“Are you going to keep us in suspense?” my oldest sister asks, picking at her manicured nails.
Her nonchalant attitude has always irked me. She doesn’t have a care in the world because everything with this family always sits on my shoulders. She doesn’t have anything to worry about as long as I fund her existence.
“We know it has something to do with Belle,” she continues. “It always does. Let’s get it over with because I have a date.”
“Of course, you do,” I mumble. “The unlucky bastard.”
“It would do you some good to get fucked too, ice princess,” she sneers.
I roll my eyes. “Having sex is the least of my worries, Angela, especially when I have to work. You know, make a living? But, of course, you wouldn’t know anything about that since I’m the one funding your lifestyle.”
“You bitch!” she screams, jumping up from her seat.
“Could you both stop this damn bickering? Sit down, Angela.” My father runs his hand down his face. “This is too important.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” I apologize.
Of course, Angela won’t apologize even if her life depended on it. Even as adults, some things will never change. I should stop expecting them to.
“I’ve been offered a business proposition,” my father says, a rare smile gracing his face. “A very lucrative business proposition.”
“What kind?” Raven asks before I have the chance to. “And what does it have to do with me?”
“It has nothing to do with you, Raven, or Angela,” my father responds. “But it concerns the Williamson legacy, so that’s why everyone is here. Angela is right. It does have to do with Belle.”
“Of course, I’m right,” she sneers. “Doesn’t everything always have to do with your precious Belle?”
My father’s palm slams against the oak dining room table, echoing throughout the room, and we all flinch. The beer bottles my sister emptied earlier clink against one another.
“Because Belle is the only one of you that has made something out of their goddamn life! If it wasn’t for her, both of you would be dead or penniless. We all would be.”
Both my sisters roll their eyes. Although it’s shocking to hear my father finally acknowledge what I’ve done for all of them, they don’t care what I’ve sacrificed so they can have a decent life. Not just a decent life, but a better life than they would have had if I wasn’t keeping them afloat. They never will. I stopped waiting for them to care about me and what I’ve done for them a long time ago.
“Daddy, calm down,” I say, trying to diffuse the tense situation.
Although my father is telling the truth, I don’t need more hate from my sisters. I don’t need any more to deal with. He’s always the reason we’ve been in these positions. His gambling doesn’t help and not pushing my sisters to do more causes everything to fall on my shoulders. Although my sisters are bitches, he could have put an end to how they treat me a long time ago. He just refuses to do so.
“Tell us about this deal, and if I can help, I will.”
“Yes.” He releases a breath, relief covering his features. “I told him as much.”
“You told who?” I ask as unease builds inside me even more.
“Florian Larsson. He’s asked for your hand in marriage, and I’ve agreed.”
I scoff, shaking my head. This is not happening. What the hell?
“This isn’t the 1800s, Daddy. Why in the hell is he asking to marry me if I’ve never met him, and why the hell are you agreeing to it?”
“TheFlorian Larsson?” Angela interrupts. It’s the first time she’s actually smiled since I sat down at the table. “Billionaire Florian Larsson? One ofForbes’smost eligible bachelors? That Florian Larsson? Are you fucking serious?”
My father ignores my sister and lasers his focus on me. “I owe Florian money, sweetheart.”
I run my hand through my hair. Of course, he does. He owes everyone money.
“A lot of money.”
“How much?” I pick up my phone and start scrolling through the contact list to call my accountant. “I’m sure I can pay it if I move some things around. Oh, and I have an upcoming shoot…”
