AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The moment the car stops at the venue, my heart kicks against my ribs. It’s a painful reminder that I’m here, I’m alive, and I’m about to walk into a party with fake friends and people who would rather see us burn than help us survive. My mother’s friends aren’t real. Their smiles are nothing more than masks they slide into place to ensure my father’s business will partner with them.
Being one of the most influential information technology companies in the world, they hunger to be in a seat at his table. He has the money, the influence to buy and sell companies, and as he branches out of hospitality into retail, there are whispers about how he got his money. Nobody wants to believe it’s hard work; they would prefer to ride along on the gossip train.
I follow my parents onto the red carpet. This isn’t a birthday party for a sixteen-year-old girl. Not a normal one anyway. This looks more like a movie premiere. With celebrities, music stars, and politicians lining their way into the immaculate ballroom, it’s as if I’m a second thought to everyone here, but my father. He reaches behind him, taking my hand as he pulls me beside him.
Inside, the decorations shimmer with crystal and gold. My soft pink dress matches perfectly to the silk drapes and tablecloths that adorn the room. My mother has always had a good eye for detail, and even her sleek gold dress that hugs every inch of her curvy figure is perfectly suited to catch attention.
Flashes go off as I move through the crowd. Thankfully, my father holds my hand all the way through the room until we reach the bar. Even though I’m not old enough to drink, he orders a mimosa and hands it to me. He doesn’t realize I’ve been sneaking his alcohol for almost two years. I found the numbness it brought a welcome distraction.
Eyes land on me as they watch me move through the ballroom. Mostly it’s my peers. People my age, as my mother likes to point out. I’ve never been great with large crowds, and this group is worthy of the anxiety twisting in my gut.
“Don’t pay attention to anyone,” Dad whispers in my ear. “You’re here to be celebrated, and every bastard in this room has agreed to attend because they know how special you are to me.”
“What about Mom?” I ask as I gesture toward her, where she is already charming the guests with her perfectly-sculpted lips. My mother has been a fan of needles and surgery since I was thirteen. I recall the first time I saw her after a nose job; it was scary. I didn’t recognize her for months. And when she finally healed from it, I still didn’t see my mother. What came out of that hospital was a stranger, and since then, I’ve never felt further away from the woman who gave birth to me.
“She’s mingling,” my father murmurs, but he plasters on a smile and draws me with him as we make our way to the table that has been set specifically for my family and close friends. My name shimmers on the small, thick card that sits at the center of a long setting, and I slip into my seat.
It won’t be long now. Once my father makes a speech, dinner will be served, and I’ll be thrown to the wolves… so to speak.
My gaze drifts across the room, only to land on a man in the distance. He stands on the threshold of the room where he watches my mother. I know he is looking at her because his face is enthralled. She is beautiful, even though most of it is paid for.
When she turns her head, and she notices him, her body goes rigid and she moves so quickly, I’m not sure why he would spook her. And then, she nears him and stops, only inches from where he leans against the door frame. He looks like an actor. Dressed in a tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, and a dark tie, he gives off an aura of dominance, which sends ice racing down my spine.
I turn to look at my father, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Once again, my stare lands on my mother and the stranger. Their conversation looks heated, but being so far away, I can’t hear what they speak about.
It takes a long moment for my father to gather the crowd, but the moment his fork clinks against the crystal flute, silence falls across the vast space. Elegance shines from every earlobe and wrist. Jewels that cost more than most people make in a year blind me as guests move to get to their seats. Once everyone is seated, I find my mother making her way toward us. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes are glistening when she settles beside me.
