King of Pride (Kings of Sin, #2)(106)

When I told Richard, he’d laughed and offered me a congratulatory cigar. We didn’t like each other, but we respected each other.

“On that note…” I lifted Isabella and gently set her aside. “I have one more call to make before we continue our rousing game of Scrabble.”

She flinched. “Kai, I love you, but please don’t utter the phrase rousing game of Scrabble ever again.”

I was still wearing a grin when I FaceTimed my mother. She must’ve heard the news by now, but I wanted to confirm and see her reaction.

It was lunchtime in London, so I expected her to answer in her office. Instead, she picked up after half a dozen rings—a record long time for her—in what looked like a…bedroom? A bay window spanned the wall behind her, reflecting the night lights of a city that was very much not London.

“Kai.” My mother sounded flustered. “I thought you were taking the day off. What is it?”

“The results are in. I won.” I skipped to the more important issue at hand. “Where are you?” And who are you with?

The suite, the redness of her cheeks, the late hour…

Dear God, my mother had a lover.

My stomach lurched, threatening to expel my breakfast. I hadn’t felt this horrified since a visiting Abigail snuck into my closet a few years ago and rearranged my ties by length instead of color as a prank.

“Yes, I received the call earlier from Richard. Congratulations.” My mother’s face softened. “The company will be in good hands.”

For a split second, shock edged out my horror. Leonora Young was not the type of parent who coddled her children when it came to business. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this unabashedly supportive; no matter how much Abigail or I accomplished, there was always more.

More accolades, more awards, more power.

This was the first time I felt like what I did was enough.

An uncomfortable warmth crept into my chest, only to vanish seconds later when a deep male voice joined the conversation.

“Nono, it’s eleven at night.” A flash of salt-and-pepper hair entered the frame. “Tell whoever’s calling—ah.”

The man next to my mother stared back at me with equal parts guilt, astonishment, and embarrassment.

My earlier horror returned, sprouting fangs and teeth. “Father?”

Edwin Young’s face flushed a vivid shade of scarlet. “Hello, Kai. This is, uh, unexpected.”

Across from me, Isabella’s jaw unhinged. Your parents? she mouthed. She looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe.

I couldn’t bring myself to respond.

My parents. Together. In what was obviously a hotel room doing…

My stomach rebelled again.

“I realize this must come as a shock.” My father cleared his throat. At sixty-two, he was still trim and fit thanks to regular tennis games and a red-meat-free diet. “But your mother and I are, uh…

we’re…”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Edwin,” my mother said impatiently. “I hope you’re more eloquent when you’re pitching to clients?” She faced me again. “Your father and I have resumed a romantic relationship. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re getting back together, since sexual—”

“Stop right there.” I held up my free hand. The word sexual leaving my mother’s lips was enough to make me want to bleach out my ears. “I don’t need the details.” I focused on the city behind her. I hadn’t paid attention earlier, but the skyline was unmistakable. “Are you in Shanghai?”

Her cheeks colored. “Yes. I flew here earlier this week for a last-minute trip.”

I didn’t have to ask whether the trip was for business or pleasure. I hadn’t seen my mother look so relaxed and at ease since…ever.

An idea suddenly struck me. “Is this why you’re stepping down?” My gaze roved between her and my father, who was studying the ceiling with apparent fascination.

I couldn’t imagine my mother giving up her career for a man, but stranger things had happened. A month ago, I couldn’t imagine meek, mousy Russell Burton blackmailing half the board either.

“No. Not necessarily.” My mother fell silent for a moment, like she was debating whether to continue. “I had a health scare last year,” she finally said, her voice quiet. “Doctors found what they thought was a tumor in my throat. It turned out to be an imaging error, but the scare put a lot of things into perspective.”

A vise squeezed my chest. “You never told me or Abigail that.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t, considering the doctor’s utter lack of competency.” My mother pursed her lips. “Obviously, I’ve switched medical teams since then, but I didn’t want to burden you or your sister before I had full confirmation. Your father happened to be in London the week after my misdiagnosis, and since I needed to talk about it but didn’t trust anyone outside the family…”

“We rekindled our relationship,” my father finished. “I still cared about your mother, even though we’ve been estranged. I didn’t want her to go through something like that alone.”

“It started platonically, but it was obvious there were quite a few unresolved feelings between us.”