AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 1
Diana
Thiscan'tbehappening.
My heart tugs inward as my designer heels click against the sidewalk in a frantic rhythm.
He can't make me go through with this and I won't.
My self-assurance brings no comfort as I flee my father's office like someone hoping to outrun a tidal wave.
While my peers spend their early twenties traveling, partying, and enjoying all the indulgent luxuries our privileged lives have to offer, I invest my energy in academic study.
I believe I have a future ahead of me.
One that doesn't involve being bred down like a racehorse.
I should get out while I have the chance.
Tears cloud my vision as I look up at the streetlamps flickering on.
The indigo sky darkens, and I wonder what I can do differently.
Is there any way I can change my fate?
Maybe if I leave when I turn eighteen... I can slip away, forfeiting the college trust and inheritance in exchange for my freedom.
But it's too late now.
My father is Alonzo Giuseppe, CEO of Global Oceans Incorporated, and he doesn't take kindly to anyone getting in the way of his business opportunities.
He can make me go through with this arrangement-- and he will, even if it means threatening to hurt people I care about.
The worst part is, I can't even talk to my closest friends about what's about to happen without putting them in danger.
The cold night wind burns my cheeks as traffic whips by on the Wells Street Bridge.
I wipe the tears from my eyes.
How can I spend the rest of my life on the arm of a killer?
Dad knows, as well as I do, that no matter how much I hate him for it, I will have no choice.
Desperation claws against the inside of my ribcage as I gaze at the black water rippling below.
I lean on the frigid handrail, inhaling the chilled stench of raw sewage and car exhaust.
Even if I want to end it all, it won't be here.
Not like this, I chuff, swallowing the lump in my throat.
It's almost funny that I've convinced myself I can make a difference in this world.
All it takes to derail my entire future is for some pompous Mafia Don to snap his fingers.
He wants his son to marry the daughter of an international shipping tycoon, and it's my role in life to fall in line like a good little girl, offering myself up like a prized show dog.
Groomed... Collared... Trained to do whatever is expected of me.
