Chapter 6

Those eyes, the blacker-than-sin hair, and the creamy skin were his mother’s. The long, straight nose, the full lips, and high cheekbones were his father’s. But the unrelenting gaze and the singular self-possession were all his own and, coupled with his looks, transformed him into a photographic negative of his sunny father. Indeed, people who met Jade, or rather survived the experience, almost always had the same reaction—delighted by his beauty, daunted by his personality. Which was a shame, Jade thought, since it missed the point. Personality wasn’t the same as character, he realized at an early age, any more than being nice was the same as being good.

Nice was, well, nice. It made life easier. Good made things better. Personality—in the sense of a pleasant personality—was fine as far as it went. But it couldn’t match character. And Jade had character in spades—as well as brains and talent—the total package.

“Our golden boy,” Ash would say with ironic affection.