The Long Game

Part 1

I inched the window of the town car down, letting in some of the water droplets, to take in the looming figure of my mother's estate as we approached it. Well, our estate, I corrected. Technically, I lived here too. But after many years of boarding school, and now a private university in Montana, my 'home' in Hong Kong was like a convenient vacation spot that I visited once, maybe twice a year and only for four days at a time.

The air I let in was damp with rain. I could feel my makeup starting to smudge. I looked up at the grey clouds enveloping the sky and couldn't help the feeling of melancholy that washed over me. But then again, this onslaught of glumness could have nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with me having to see my ice block of a mother for the next few days.

Have you ever met someone whose name just perfectly fits their personality? My mother's name is Reyna Mendoza, which literally translates to - I'm not kidding - 'Queen of the cold mountain'.

The car pulled up to the house. Yu got out from the driver side and headed over to get my door with an umbrella waiting. He escorted me to the front door, safely under the shelter and proceeded to get the rest of my belongings from the car. I barely managed a smile in thanks before rushing inside to be rid of the rain. I was immediately met by the family maid, Helda, who promptly took my black leather jacket. "Glad to have you back, Miss Daniella."

"Appreciate it, Helda," I murmured distractedly while taking in the foyer. The Christmas tree had been set up - beautifully adorned with lights and ornaments. I could smell cinnamon sticks. All of this effort was clearly made by Helda to try to inject some warmth into the Mendoza household for the holiday season. It was a sweet but futile attempt.

"Why not you go upstairs to freshen up?" suggested Helda after looking me over, paying extra attention to my face. That bad, huh? I knew she was trying to look out for me. Reyna was never silent in her distaste for how I chose to...express myself. Heavy eye makeup? You look like a raccoon. Ear spikes? You'll poke someone's eye out. And my personal favorite response when I wore black lipstick - Have you been making out with a corpse? I'll admit, half the fun of dressing the way I did was getting a rise out of her.

I headed up the staircase and saw Reyna coming down the opposite way, debating with someone over the phone. I looked her over. While my style was more dark and Boho, Reyna was all whites, nudes and clean-cut.

But Reyna Mendoza at home during office hours? This was clearly a mirage.

"Rey-mom?" I almost slipped up. I saw a flash of annoyance on Reyna's face at the interruption. But she quickly controlled her expression when she registered it was me.

"I'll call you back," she said into her phone and then hung it up.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Did, um... did..." Reyna paused. "Did the driver pick you up?"

"Yes he did and his name is Yu. He's only been your driver for 3 years," I quipped, though I knew she wasn't really listening. She was too busy analyzing my appearance and I could sense her wanting to start this age-old argument with me again. Before she could say anything though, I asked her "What are you doing here?"

"Renovations at the office, so I'll be mostly working from home the next few weeks. Speaking of, you and I have to talk business. I'll schedule you in for dinner tonight at 7, yes?"

Even though that was posed as a question, it was a rhetorical one. My presence was expected. Reyna continued on walking, calling back whoever she hung up on.

Business? I thought as I ambled my way to my suite. As far as I knew, Reyna kept me at an arm's length from herself, and a crater's length away from the empire she had built from the ground up at an unbelievably quick rate - Mendoza Enterprises (ME). Because I spent most of my time away from home, I was never at the company's meetings, social events, dinners - you name it. Anything I knew about ME, I mostly learned from the internet. I think I had sort of accepted that she didn't want me anywhere near the business ever. So why did she want to talk?