Breathing heavily, I grip my knees. “Wow…so that’s why he took me away.” Dad had already lost Raven, and he was terrified he was going to lose me too. He did twist the truth a lot when he told me what happened, though, which scares me. How many other things has he lied about over the years? Is Jacie even as bad as he says she is?
Jacie continues, “I would have come after you, but I had no idea where you’d gone. Plus, I knew he wouldn’t let me see you even if I found out, so I just…I gave up all hope and tried my best to build a life with Raven.” Jacie takes a long, cleansing breath, and I work hard to keep my tears at bay. She finally turns to make eye contact with me. “To this day, I still regret leaving you there in that basket. I don’t know if it’s possible that you could ever forgive me. I know what I did to you was awful, and completely inexcusable. But you should know I would like nothing better now than to have a second chance to get to know my second daughter.”
My chest tightens, and my voice comes out in a hoarse whisper. “You want to know me?”
“Of course.” She glides closer to me and lays a hand over mine. “You are my daughter, after all.”
A burning sensation sweeps in where her skin is touching mine. The dead, even tone returns to my voice. “No…” I pull my hand away and stand to my feet, towering above her. Rage possesses me, and I seethe out the angry words I resolved not to say on the way over. “How dare you call me that? You lost the opportunity to call me your daughter when you made me the laughingstock of an entire nation!”
“I know…” Her voice trembles with emotion, and tears build up in her eyes. “I realize what it must have done to you—”
“No! You don’t realize, or you wouldn’t have the gall to expect me to grovel at your feet like this! You tanked my entire life! I grew up away from my home! Not knowing who my father was, who I was…knowing my mother abandoned me…you gave me a name that sticks with me everywhere I go! You know what they call me? The Basket Baby! The Basket Baby!” Now I’m crying and shrieking at the same time.
“I know…I tried to fix it, I really did—”
“Kidnapping me wasn’t ‘fixing it’! Keeping your identity a secret wasn’t ‘fixing it’! Do you honestly think you gave it your best shot?”
“It’s true, I could have done better—”
“You didn’t do shit! All you did was make things worse! I barely had any type of life because of you! You…you didn’t fix shit—”
“I didn’t then, but I want to now.” She raises her voice a little to be heard over me.
I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to stop the sobs. “How do you expect to fix this? How could you ever rectify my disaster of a life?”
“I want to tell the world you’re my daughter,” Jacie says, and it stuns me silent for a few beats.
“What?”
“I’ll come forward with everything…the whole sordid story of what I did. I’ll claim you as my own and let Michael claim Raven. No custody battles have to be involved this time, just the truth.”
I study her face. She might be a crazy, conniving person, but…she sure as hell seems sincere right now. “You really mean that?”
“Yes.” Jacie stands in front of me and looks me square in the eye. “Madison…I’m so terribly sorry. I know what I did. I know the devastating effect it had. But I want to make it right now that I’ve got the chance. I saw your viral pictures, and—”
“Oh God…” I cover my face with my hand.
Jacie responds with a strained chuckle. “No, it wasn’t a bad thing. It…it was the first I’d seen of your return to Los Angeles. After that, they barely convinced me to stay on set. I wanted to rush back home and find you immediately. When I saw you on that red carpet, I…I just knew it was a sign. It’s time. You’re here, and it’s my chance to make everything right.”
I let my hand fall to my side, feeling hopeful and vulnerable all at once. I search her familiar face one more time for any evidence of BS. I can’t find a single morsel of it. “You’re serious? You’ll claim me and let Dad claim Raven?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll tell them everything? You’ll clear my name completely?”
“Yes, to all of the above.” She smiles.
“Well…uh…” I tangle my fingers in my hair and almost yank out a chunk of it in my nerves. “I’ll have to talk to Dad. He’s not going to agree to this easily—”
“You might be surprised. After all, he never knew his second daughter.”
That was…an excellent point. “Well…all right then. I’ll talk to him.”
“Wonderful,” she says. “By the way, you may call me Jess. That’s what friends and family members call me.”
“Okay. For now, just call me Madison. My nickname has to be earned.”
Jess responds with a humble nod. “That’s fair.”
She gives me her phone number so I can call her with Dad’s answer. Then we decide to arrange a meeting with the four of us at a public place once he agrees to discuss the details. There’s nothing left to be said after that, so we walk to the door side by side. When she opens the door to let me out, Gio’s standing right there outside it. If looks could kill, Jess Redinger would have been six feet under seventeen years ago.
He misdirects his anger at me. “What the hell were you thinking? I searched the entire building for you!”
Jess flashes me an apologetic smirk and leaves me to Gio.
“Don’t yell at me, okay?” I beg him. “Just…just call me a cab or something. I don’t feel like partying right now.”
“Fine, but I’m coming with you.” Gio fumes out Italian words as he takes out his phone and calls us a cab. I sigh heavily as I watch him. Mother Dearest ruined what was supposed to be the best night of my life. I should have known. At least now I have the hope of clearing my name once and for all.
Gio and I climb into a cab ten minutes later, and he holds my hand even though he’s still angry with me. He stares out the window and mutters, “Well, at least you yelled at your mother.”
Chapter 22
July 6, 2015
That Was Easy…
My mission today was to get Dad to agree to let Jess claim me as her daughter. He agreed in an instant as soon as I mentioned Raven. I found out every word Jess told me was true. Dad took her to court for custody of Raven, and when he lost, he freaked out and did everything possible to avoid losing me too.
I’m not sure how to feel about him right now. Did he really have to hide those details from me? He says if he’d told me about the custody battle, he would have had to tell me about the Redingers, which I guess makes sense, but…damn. I’m so tired of all these lies and twisted stories. I wish someone would just be straight with me.
Unfortunately, Ana has to go home tomorrow because she already stayed later than her parents expected and they want her back. She was devastated about leaving Steph and Jerica, but Steph promised her a job when she comes back, and I think Jerica might be willing to keep in touch with her long-distance. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. A secret long-distance relationship is a huge risk for anyone, let alone someone whose family might disown them for it. Hopefully they’ll make it work. I think they’re one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen.
My relationship with Gio is strained now. He was happy that I got to yell at Jess, but he was skeptical when I told him she wants to claim me as her daughter. He told me I’m taking a huge risk with this, and I guess I believe him, but…I dunno. Now that I’ve met her, I think there might be a human in there somewhere. She knew all the right things to say. Either she does have a human side, or she’s an extremely convincing, creepy liar.
Come to think of it, that’s a very real possibility. Shit…
So I guess both of my parents are convincing liars with dark pasts. Thank God I’m turning eighteen in three months.
Ttyl,
Mads
***
Dad, Jess, Raven, and I arrange a meeting at a fine dining re
staurant downtown the next week. They rented it out, so it’s only going to be the four of us and no witnesses other than waiters and other restaurant staff. As I walk in the front door with Dad, my palms swim in sweat and my twitch returns. This is another case where things could either go really well, or they could end in catastrophe.
Dad and I arrive first, and we’re seated at a table in a far corner with fine upholstered white chairs and an immaculately set table. I stare down at the white plates with napkin-wrapped silverware in front of me, and Dad notices my nerves. He reaches over for my hand, looking every bit as anxious as I am, but trying not to let it show. He flashes me a smile, and I weakly return it.
Finally, Jess and Raven walk into the restaurant arm-in-arm. Jess smiles when she sees me, though her smile is also tempered with anxiety when she glances over at Dad. “Darling, good to see you again,” she says to me.
“Likewise,” I say, not wanting to be rude. Truthfully, I still want to throttle her, but I don’t want to ruin this with cutting remarks. Dad and I stand to greet them.
“Michael,” Jess says, nodding in his direction.
“Jessica,” Dad replies shortly. His gaze is fixated on Raven, and vice versa.
“This is Raven.” Jess nudges Raven toward Dad. “Raven, dear…this is your father.”
Raven smiles bravely and does not give any indication that this is the biggest moment of her life thus far. “Hello,” she says in a smoother version of my voice. She picked up just a hint of Jess’s accent.
“Hello,” Dad says, with seventeen years of pain in his eyes.
“Well, girls…allow me to present your twin sister,” Jacie says.
Raven and I lock eyes, and she gives me a smile that’s difficult to read. “Pleased to meet you.” Raven extends her hand to me as if I’m a business associate. It’s an odd way to react to meeting your sister, but I kind of understand. I’m not sure how to act right now, either. I shake her hand hesitantly, and both our eyes widen at the sensation that results when our hands touch. It’s as if half of my body has been gone for seventeen years, and now it’s finally whole.
“Likewise,” I repeat, unable to find any other words.
We sit down and make awkward small talk as we read the menus, and then we order our food. I steal a glance at Dad ever so often as we wait, and he is still fixated on Raven. Meeting her means a lot to him, and it’s making me feel a little insecure. What if he likes her better than he likes me?
Dad finally breaks the small talk exchange about five minutes after we get our appetizers. “So, Raven, tell me a little about your life. Where do you go to school?”
“I attend Wilcox High School,” Raven says. “I’ll be a junior this year.”
Ha. At least I’m a year ahead of her in school.
“Do you enjoy school?”
Raven smiles politely and shrugs. “It’s all right. I prefer socializing over sitting at a desk, though.”
“So, your favorite subject is lunch, then, right?” Dad says with a grin.
Her laugh is stiff, and somewhat forced. “Sort of. I also involve myself in a lot of committees and clubs within the school.”
“Very impressive!” Dad says. They continue to converse, and we find out that Raven was sophomore class president and a host of other important-sounding titles at Wilcox. No doubt Raven and Gio were that stereotypical king and queen couple everybody worshipped and idolized before he found out their relationship was fake. I’m already feeling pretty threatened by her, but I silently gnaw on bites of octopus, keeping my thoughts to myself.
After we receive our main dishes, Jess addresses the issues at hand. “Well, everyone, there is more than one reason why I suggested this reunion. The first, of course, being that neither of us knew our other daughter, but I was also thinking that perhaps now would be a good time to make the rest of the world aware of the connection between us. No one knows that either of us have two daughters, and if we’re going to be getting acquainted with each other, it would be nice to be able to do so publicly without speculation and scandal attached. We can handle this however you decide, Michael, but I was thinking that perhaps the four of us could attend a joint interview and reveal this information in an official manner before it reaches the gossip sites.”
Dad lets out a labored sigh. “You make a good point, Jessica…however, I’m sure you realize that as soon as we come forward with this information, there won’t be a moment of peace for either one of us.”
“The media will be hounding us night and day, no doubt,” Jess says. “However, I don’t see another good way to do this, unless you just want to handle it all in secret.”
Dad ponders that suggestion, and then he stands from the table. “Could we talk privately for a moment, please?” I shoot him a terrified look. You’re leaving me alone with Raven? Seriously? He pats me on the shoulder like You’ll be okay.
Jess and Dad leave the table and go into a back hallway to discuss things, which leaves me at a table with Raven Redinger, alone. I avoid eye contact with her and focus on my food, but then she speaks to me. “So you’re the famous Madison Daley.”
“And you’re the infamous Raven Redinger,” I blurt out, and then I glance up in horror. Shit! I shouldn’t have said that…
To my surprise, she laughs…a real laugh. “So you’ve heard my life story, I suppose.”
“Bits of it, yes.” I return to my food.
“Well, I must say, I’ve heard quite a bit about you too, and…I’m a big fan of your work.”
Now she has my full attention. “My work?”
Raven leans forward with her hands clasped above the table. “I’ve heard about your…what do you call them again? ‘Missions?’ I especially loved the one where you organized the W3 reunion. That was a brilliant publicity move.” Her eyes rolled back in her head at the word ‘brilliant.’
“Um…thank you.” How the hell did she hear about my missions?
“However, I do think your skills could use a little fine-tuning, which is why I have a proposition for you. If you agree to what our mother is suggesting, I would love to take you under my wing and show you how you can really make it in this city. You’ve already shown a great deal of potential. I mean, in one short month, you went from a Kentucky nobody to the show-stealer of last week’s premiere.” She’s right about that. My debut at last week’s premiere was talked about for several days afterwards. “It takes a lot to impress me, but I truly am impressed, and I believe if you and I joined forces, we could take Los Angeles by storm.”
I sit in stunned silence, trying to comprehend what she’s asking of me. She wants to ‘join forces and take me under her wing.’ What does that even mean? “Are you…proposing an alliance?”
A delighted smile spreads across her face. “You understood me perfectly.”
This is so fucking weird. I’m meeting my sister, and she’s treating me like a diplomat from another country. “Uh…what all would this alliance entail?”
“I’ll fill you in on the details once you give me a yes or no answer,” Raven says.
Making a deal with a she-devil without even knowing her terms? That’s a scary thought. “Uh…I dunno. I mean, I’ve heard what you do to people—”
“You should know, I’m not just proposing this because of the mutual benefits. I’d also like to get to know my sister. We have years of shopping trips, manicures, and swooning over boys to catch up on, and I think this plan would be the perfect opportunity for that.”
I smile in spite of myself. “Really?”
“Yes. I know you’ve probably heard some horrible things about me, but we can carry out my plan however you want. The terms are completely up to you. There’s only one thing that would hinder us, which is why I have one term of my own.”
“What’s that?”
“If you want things to work between us, I…I need you to break up with my ex.”
I break out in a cold sweat. “What? But…I thought your relationship was a fake.”
> Raven chuckles. “Of course you did. That’s what he tells all the girls, but it’s not true. Our relationship was real, and he cheated on me. I hate to tell you, darling, but your boyfriend has been feeding you a pack of lies.”
“Oh God…” My breathing becomes labored. I’m not sure if I should believe her or not, but a part of me does. Gio’s too good to be true. Maybe this is the massive flaw I’ve been waiting on.
“I think it might be best if you break up with him, not only because he’s going to hurt you, but also because dating my ex goes against sister code. It doesn’t look good to the public, especially since he cheated on me so publicly. If there are ever to be any true family ties between us, public or private, we need to start fresh.”
“I’m sorry, Raven, I…I didn’t know.”
“I’ll expect my answer before we go public with our relationship,” Raven says, and at that moment, Dad and Jess come back to join us at the table.
“Well, girls, she made a good case.” Dad lowers himself into his chair again. “We’re goin’ public, as long as you’re both on board.”
“I’m on board,” Raven says with a smile. Then she gives me a significant look. “Are you?”
“We can go public,” I say, carefully choosing my words. I still have my doubts about Raven, especially considering that dogged determination I see in her eyes.
Chapter 23
July 15, 2015
Prince Cheater
Gio has been my unofficial boyfriend for the last two and a half weeks. We’ve done everything together…hosting parties, hanging out at the beach, watching movies and gaming from dusk until dawn…oh, and of course, attending a movie premiere together, where everyone in the country heard him call me his “crush.” The only thing we haven’t done is the “deed,” and now…I’m thinking maybe I made the right choice.
After talking to Raven today, I looked up Gio’s cheating scandal. The cheating looks very real. Some of the pictures were even R-rated. He kissed all over some half-naked blonde chick right in front of everyone at a club before he broke up with Raven. Also, after the scandal, he was seen with the same girl again in public. Their relationship didn’t last long, but I’m sure that was still a slap in the face for Raven.
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