“I am,” I get out through gritted teeth. “I’m attending Eden Falls Prep. I’m engaged to a boy I’ve never met. And I’m supposed to follow your every order. Is that it, or am I forgetting something, Father dearest?”
I can’t help my razor-sharp tongue, even after being trained for high society at St Cecile’s
. But my father isn’t having any of it.
“Get up,” he says calmly, dabbing the corners of his mouth with the fabric embossed with our family crest. “Right now.”
“Why?” I argue, crossing my arms in front of my body. I hear my stepmother take a sharp breath, and I turn to look at her defiantly. “Are you going to discipline me in front of the whole family?”
I chuckle when my father just stares at me. “I didn’t think so.”
“Get. Up.”
His voice is filled with dark promises, but I’m still determined not to give in. If I lose my upper hand now, I might as well freely admit to being under his influence. And I don’t need a puppet master.
“No,” I retort, giving him a defiant glare. “I’m not leaving until we make arrangements for me to speak to my family again.”
“Oh, honey, but this is your family,” Bryony pipes up, giving me a condescending look.
“My real family,” I bite out, giving her a look of contempt. “Not this… make-believe version. I don’t even know you people. I haven’t spoken to any of you in four years! Four years you kept me locked away in that school, separated from everything! You think that was easy? And now I’ve come here only to be locked in again! Ouch!”
I rub my leg under the table and glare at my sister.
“Did you just kick me?”
Her eyes are filled with a silent warning I refuse to heed. But before I can react further, my father pushes his chair away from the table. I stare at the man who’s supposed to love me, no matter what, with defiance.
“Apologize,” he demands of me.
“What for?” I hiss, glaring at him and struggling to break free of his firm grip. It’s no use. “Telling the truth?”
“For being a brat. For being an ungrateful, rude little bitch that still doesn’t understand the basics of behaving like an Oakes Firstborn should!”
"You mean how you tell me I should act," I hiss despite knowing I shouldn’t. "But I'm not here to follow your orders."
"You're here," he snarls. "Because you are a part of this family. And I expect you to start acting like it. Right now."
"Or else what? Are you going to send me back where I came from? Because I’d just love that.”
“Or else I’m going to give you something to remember,” he says. “You’re underestimating me, daughter. You’re underestimating us all.”
I smirk. “You can’t take anything else from me.”
“No?” He laughs out loud. “What about your friends at home?”
“What about them?”
“That girl,” he snarls. “With the awful, pretentious name. Andromeda.”
“Don’t talk about her,” I hiss.
“Oh, I’ll do more than talk.” His eyes are cold, cruel. “Your family may have had money, but I have so much more than that. I have power. Influence. I have people who’ll find that plain little girl and fuck her up if you so much as utter the wrong sentence.”
“Liar!” I scream, my heart beating with sheer panic. “You’re not going to do anything to her.”
“Don’t be so sure.” He grabs me by the chin, making me look at him. “You’d be responsible for it. Your little friend getting hurt… I could send someone to really, really mess her up. Rape her. Hurt her. Beat her. Or better yet… Knock her up.”
My eyes widen in shock. “You’re… you’re a monster!”