sky.

But the sarcasm and silliness distracted me enough from the horrible news I’d received. I missed those days where I used to blog about silly things.

I knew someone out there was experiencing something worse than me. War and famine were constant issues somewhere in the world. The long list of missing children grew every day. Homelessness was a major issue in most cities. Some single mother or father was trying their best to take care of their children while working multiple jobs. I saw and reported on these stories daily. At least I had a roof over my head, money for necessities, and family and close friends who loved and supported me.

You’re okay, Elena.

Feeling better, I slid back into bed and released a long sigh. Tomorrow was another day. The moon was transitioning into another phase, and I had a job to do that required my rest. I had a couple of places to investigate and needed to look into Sam’s comment about my father. If he thought I’d let it slide, he was wrong.

And whoever had framed me would soon find out they’d underestimated me. Staying down wasn’t my nature.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ORION

Inside the conferenceroom of the Reimann Sienna Bank in Stockholm, Sweden, I stood beside my father, looking out at the lush courtyard.

“Did you know your mother designed that courtyard?” Rex Reimann gestured to the intricate shape of the landscape. He had aged significantly since the last time I saw him at his brother’s funeral. He had more creases on his forehead and lines around his eyes.

I looked down at the courtyard. From above, the mandala was more noticeable. Those wandering on the ground would miss the pattern, but they could enjoy the flowers and plants.

The silence hung between us. It wasn’t awkward because I was used to it, but I just didn’t know what to say. Too much distance had grown between my father and me. Our relationship wasn’t salvageable.

Guilt twisted in my gut, remembering how many times my mom had asked me to give my father a chance.

He loves you very much.

She was trying her best to keep the family together.

I studied my father, whose dark brown hair and cold gray eyes reflected mine. When I was younger, I’d wished for my mother’s blonde hair, inviting blue eyes, and her ability to dissolve anxiety the way sugar melted into warm tea. There had been moments when I’d yearned for my father’s attention, but he’d turned me away for meetings. I could never forget what it felt like to be dismissed like that.

How had my mom dealt with his coldness?

Rex Reimann was a powerful man in the business arena. I wondered if he ever spoke about me to his colleagues. He kept his family private, and when my mom passed, it became even more private.

“I didn’t know that.” I broke the silence. “Mom was very talented.”

“She was indeed.” Sadness tinged his voice.

I should forgive him for all the suffering I’d endured, shouldn’t I? I’d been a child working like an adult. My anxiety had become my weakness. A weakness that had pushed me to become a thief. Thievery was the only remedy that had helped me.

I never dreamed I’d become a thief, but life often took us down interesting paths that redefined many things for us.

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