Page 13 of So Close

I sit on the edge of the bed, reach out and run my fingers through Lily’s hair. The strands are glossy and vibrant with life. They slip and slide, settling neatly onto the pillow when I let them go. Her skin is like white satin. Flawless and smooth, soft as down feathers and free from the sun damage every other woman her age fights, including me.

Somewhere, there’s a bag collecting urine from her catheter. And she wears a diaper for shitting. So … maybe not so fucking perfect after all, huh?

“I’ve decided I want you to wake up,” I tell her conversationally. “I need to know how you fucked him up so badly.”

Because I really want to fuck him up, too.

The thin straps of her red negligee bare her shoulders and arms. Her nails are crimson spots on the ruched ice-blue silk of the duvet. The taped IV needle draws my gaze to her vein, which pulses visibly, a direct line to her heart and brain. I touch it, feeling how cool the liquid is that’s dripping into her, how it’s chilled her skin.

“You feel like a corpse,” I tell her.

But she doesn’t smell like one. I lean closer and sniff, catching the faintest trace of perfume, something floral with undertones of deep musk and tropical breezes. I like it. My face is inches from hers, taking in every detail. Her lashes lay like black lace fans against her cheeks.

Thunder cracks the sky and the penthouse quakes. Her eyes slit open, luminous green, staring with serpentine ferocity.

I tumble to the floor, screaming.

10

ALIYAH

“Virtual makeovers are ubiquitous,and we’ve maximized that feature with filters.”

Ryan Landon clicks a button on the remote in his hand, and the photo of Rosana on the screen instantly transitions from brightly lit to dark and moody. “By offering the option to see how their selections appear in daylight, candlelight, multihued nightclub lighting, fluorescent or LED, overcast or sunny, and many more, we increase the opportunity for the customer to expand their selections.”

Eva Cross smiles. “And since we offer customizable palettes, they could put together a work and after-hours kit or a wedding and reception kit.”

“The possibilities are endless!” Rosana exclaims with delight.

Ryan smiles, and we are all charmed. Kane’s closest friend is a handsome man with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes. They’ve known each other since college. And while Ryan’s LanCorp is best known for video games, the company was the only choice Kane considered to build a mobile app supporting our new cosmeceutical line.

Eva had objected to Ryan. So, too, had Rosana. Eva’s company, Cross Industries – built by her husband, Gideon – is considered an industry leader, more significant and with far more resources at its disposal than LanCorp. Other voices within Baharan concurred.

Insisting on Ryan – and getting him – was retaliatory, our counter to the Crosses’ strict morality clause. While such clauses in co-ventures are standard, the wording read like preemptive censure. A judgment of my family, of the way I raised my children, and of Paul’s untrustworthiness. Valid or not, it rubbed me the wrong way, so I tied Ryan in to rub the Crosses the wrong way. His participation also ensures we have someone at the wheel who is motivated to minimize the Crosses’ contributions and maximize ours.

The ECRA+ name already puts Eva’s initials first: EvaCrossRosanaArmand. The plus stands for the power of Baharan, the potent ingredients that elevate everyday cosmetics to the level of serums and elixirs. Eva is the media darling of the moment, and she came to the table with plenty of capital, but that doesn’t outweigh what Baharan’s research brings to the partnership. And while it was Kane’s idea to expand into the beauty space and approach Eva as a partner, I directly oversee every facet of the collaboration. And Ryan is a Baharan investor, even if he is too busy with his company to serve on our board.

As my thoughts turn to Amy and Lily, I try to ignore the sick foreboding that sits in my belly like an icy rock. Both of my daughters-in-law are liabilities. Either could be the force that knocks down the house of cards we’ve assembled so carefully.

Ryan catches my eye, and I nod my approval. The half dozen employees with him are the head architects behind the curtain that made the app what it is. In usual circumstances, they would be leading the presentation, not Ryan himself.

“An excellent idea,” I praise, “beautifully implemented.”

“Thank you. Now, for many of your customers, how the colors look on Rosana and Eva will inspire them to purchase.” He clicks the remote, and the side-by-side images of the two girls change again. “The app users will be able to see a variety of combinations with a quick tap on their screens.”

“Allowing users to make us over could be really fun,” Eva says with a huffed laugh, “or go really unflatteringly wrong.”

“We thought of that,” he assures her. “If a user tries to deliberately create an unflattering combination on either of you” – he demonstrates – “the app will default to barefaced photos. Once the ECRA+ skincare line is ready to launch, we’ll also rotate in those products as defaults.”

“Whoa.” Rosana laughs with delight. “That’s awesome.”

“And it’s individualized for each of you. While some combinations aren’t flattering on Eva, they can look pretty dynamite on Rosana and vice versa. See?”

Eva nods as his presentation switches between the example of her face to an instance of Rosana’s. “Impressive.”

“Keep in mind we also have thematic photos of you both throughout and the fifty models of various skin tones, ethnicities and ages you selected. The latter has turned out to be very popular in-house. I hadn’t realized that consumers with gray hair are largely ignored in the beauty space. There’s a void, and you’re going to fill it.”

“That’s the plan.” Eva smiles, but her gaze is shrewd. “Who decided what was flattering or not for each of us?”

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