Renee was in a bad mood—pouty, whiny, and all around simply put out.
Sasha was going to Chicago with David, leaving Renee heartbroken and with a massive responsibility in front of her. Tonight, she would be Sasha’s successor in the Family. It didn’t matter that she was only sixteen years old, what mattered was proving she could do the job both publicly and privately.
Renee sat in front of the vanity with a scowl and a look of utter disdain on her face as Sasha stood behind her, smiling while she curled Renee’s hair and not saying a word.
“What are you smiling at?” Renee snapped at Sasha.
Sasha continued to smile, replying innocently, “Oh, nothing.”
“Ow!” Renee exclaimed, and then growled under her breath as Sasha brushed out a curl she had just put in.
“Sorry,” she said. “Hold still.”
“I am holding still.” Renee crossed her arms in front of her, huffing like a three-year-old who didn’t get their way, and it just made Sasha smile more as she hummed along with the radio.
“It’s my birthday and I don’t even want a party.”
“I know,” Sasha said with empathy, “but it’s going to be a wonderful night and a fabulous party. You’ll see.”
“Fat chance,” Renee scoffed, then let out a resigned sigh when Sasha raised an eyebrow in the mirror. “I love my father, but he’s the one who wants this party.”
Sasha rested her hands on Renee’s shoulders. “You know you must do things like this from time to time. It’s important that your father maintain his societal status, and you are part of it. It’s not the first time, and it certainly won’t be the last. Besides, whether or not you want this party, I know you would do anything to make your father happy, and this will make him happy.”
Two of Renee’s companions, Saffron and Michelle, entered the room dressed and ready for the party. Renee had become close with them, but wondered if that would change now that she was in charge.
“We just wanted to let you know the girls are ready,” Saffron said, then added, “Wow. You are a knockout.”
Renee giggled then stiffened up, completely surprised by the sound that came out of her mouth. “What the hell was that?”
“Did you just giggle?” Michelle asked, dumbfounded by the foreign sound.
“She has been acting like your typical teenager for the past three hours,” Sasha said through a laugh. “It’s been quite entertaining.”
Embarrassed to discover she had been acting like a child, Renee decided to focus on her responsibilities for the night. “It won’t happen again, that’s for sure.”
“You, my dear, are done,” Sasha said as Renee studied herself in the mirror, completely speechless at what Sasha had transformed her into.
Renee hugged Sasha as hard as she could. “Thank you so much.”
“You are so very welcome. I love you, you know.”
“I love you too.” All Renee could think about was that this was probably the last time she would get moments like this with Sasha.
“Your party starts in twenty minutes, birthday girl, so get dressed and we’ll see you downstairs,” Saffron said as she handed Renee her shoes, then quietly left the room with Michelle in tow.
Sasha smiled and held Renee at arm’s length to look her over a final time. Then, like the flip of a switch, Sasha looked at her with complete seriousness as she sat Renee back down. “I have something I need discuss with you, but you have to promise that you will never repeat it. I cannot stress the seriousness of this conversation. So, please, listen carefully.”
Renee silently, but curiously, nodded as Sasha reached into her bodice and pulled out a key. “Do not ever lose it and don’t let your father know about it. In the bottom left cabinet of the credenza in the conference room there is a false wall with a lock. This is the key to that lock. There is a small metal box that your father must not know about, and I’m going to ask you not to try to open it. I can’t tell you not to open it, because when you tell someone not to do something, their first instinct is to do what they’re told not to. But,” Sasha looked at Renee with dangerous seriousness in her eyes, “if you are as smart as I know you are, you will not open that box until the time is right.”
Renee’s forehead creased in confusion. “How will I know the right time?”
Sasha ran a hand gently down the side of Renee’s face. “You will know.”
Renee’s thoughts were racing as she looked at Sasha. “How are you certain that my father doesn’t know about the wall or the box?”
“Because I am still alive.”
Renee felt like she had been slapped. If her father knew about this secret box, Sasha would die. “What’s in the box?”
Sasha closed Renee’s hands around the key and Renee instantly felt the awesome and secret responsibility that Sasha was handing her.
“Sasha? What’s in the box?”
Sasha took Renee’s dress off the hook, turned, and looked Renee directly in the eye. “Proof.”