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“He on the other hand we all know too well. She wasn’t exaggerating when she said he was a gambler. He is the worst kind. Always loses but refuses to stop. I heard somewhere she is the one who bails him out all the time. No one loans him anymore because of this. I was surprised you did.”
“You know I didn’t.”
“The Manarch Clan did so that includes you.”
“A technicality. I can’t wait until my father no longer has anything to do with the business. We can’t continue to run the business like the old days. He needs to get with the times or it will destroy us.”
“What are you thinking? Our father has Pat’s name in the books. He has to pay.”
“Do you know when her next shift at Gotham is?” I look at the time.
“I can find out.”
“Do. I am going home. Call me when you do.”
“What are you doing?”
“Call me.”
I stand and walk to the door. I have no business intervening in my father’s affairs, especially one I don’t care for. But I can’t help myself. If I want more time with Ava, I need to take matters into my hands. I refused to let my father get his hooks on her. He will destroy someone like her without any thought.
These past few months my life has been clan drama and Manarch Industries. I am the eldest and heir to the clan. I was born and groomed for this life. A certain behavior is expected of me. I am taking over once my father retires or dies, whichever comes first. But it is becoming clearer by the day it will be the latter. While my father prefers the old ways, I know we won’t survive much longer if we continue his path. We have to bring the clan into this decade. He runs the clan with fear. I want to run the clan with respect.
We own strip clubs, nightclubs, restaurants, gyms, supermarkets. You name it, we own it. When my grandfather started his empire, it was nothing but a strip club and the family restaurant. My father took over and it grew beyond what anyone could have imagined. Now I want to take us to the next level. This means no more pointless turf wars. But I’m nowhere near making things happen. He reminds me daily he isn’t going anywhere, knowing I am not fit to run the clan.
In my SUV I think of Ava. Her defiance and feistiness has peaked my attention. I am intrigued by her. She is the kind of woman I’d want beside me if I were to ever settle down. My father said I need a wife before he relinquishes his throne. Of course I know he is lying. He is using the excuse to corner me and get what he wants. But I am going to marry just so I can take over. It’s what the clan needs.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. Up to now, all the women I have been with don’t have a backbone and it’s boring. I could go with a trophy wife and make my life easy. I will get bored, and in our family divorce isn’t an option; tradition is everything. Ava seems the type of woman that will make marriage tolerable. It doesn’t hurt that she is beautiful. With the proper wardrobe, she would be worthy of the title of my wife.
However if I ask her to be my wife, she will refuse. I can tell she is different from all the others. It makes me want her more. She doesn’t look like the submissive type, but I can change that. All I need to do is break her. There is a fire inside of her waiting to be freed. Her body screams it and I want to be the one who frees her. I will use her father’s debt in my favor. I need to know everything I can use to make her mine.
Chapter Four
Ava
I heard Mr. Manarch has a son. How is it that I've never seen him before? Why would I? It’s not like we frequent the same places. One look at him tells you everything. He is a criminal. A dangerous man. He is the kind of man you need to run away from. All I can do is hope for the best. He certainly acts like he is above everyone. I didn’t realize his son was running things. This might actually not be good for me. But it doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter that he has hazel eyes and strong arms. It doesn’t matter that in his presence everything came to a stop. It doesn’t matter that I felt attracted to him the moment I laid eyes on him. None of that matters. What matters is finding a way to pay off Dad’s debt.
I walk home praying he will agree to an arrangement. By the time I make it to my building I am exhausted. I open the door to the apartment. It’s quiet. I hope and pray it doesn’t mean Dad left and is getting into some kind of trouble. I can’t deal with that. A few steps in I hear his snoring. Hopefully, the beating will stop him from gambling for a while or for good. But I am not holding my breath.
The clock on the wall tells me I have less than an hour before I need to leave for the club. I am exhausted and don’t feel like working tonight. But it’s Thursday, the beginning of our weekend. With any luck, there won’t be too many assholes.
I’ve been working at the nightclub Gotham for a few months. It’s not bad. On good nights I bring home one to two hundred dollars in tips. But slow nights I barely make enough to cover the Uber home. Most of the girls are nice. Everyone just wants to make money like me. But like in any job there are a few whose sole purpose is finding a rich husband. I just want to make enough money to cover Dad’s gambling and pay bills. I steer clear of people. Less chances of getting into trouble.
Life has been hard in the last few years. I am twenty-three and feel like I am forty. Everything falls on me. Dad’s paycheck never truly makes it home. I’m more of a parent than he is. I just need a break. A timeout from the drama he brings home every day.
It would be nice to save money or buy clothes from a store with a price tag for a change. For once it would be nice to have the luxury of buying something on the spot, not something worn by someone else. Be my age, live life. But I have to face reality. I have to live the life in front of me. Dad’s way of life has sealed my destiny. I’m on my own, always having to bail him out. I can handle it but I am tired.
?
“Ava, wait up.” I look to see Brooke approaching the backdoor to Gotham. I wait for her to catch up. “Hey, girl.”
“Hi, Brooke.”
“How are you?” She asks as I open the door.
“Good and you?”
