The Secret Diamond Sisters. Michelle Madow

glint in his eyes. “But aside from that, we have a lot to discuss. I was sorry to hear about your mother.” He paused and glanced out the window, his thoughts seeming far away, as if he were remembering a time long past. Then he refocused and returned his gaze to Courtney and her sisters. “I didn’t know just how rough this past year has been on the three of you until your grandmother informed me. I’m sorry you had to go through what you did.”

      “Why did you wait until now to do something?” Peyton crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

      “I knew things were bad, but I wasn’t made aware of the extent of it until your grandmother called me,” he said. “After the divorce your mother forbade her to contact me, but I suppose that, given the circumstances, she decided to take charge. She always was a spirited one. I suppose that’s where you get it from.”

      “I don’t mean months ago.” Peyton ignored his semicompliment. “I mean for our whole lives. We didn’t know if you were alive until now! And now we find out that you’re....” She paused, as if searching for the right words to describe him. “Well, that you’re you.”

      “Mom always said you were bad news.... She let us think you were a homeless drug dealer or something,” Savannah added. “Why would she want to keep us away from all of this?” She motioned around the condo to show what she meant.

      “Your mother never approved of the three of you growing up in this environment,” Adrian said thoughtfully. “And I didn’t disagree with her. The Las Vegas Strip is not the...safest place to raise children.”

      “Couldn’t you have moved?” Courtney finally found her voice. “So you could be near us?”

      “No.” He shook his head. “It’s best for my business if I live here.”

      “And your business is more important than your daughters,” Peyton said.

      “Some parts of my business are dangerous no matter where I live, especially for those close to me,” he said with what Courtney could have sworn was resentment. “But we’re already ten minutes late for our dinner reservation, so I’ll go more into detail about that once we’re seated. You three have arrived on a very important day. Not only is tonight the Fourth of July party at Myst, but today I had a meeting with a colleague regarding a proposal for a beneficial partnership.” He paused to look them over again. “You’re all ready to leave?”

      Courtney nodded along with her sisters and tried to smile. Didn’t Adrian care about sitting down with them privately so they could get to know each other? To explain why he’d ignored their existence for their entire lives? Instead, they were going straight out to dinner. Yes, he’d said he would explain more to them once they got to the restaurant, but Courtney hadn’t expected that discussion to take place somewhere so public. The thought of being on display like that took away any semblance of an appetite she’d had until now.

      But maybe she was thinking about it wrong. Maybe he thought taking them out to dinner would be considerate. Which, she supposed, it was.

      “Good,” he said. “We have a private room, so we’ll be able to talk without other people listening. I also have two people who I want you to meet. They’ve been looking forward to this, so I would appreciate it if you were on your best behavior.”

      They hadn’t been here a day yet and he was already going to introduce them to people? Courtney felt nauseated at the prospect. What if she said something wrong and made a fool of herself?

      “I know you might feel out of your element,” he said, “but please roll with it, and remember that I’ll answer any questions later.”

      He looked at the three of them again and walked to the doors, leaving them no choice but to follow his lead.

      chapter 7:

      None of them spoke as Adrian led the way down the hall.

      Peyton hadn’t expected him to bombard them with bear hugs, but she wasn’t prepared for him to be so formal. He was treating them like they were a business deal instead of his own daughters. He’d even laughed about her throwing the credit card in the trash. What was up with that?

      After a silent, uncomfortable elevator ride, Adrian escorted them through the casino to a balconied area with two escalators curving around to the floor below. Peyton felt like she’d been dropped into an alternate universe. Huge chandeliers hung from a high circular ceiling—she guessed there were ten of them in all. They were different shapes and colors, most of them red, orange and yellow. It was like being in a cavern, with chandeliers instead of stalactites. But despite it being beautiful, Peyton made sure to look bored and uninterested. The last thing she wanted was for Adrian to think she was happy to be here.

      At the bottom of the escalator, Adrian walked through an archway with the words Five Diamond Steakhouse in cursive on the top. Peyton had never been to a restaurant this fancy. White cloths covered the tables, and silk drapes fell over parts of the burgundy walls. Bronze chandeliers that looked like hanging lamps dropped down from the ceiling, their golden glow bringing the restaurant to life. Not that it needed it. Every table was occupied with people engaged in lively conversation.

      The host spotted Adrian and hurried to the four of them. “Good evening, Mr. Diamond,” he said, bowing his head like Adrian was a king. “Your table is ready.”

      Most of the people dining looked up at Adrian as he walked by, whispering and pointing as he passed. How many of them knew he was the owner of the hotel? Even if they didn’t, Adrian had an air about him that announced he was someone important. He greeted people as they passed, shaking hands, smiling and joking like he was best friends with everyone. Peyton could see why people liked him. Why couldn’t he act this friendly around his own daughters?

      She supposed it made sense, though—dealing with teenagers wasn’t part of his job description, but making hotel guests happy was.

      His “regular table” was in the back of the restaurant in the private room he’d mentioned, and the two people he’d warned them about were already seated. One of them was a guy who appeared to be around Peyton’s age, and while he wasn’t as obviously good-looking as Damien, he was attractive. His face was round, and his green eyes had a faraway look, like he was trying to distance himself from the world. He was underdressed in a T-shirt and a black hoodie, but his mom must not have cared enough to tell him to change.

      At least Peyton was 99 percent sure that the woman sitting next to him was his mom. She had a young-looking face, with the same high cheekbones as the boy. She’d pulled her hair back in a bun, and the strand of large pearls around her neck gave her a regal appearance. Adrian smiled when he saw her, his eyes becoming soft and loving.

      Who was this woman, and why was Adrian looking at her like she was more valuable than any diamond in the world?

      “Girls,” Adrian said, “this is my fiancée, Rebecca Carmel, and her son, Brett. They’ll be joining us for dinner this evening.”

      Fiancée? Peyton looked at the woman in disbelief.

      Rebecca softly cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. She straightened her silverware, and Adrian rested a hand on her shoulder. Peyton couldn’t blame her for being nervous. This was an awkward situation, and Rebecca was now front and center.

      “You have a fiancée?” Peyton finally said to Adrian, not caring that the doors to their private room were still open. “And you didn’t think it was important to tell us this first?”

      “I didn’t want you to have any preconceived ideas about Rebecca before meeting her,” Adrian said calmly. He motioned to the doors, and the host closed them as he left their room. “Plus, I thought this conversation might be easier for the three of you with a mother figure around.”

      “We already have a mother.” Peyton crossed her arms, standing her ground. “We don’t need another one.”