“What?” I said, my chest caving in. “Why?”
“Because no son of mine is marrying a whore.”
The room seemed to spin as despair turned into fury. I wanted to reach across the desk and grab my father by the lapels of his Armani suit, punch the smug look off his face.
“You hypocrite,” I choked out. “Treating your employees like they’re worthless trash, after all they do for you. For our business. You were an immigrant too, Dad. How could you do this?”
He shrugged, cutting the end off a fresh cigar. “It’s just business. Don’t be naïve, Stefan.”
I shook my head in disgust, disbelieving. “This is how you do business, how you treat our models? Like they’re inferior beings? I can’t believe any of them chose to work for you.”
My father laughed. But when he looked at me, there was no humor in his eyes.
“What makes you think they had a choice?”
It was a punch to the gut. I felt numb in my chair as I watched him light his cigar and take a few languid puffs.
All this time, I had assumed that the women were sleeping with clients of their own free will. That they saw it as an opportunity to help themselves and their families. I never in a million years imagined that they had been coerced into sex work. Never would have imagined thatmy fatherhad coerced them into it.
I had been a fool. An ignorant, childish fool.
Why hadn’t Anja told me? Why hadn’t she confided in me, as I’d confided in her?
Fury filled me. Not at her, but at my father. The monster in front of me, smoking his cigar and casually flipping through a series of photographs from a recent high fashion shoot.
Fuck him. I was going to find Anja. I would bring her back. I would make things right.
Almost as if he could read my mind, my father set down a photo, the smile slipping.
“Don’t even think of going after her,” he said. “You had your fun. It’s time to grow up.”
I didn’t say anything, just returned his gaze, my jaw tightening in order to keep myself from saying things I couldn’t take back. Because as much as I hated my father in that moment, I was aware that I was still a minor. Still just seventeen and completely dependent on him and his money. Money I would need access to if I was ever going to get Anja back.
“If you want any part of this business, boy, you need to get in line with what’s best for the family. Or I’ll make sure you never get a cent of KZM’s profits. Is that clear?”
I was trapped. Like a caged animal. I only shrugged, not wanting to assent.
He went on, “You want to be a partner? Take charge someday, when I retire?”
I did, but it killed me to admit it. “Yes,” I finally ground out.
“Then you’ll do exactly as I say.” He came around the desk, leaning against it so he could look down at me as he smoked. “Zorics always look out for each other. You understand?”
All I could do was nod. One tight, short nod.
“Good. I’ll hear no more of this,” he said.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed me.
I trudged out of his office defeated and at a loss. And furious.
My father had won this battle, but what he didn’t realize was that the war had just begun. From now on, I would play smart and I would play quietly. Because I had to get Anja back. I had to fix what my father had broken. No matter what. The stakes were too high, the victory too important. There was no other option.
I was going to destroy him.
Tori
Chapter 1
