Page 1 of Secrets, Lies and Love
Cecily
PROLOGUE
Past
A laugh wakesme from my deep sleep.
It is sonorous, like a bird singing on a summer morning.
"Did you wake up happy today, Irma?"
"Oh, yes. There's nothing better for my mood than seeing a beauty like this one here, the type to make the Grim Reaper drool."
I hear footsteps approaching, and then a hand strokes my hair.
"True. The girl is beautiful. And lucky too. As if this fairytale princess appearance wasn't enough, just like a cat, she definitely has nine lives."
Lucky?
Am I a lucky girl? I don't feel that way.
How can I be lucky if everyone I’ve loved has died?
"If you really have nine lives, darling, you used one up last night."
"There are still eight left, my love." One of the women seems to be talking to me, even though my eyes remain closed. "Live them wisely. Enjoy every second."
"Wanna know something? I'm like my grandmother, and I believe it wasn't her time yet."
"Maybe not. Or maybe God just changed His mind. The fact is, I've never seen anyone survive something like that with just a few scratches. I think it's her destiny to have a long journey so she can tell this story to her grandchildren in the future."
"Or she still has a mission to complete before she leaves."
Yes—I want to say to the kind woman—I have a mission, even if I have no idea where to start.
Despite that, I can't give up.
I'mhislast hope.
Dionysus
CHAPTER ONE
One year later
NEW YORK
I goto the window of my TV station's headquarters, feeling like I’m suffocating. I've been like this for a long time, and I know the reason: the tension due to the unexpected, not knowing where the enemy might come from—orwhen.
Like my three brothers, the need for control is ingrained in my DNA. Anything that throws my rigidly scheduled life out of alignment alters my mood. This becomes infinitely worse if it involves my son, Joseph.
I think about the child I left at home this morning, and for the thousandth time, I wonder if I'm doing everything right to make him happy.
Insecurity is far from being one of my characteristics, but when it comes to raising a baby, I'm stumbling through the dark, without any idea of when a flashlight will appear.
I run both hands over my face, thinking about the nanny I had to fire a few days ago. Even though I took every possible precaution and hired her through the best agency in New York, that didn't stop the woman from neglecting Joseph to fuck one of the bodyguards in the basement of my house.
Remembering the episode makes my jaw tighten. I'm absolutely obsessed with my heir's safety because I know very well what carelessness can cause.
