“You here alone?”
“Yeah. Just me today.”
“Oh.” Peggy cleared her throat, her cheeks pinkening. “Do you mind if we talk privately for a moment before class?”
Vanessa checked the time. They had at least fifteen minutes before it started. “Sure.”
The two women went to a green juice and smoothie bar adjacent to the studio. It served freshly made spinach and kale concoctions that Vanessa loved for the quick and easy micronutrient effect. It seemed more natural than taking a bunch of pills. “So.”
“Um.” Peggy’s left foot started tapping rapidly. Vanessa glanced down at it, but Peggy seemed oblivious. “I… I didn’t really come here for a job. I actually came to L.A. to see you. I called your law firm to see you, but they said you weren’t available to take on any new clients and hung up on me.”
Vanessa sighed and shot her an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry they treated you that way. I’ve been sort of”—she struggled for the right word—“busy with things.”
“I know. I heard you’re an amazing lawyer.”
With a career that was going nowhere fast. “If you want, I can give you some referrals.”
“Oh, no, please.” Peggy waved away. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Okay, sure.”
“It’s just…I don’t know how to begin, but we’re sisters.”
“We’re… I’m sorry, what?”
“We’re sisters. Half-sisters, really.”
Vanessa’s mind blanked for a moment, then heat flooded her face. Was Peggy another of Salazar’s love children? She didn’t look anything like him, but it was entirely possible, given the number of mistresses her father had had. “Um. Okay… You’re sure about this?”
“One hundred percent. But I’m happy to take a test or whatever if you want.” Peggy shifted. “Look, I’m not here to ask anything for myself, but…the fact is, my mom has cancer, and neither one of us can afford the chemo. I was wondering if there’s any way you can help with the cost. I know it’s a lot to ask, but…” Peggy blinked fast, dropping her gaze. “I don’t know what else to do. I tried not to involve you, but it’s been impossible. It’s just…totally shameless of me to ask, but could you please do this for me? Save my mom? She’s all I have.”
Sighing, Vanessa pressed her temples. It would’ve been more logical for Peggy to approach Salazar, but he wasn’t an easy man to get to with his wall of lawyers and assistants. “I’ll see what I can do.” He’d given his other illegitimate child, Blaine, fifty million bucks. Vanessa didn’t see why he wouldn’t be as generous with his daughter.
Still, this would hurt Ceinlys. Vanessa remembered
how furious her mother had been when Salazar had claimed Blaine as his own. Couldn’t her father have been more careful? Or maybe her mother would be happy this time, since it would strengthen her position in the divorce proceedings.
Peggy visibly sagged. “Thank you.”
“How can I get in touch with you?”
“Here.” Peggy jotted down ten digits on a napkin and handed it to Vanessa. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t done anything.” Vanessa sucked down the rest of her smoothie and went outside. She had zero desire to exercise now.
She hopped into her car and drove to the family mansion. Her father lived there alone now, along with staff who kept the place clean and habitable. She’d always thought the place was somewhat ostentatious, but it’d been in the family for generations, and her family wasn’t going to give it up just because she didn’t care for it.
Al, impeccably dressed as always, welcomed her. The butler had been a standard fixture at her house ever since she could remember. “Miss.”
“Is dad home?”
He nodded. “In his study.”
She went to the second level. The study was large, with big windows, and held hundreds of books that nobody had read. Her grandmother, Shirley Pryce, had hated it when people touched them. One pale green wall had portraits of the Pryce grandparents.
Salazar was in a plushy armchair. The smile from the previous evening was gone, along with the sparkle in his eyes. His shoulders were slumped, his face slack like the skin was about to slide off it. The usual crispness of his clothes was gone, leaving him looking…sloppy. He was Dorian Gray after the mirror had broken, showing every year of his age.
Vanessa swallowed a gasp. How could he have changed so quickly? If she hadn’t known how arrogant and proud he could be, she might have suggested he go see a doctor.