Chương 3
It was irritating.
Finally she said, “Stop.”
He frowned.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying things like you know what’s happening.”
“I know part of it.”
“Then explain the part you know.”
The EMT looked between them.
“I can come back.”
“No,” Mara said. “Please finish.”
Adrian gave the smallest nod.
That helped.
The EMT advised imaging if the pain worsened, told her the shoulder could be badly bruised or strained even if nothing was broken, and asked again whether she wanted transport to the emergency room.
Mara thought about her insurance deductible.
Then she thought about workers’ compensation paperwork.
Then she thought about how much she hated that those were her first practical considerations after being assaulted at a museum gala.
“I’ll go.”
The EMT nodded.
The museum administrator said immediately, “We’ll make sure the workplace injury paperwork is handled.”
Mara looked at her.
“Tonight?”
“Not tonight. Tomorrow. I meant—”
“I know what you meant.”
The woman looked relieved.
Mara was too tired to punish her for being clumsy.
Celeste ended her call.
“I’m leaving.”
The security supervisor shook his head.
“We’ve asked NYPD to respond.”
“For what?”
The supervisor stared at her.
Celeste’s face hardened.
“You cannot possibly believe that was an assault.”
Mara looked at Darnell, who had been asked to remain nearby as a witness.
He mouthed, Wow.
She nearly laughed again.
Then Adrian spoke.
“Celeste, there are cameras.”
“I know there are cameras.”
“And witnesses.”
“I know.”
“And you told her women from her family belong on their knees.”
Celeste’s gaze snapped toward him.
“You don’t know the context.”
Mara lowered the ice pack.
“I’d love the context.”
Silence.
“What family?” Mara asked. “Mine?”
Celeste looked away.
“Who told you about my mother?”
No answer.
Mara stood.
The EMT said, “Easy.”
She ignored him.
“Who told you about Lydia Reyes?”
Celeste’s mouth tightened.
Adrian stepped away from the door.
“Answer her.”
Celeste laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“You really want to do this in front of museum security?”
“Yes.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Try me.”
Mara hated the way the argument shifted toward them, as though she were becoming evidence in someone else’s war.
She looked at Adrian.
“I asked her.”
He stopped.
Mara turned back to Celeste.
“Answer me.”
For the first time that evening, Celeste looked directly afraid of her.
Not because Mara had power.
Because she had a question.
“My father knew your mother,” Celeste said.
Mara waited.
“That’s all.”
“You attacked me because your father knew my mother?”
“I didn’t attack you.”
Darnell sighed loudly.
Celeste glared at him.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Say it.”
“I’m trying not to.”
Mara sat again before her legs could decide for her.
“My mother was a home health aide,” she said. “She worked in Queens and Long Island. Your father hires people to open doors for him.”
Celeste said nothing.
Adrian’s eyes lowered.
Mara noticed.
“You know more too.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then I want you both away from me.”
That seemed to surprise him.
She almost resented that more than anything else.
“I’m going to the hospital,” she said. “I’m going to give the police whatever statement they ask for. After that, I’m going home.”
“Mara—”
“No.”
Adrian stopped.
She held the locket in her palm.
“This belonged to my mother. Whatever story you have about your father, your family, this thing—none of that means you get to decide who I am tonight.”
He looked at her for several seconds.
Then he nodded.
“You’re right.”
Celeste rolled her eyes.
Mara turned to her.
“And you can go to hell.”
Darnell looked at the floor to hide his smile.
The police arrived twelve minutes later.
By then, a video of the incident was already online.
Mara learned that from Darnell.
He was staring at his phone.
“Oh, damn.”
She did not ask.
He looked guilty.
“Sorry.”
“What?”
“Somebody posted it.”
Mara closed her eyes.
“How bad?”
“Depends what you mean by bad.”
“Darnell.”
“Half a million views.”
She opened her eyes.
“What?”
“It’s climbing.”
“Give me that.”
He handed her the phone.
The clip began with Celeste raising the tray.
Whoever had recorded it had missed the first blow but captured almost everything after: Celeste’s threat, Adrian stopping the second strike, the locket appearing, the exchange.
And the sentence.
You just attacked my sister.
The caption read:
BILLIONAIRE ADRIAN VALE DISCOVERS SECRET SISTER WORKING AS SERVER AFTER SOCIALITE ATTACKS HER AT MUSEUM GALA
Mara stared.
“That is not what happened.”
Darnell leaned over.
“It’s kind of what happened.”
“No. He didn’t discover anything. He saw a necklace.”
“Locket.”
“Not helping.”
“Sorry.”
The comments were worse.
Some people were horrified.
Some were delighted.
Some had already identified Mara by name.
Someone had found an old photograph from a museum employee recognition post.
Someone else had found her mother’s obituary.
Mara’s stomach turned.
“Turn it off.”
Darnell took the phone.
“You want me to text anybody?”
“My roommate.”
“You want to do it?”
Mara tried to lift her right arm and winced.
“Could you?”
“Yeah.”
Her roommate, Nina Park, arrived at the hospital forty minutes later wearing pajama pants under a camel coat and carrying Mara’s phone charger.
She entered the treatment bay, looked at Mara’s shoulder, looked at the torn collar folded on the chair, and said, “I leave you alone for one shift.”
Mara started crying.
Not dramatically.
No warning.
Her face simply folded.
Nina stopped.
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know.”
Nina moved closer and put one hand behind Mara’s head.
Mara cried into the shoulder of Nina’s coat until she could smell fabric softener and the sesame oil from whatever Nina had cooked before going to bed.
“This is a really expensive coat,” Mara said eventually.
“It’s from Uniqlo.”
“Oh.”
“Cry harder.”
Mara laughed into it.
That hurt.
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“Fine. Rich people are serious.”
Mara pulled away.
“Apparently one of them is my brother.”
Nina’s face changed.
May you like
“Yeah.”
“You saw it?”
