Page 79 of The Cinderella Secret
“Well, I’m not apologizing to him! I repeat, the Deveraux are dangerous.”
“And they owe us?”
“Yes,” he said sharply.
“Hm.” Ella scrutinized her uncle, tapping a pen on the desktop. “I can’t believe I’m having to point this out, but if it weren’t for him, it’s possible that those bank robbers would have shot me.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I would like you to acknowledge that the Deveraux are possibly not who you think they are. Your anger toward them is clouding your judgement.”
“My judgement is fine,” he snapped. “Maybe it’s yours that has skewed.”
She’d made him angry. He was clinging to it.
“You think Randall or Owen killed Dad, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do!”
They stared at each other. She’d never gotten him to be this honest before. Bai spoke first.
“He told Randall he was leaving to start Zhao Industries and the next week he was dead in an alleyway mugging? I don’t believe it for a minute. They took your father from us and now I’ll take something from them.”
Ella took a deep breath. She wanted to argue with him, but she had no evidence and all of her theories were based on information she’d gathered with Aiden. There was no way to refute his theory without revealing Aiden and she guessed that doing that now would be a disaster. She tapped her pen on the desk again.
“Did you bring me Mom’s number?”
He groaned. “Ella, don’t call her. Whatever you want to ask her… It’s not worth it.”
“I want to ask her about Dad.”
“I can answer whatever you need to know,” he said firmly.
“No, you can’t. You weren’t here when Dad died.”
“We just need DevEntier,” he said. “Leave your father’s death out of it.”
“I wish I could,” said Ella. “Unfortunately, if you want DevEntier, I need some questions answered and I think Mom can provide them. That’s your choice, Uncle Bai. What’s it going to be?”
He stood for a long moment, fidgeting with the contents of his pants pockets.
“Fine,” he said. He pulled a print-out from the inside pocket of his jacket. “Just… whatever she says about your father, only believe half of it. And whatever she says about you, don’t believe any of it.”
Ella smiled. “Useful advice,” she said. “Thanks.”
It took her twenty minutes after Bai left to work up the courage to call.
“Bai,” said her mother on the third ring, “go to fucking hell.”
“Hi, Mom,” said Ella.
There was silence on the other end of the line. “Well,” said Sabine, “this is a surprise. The caller ID said Zhao Industries. I thought it would be your uncle.”
“Just me,” said Ella.
“You know,” said Sabine, a complaining note in her voice, “you could have called after you left. I thought you’d run off with that fighter in the black mask.”
Ella laughed. “I nearly did.”
