“She is my daughter and only sixteen. I do not want her to marry a monster.”
They were words my father blurted out that hadn’t been meant for me to hear.
“That’s what she’s been groomed for,” Marco insisted. “All she’s good for.”
A horrible noise followed my brother’s exclamation.
“Get out of my office, Marco. Now,” my father commanded.
I pressed my hand across my mouth, stumbling into the bathroom once again. After my brother rushed from my father’s office, the door was immediately closed behind him. Marco stopped only a few feet away, slowly turning his head toward me. The dim lighting captured his expression.
And his terrifying smirk just before he walked away, rubbing his jaw where my father had obviously struck him. I slumped against the counter, fighting the wretched tears. It was time I grew up. I couldn’t be Daddy’s little princess any longer.
After taking several deep breaths, I ventured back into the hallway, shaking from anger as much as fear.
“You may not have a choice, Don Scavullo. There is talk of a coup. You could be overthrown. This might be your only chance to save your empire.”
His sudden footsteps caught me off guard. To save face, I knocked quickly and opened the door, stunned to the point I couldn’t think clearly.
What? What did he say? My father was all powerful. No one would ever challenge him. Not after the war he’d won several years ago.
Luciano noticed me first, obviously worried about what I’d overheard. “Anastasia. Happy birthday.”
Nodding, I used the time to try to collect myself. “Thank you, Luciano. Papa. May I talk to you for a moment?” I tried to pretend I was perfectly fine even as a single tear slipped past my lashes.
The two men looked at each other. “I’ll leave you alone, Don Scavullo. But this time, I agree with Marco.” Luciano nodded before leaving us alone and my father was careful not to say anything else until he’d left. His sigh was visible, full of exhaustion.
My father had jerked up from his chair the moment I’d walked in, searching my eyes for any sign I’d overheard the horrible news. Panting, I couldn’t think straight. Was it possible my father would consider the arranged marriage?
“Anastasia. I was just about to come find you.” He walked around the desk, narrowing his eyes. “We have dinner reservations tonight.” He was furious with me that I’d interrupted, but as always, his anger faded.
“Am I to be married?”
“No, child. Not against your will. You are my daughter and I refuse to allow it. Now, what’s the interruption?”
I hadn’t realized until he’d bent over that I’d accidently dropped the letter from the ballet company. He retrieved it, his brow furrowing as he read the words I’d been so excited about before. Now, I was nothing but numb inside.
He would never allow me to go. I would never have my dream. Never. Not now. Tears formed in my eyes and I looked away, trying to be the very big girl I knew I was supposed to be. I’d been groomed for this all my life. A life of servitude. I was nothing but a commodity, worth more in transactions between powerful men than anything else.
“Anastasia,” Papa said, his tone softer than before. “Is this what you really want?”
Shifting my gaze toward him, I nodded. “Yes, Papa. It’s the only thing in the world I want. Just to dance.” Just to be free.
As he glanced away, I willed away the tears. I’d need to learn to be an adult.
Several minutes passed and when I looked again, he’d returned to his desk, sitting down on the leather chair he’d had since I was a baby. His office had always been one of my favorite places in the house. I’d felt safe inside the walls. Every smell reminded me of him. Cigar smoke and whiskey, the richness of his aftershave.
Now I wasn’t certain I could ever walk into the room again.
Tick tock. Tick tock.
“Very well, Anastasia. I will allow it.”
What?
I turned to go as if accepting my fate until I realized what he’d said. “What? Really? I can go?” How was this possible?
He appeared much older than he had the day before, the usual brightness in his eyes vanished. Yet the smile that I would always remember was there. “Yes, my beloved daughter. Anything for you. However, there will be several rules that will need to be followed. I need you to be very… protected. Do you understand?”
