I slept like a baby in that hotel bed, and it seemed to change everything.

I enjoyed breakfast in my room and chose not to worry about my sister’s ulterior motives. I just wanted to see her.

The longing to see a family member was stronger than I would have imagined. I thought I’d severed all my ties when I left Hollyhock, but now I was desperate to see someone who was related to me. The last blood relative I had.

I was intent on finding her before she decided it was time for her to come out of hiding.

My task for the day was finding the illustrious L’Imperatore. After questioning one of the bellboys, I’d discovered the word meant The Emperor.

Of course it did. She kept playing these cards like they were supposed to mean something, but really, tarot had been nothing but child’s play for the three of us. Unless it meant more to Astor now than it did then. I knew I was being pulled into a world she had created for me to discover, so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

After my breakfast, I dressed in a pencil skirt and a cropped fluffy sweater, grabbing my purse and some necessities before leaving the hotel. 

L'Imperatore had to be a company in Venice, or at the very least Italy. But since my sister lived right there in the city, I assumed the company was Venetian too.

I started my search at the flower market, walking from stall to stall, asking about L'Imperatore in broken sentences of Italian I'd picked up from my travel guide. People were looking at me weird, but I didn't care. I needed to get to the bottom of it all.

The market didn't prove to be of any help, so I decided to head through the cafés lining the Piazza San Marco and the palaces in the center of the city.

I asked and asked about the company until my voice grew sore. I was even carting one of the boxes around with me, showing it to the various people I'd asked and trying to get an answer out of them.

The most I received was an energetic response and then babbling in Italian that I could never make out. But finally, as I was walking down the street, I got lucky. I saw a flower shop by the street and a wave of nostalgia for my old life washed over me.

Everything had changed so much in the past week or so. I wondered whether anyone had noticed I was gone. Mr. Ventura, sure, but would there be anyone else who would miss me in the rainy metropole?

Somehow my thoughts wandered back to Hollyhock, to Jonathan Smith sipping his tea in that quiet cottage, reliving the past that had shaped all of our lives forever.

I found myself missing the days when everything was easier. When I was just a teenager, living with my sisters and parents and complaining about the usual stuff kids had problems with.

It all changed the day of the fire, and I couldn't forgive Astor for it. She'd changed my life forever, but at the same time, hadn't I changed hers too? It was my fault she had to go to the asylum. I also felt guilty that she'd been forced to stay there, but hadn't it been the best call? 

A danger to herself and others.

Those words were on repeat in my mind, and I sighed heavily, pushing the past behind me where it belonged.

But still, the exterior of the gorgeous flower shop drew me in. I was carting the white box under my shoulder, and a woman of about sixty looked up when I walked in.

The shop was beautiful, filled with flowers that seemed to smell so much sweeter than they had at Petale. I greeted the woman and was surprised when she answered in perfect, unaccented English.

"American?" she asked me, and I nodded, which caused her to smile.

"Ah, one of The Emperor's!" she exclaimed, pointing to the box under my shoulder. "You must be Astor's sister."

My blood ran cold and my heart skipped a beat. Was it possible that I'd finally found the right place? Did this woman know my sister? Could she help me find her?

"I…," I started, closing the distance between us. "My sister. Where is she?"

"I believe she's staying at the Palazzo now," she replied, still giving me a friendly smile despite my obvious freak-out.

God, the gall. She'd booked the same hotel for me. I could've walked right past her on my way out and never even noticed.

"I have to go," I whispered.

"Wait," the woman called after me. "You… you look so much like her."

I offered her a weak smile.

"Did you have an order for L'Imperatore?" the woman asked, her face blank as she looked at me.

"What?" I asked. "Does… did my sister work for him?"

It seemed to dawn on the woman that I had no idea what she was talking about, as she visibly pulled back.

"Please," I begged her, reaching out. "I need to find her. It's important. Someone… someone could be in danger."

"Danger?" she repeated. "Not L'Imperatore?"

"Maybe," I bluffed. "If he's not warned about her."

"Goodness," the woman muttered, nervously chewing her bottom lip. "Well, I suppose I can't say no to that. You're trying to find her?"

"Yes." I nodded. "Or anyone who could tell me more about her."

"You'll want to go to L'Imperatore's house."

"How do I get there?"

"I'd have to arrange it for you. But if you are really Astor's sister, I'm sure L'Imperatore will have no problem seeing you."

She looked at me as if she expected me to say I'd been lying before.

"Why don't you call him, then?" I said. "Ask if I can come."

I didn't like these games we were playing, walking on eggshells. 

She disappeared into the back of the shop, and I admired the flowers while trying my best to hear the conversation. However, she was speaking to someone on the phone in muttered tones and I barely overheard a thing.

Finally the woman appeared once more. "He says you can come. Astor only recently mentioned her sister might be coming to visit."

Of course she did, I thought bitterly. Another one of her twisted games.

"But she's not there at the moment," the woman went on. "Would you still like to go?"

I considered my options.

I could go back to the hotel, hope to run into Astor there. Maybe knock on every door at the Palazzo trying to find her.

Or I could make the trip to this illustrious Emperor and see what he was all about, what he knew about my sister. Maybe he could provide me with some valuable information.

"I'll go," I told the woman, and she motioned for me to follow her out back.

I fell into step behind her, and she gave me a glance as we made our way through the house.

"So alike, yet so different," she said thoughtfully.

I forced myself to keep my mouth shut.

I was nothing like my sister, but I didn't want to bring it to her attention that we didn't exactly get along. I had to get through this visit first.

We came out on the other side of the house, which was directly on the canal. A gondola awaited us, with a solemn-looking man holding an oar and glaring at me. The woman introduced him as Carlo.

He barked something at her in Italian and she nodded, then helped me into the boat as I just stared at her, wide-eyed with surprise.

"How am I going to get back?" I asked her.

"I'm sure L'Imperatore will arrange it," she reassured me. "Have a good trip, and good luck patching things up with your sister."

The gondola pulled away, the sullen-looking man not even looking at me as he started moving us toward our destination.

It was only a couple of minutes later that I realized the woman seemed to know my relationship with Astor was rocky, and I hadn't told her that. What if they were working together?

Had I just walked straight into a trap?

I would see soon enough.

It was starting to get dark outside when we reached our destination, afternoon becoming evening when we anchored in front of the house.

I gasped at the sight of it and Carlo snorted, as if he was used to that kind of reaction. But it truly was glorious.

It was an enormous property, completely surrounded by water. The house stood on a small island enclosed with a fence, and it seemed as if the only way to reach it was by boat. I had so many questions about the exquisite building, but it seemed Carlo wasn't much of a talker, so I kept them to myself.

He helped me off the boat, and I admired the structure from up close as he led me inside. It was built in the typical Venetian style, truly a sight to behold. It must have been a national treasure in its day, but now it seemed like a rich man had bought it and selfishly kept it to himself.

I didn't like that. Art was supposed to be admired, not hidden. The house itself, barred in behind the fence, reminded me of a caged bird.

I was reminded of Kain and Ophelia yet again. And of course, with those thoughts came the memory of Ryker Marino.

I shook my head to clear my mind as Carlo handed me over to an official-looking assistant with a microphone clipped to his ear and a clipboard in his hand.

"You will follow me," he said in accented English. "L'Imperatore is busy, but he will be back anytime and would like you to wait for him."

I noticed he hadn't mentioned how long the journey had taken, or how late it was getting. I was a bit worried about going back, knowing it would be morning by the time I met this man and made it back to the hotel, but there seemed to be no room for objections, and he gave me a strict look when I tried to speak up. It shut me right up.

"Wait here, and I will bring some drinks and snacks for you," he said. "Would you like a magazine?"

"Sure."

Moments later, a maid appeared with a full trolley of food and tea, and a stack of magazines.

"Signore L'Imperatore apologize," she said. "He late today. But I here for you."

I smiled at her and relaxed into the armchair I was sitting in, admiring the gorgeous frescoes on the walls.

It seemed like I would be there for a while.