My life is slipping away. I can feel the life inside me slowly wilting off. I am drowning, but I don't care. I am past the point of caring. I welcome the pain, the panic and fear of not being able to breathe. Drowning and doing nothing to stop it.
Maybe it will be better this way. No one will miss me anyway. Not the family that treated me like an outcast and made me feel like I didn't belong, not the boy whom I had always nurtured feelings for, who didn't even see me as anything other than his boss's neglected daughter. No one.
This would be the fourth time I would jump into the pool and try to drown myself when no one is looking or paying attention. Tonight is one of those busy nights where father has those important guests and hosts special gatherings with important people like him. But the moment I sink my body into the water, I know I won't get out this time around.
I knew that one day, it would get too much for me. I just didn't think it would be this soon. My breath is slowing by the second. Death is coming to take me. Even as I am surrounded by water, I can feel tears of anguish rush down my cheeks. I am tired of life. I am tired of the trouble it brings, and I am genuinely tired of existing in a world where my mother doesn't.
I am perfectly content to die like this, except that a nosy stranger from nowhere won't let me. it happened in a split second. One moment I am on the brink of death, the next moment, I feel a strong, large hand grab my shoulder and pull me from under and right to the surface in one hard tug. The strangled gasp that escapes me is one of both surprise and frustration. Who the hell thinks they can take away my right to take my own life?
I try to yank my shoulder off the death grip, but the hand doesn't budge. Instead, it pulls me roughly out of the water and onto the hard, tiled floor making me bruise my knees and ass as I collapse on the ground, coughing out water from my lungs and nostrils. There is a loud ringing in my ears and my eyes burn hotter than fire. I try to catch my breath as I scramble to get on my feet. Trembling violently, I rise to my full height and peel my burning eyes open to glare at whoever just dared to touch me.
"How dare you put your hands on m—" My voice breaks mid sentence as my eyes register who is standing in front of me. A tall man draped in the finest suit stood in front of me, watching me with annoyance and irritation in his gaze. Damn, he is tall. So tall that I have to crank my neck to get a good look at his face and I find myself sucking in a breath because of how handsome he is.
His face looks like something straight out of a fantasy. Carved to perfection with high cheekbones, straight, strong nose and eyes deep blue it's almost completely dark and shining like there are stars behind his lid. His lips are full and pink, almost red and pulled down in a scowl directed at me. This man is so unbelievably handsome that I feel blood rushing to my face in embarrassment at ogling him uncontrollably and unintentionally. Everything about him is intense and extraordinary right from the way his outfit clings to his muscular body, to the way his dark wavy hair is styled so sexily, shorter on the sides and fuller in the middle.
I try to open my mouth but no words come out. I am momentarily dumbfounded.
Say something Nana!
This man just stares at me, unblinking and irritated. I have the urge to run away and hide away from his judging gaze. Before now, no one has ever caught me trying to drown myself, yet this unbelievably good-looking stranger not only caught me but stopped me from going through with my plan. I feel my face flame up at that unfortunate knowledge. So much for being invisible.
I attempt to find my voice one more time, clearing my parched throat. "Um... Who are you and why are you here?" I'm impressed by how firm my voice sounded. I have always been the type to stand my ground even when no one supports me. I'm not about to stop doing that now.
Mr stranger does not respond. He just watches me like a hawk, his eyes going up and down over my frame. I want to curl into a ball right there because of how self conscious his gaze makes me feel but I can't allow myself to do that. I will rather die than show that I am affected by this man.
"Well?" I ask, my patience wearing thin. "Are you going to give me an answer or do you plan on staring the whole night?"
Mr stranger continues to look over at me with an unreadable expression in his dark blue eyes. It is really pissing me off. He has his hands casually tucked in his pockets, unmoving.
After what seems like hours, I decide that I can't stand it anymore. I need to leave this place right now.
I turn without a word with my back to him and begin to walk away from the pool area but before I reach the end of the room, I hear his quiet voice break through the deafening silence.
"Careful..." Thick, smooth voice murmurs. "No one may be there to save you from yourself next time."
I suck in a deep, hot breath at his words. I still felt very ashamed for being caught almost drowning myself. I hope whoever he was, I will never have to set eyes on him again. I won't live through the embarrassment. I do not turn even as I feel the crippling urge to do so. All I need is to hide myself in my room, and I'll be good.
I walk out of there without another word, feeling his eyes burn a hole through my back.
****
I haven't even slipped back into the mansion for ten minutes before Carla, our housekeeper, comes knocking on my door and informs me that my father is asking for my presence at the gathering. I'm surprised because my father usually exempts me from meeting the people he does business with. He is always very clear about that one thing. At the age of twenty-two, some things are already clear to me like my father doing shady business and associating himself with criminals. The suspicion became a thing when I overheard my father planning to kill someone for trying to expose him. That was the moment I realized I never really knew my father.
Ever since my mom passed away and he remarried, our relationship became strained to the max. My stepmother and siblings made it worse. Father was more loving, more kind, more care free with them than he was with me. Most times, the only thing we say to each other is 'good morning' and 'good night.'
I take my precious time putting on an outfit I am comfortable with and putting up my golden hair in a messy bun before proceeding to leave my tiny cocoon of a room, — which is the smallest room on this floor — and head to the hall room where father is hosting his questionable guests.
I call them questionable because of how quiet the house gets whenever they are around. The men always look scary and carry heavy guns with them, and they seem to permeate the whole place with so much darkness that it just feels weird breathing in the same space as them.
l allow my feet to drag itself, silently wishing I don't have to show my face, but I know I have no choice.
The hall room is awkwardly quiet when I walk in. I turn to the left and see Isabella and Luca, my stepsiblings, sitting comfortably, sipping champagne. Bella doesn't even spare me a glance as usual, but her twin brother, who is a year older than I am, smiles at me the moment he sees me. He motions with his hand for me to come and sit beside him.
On a normal day, I would ignore Luca and his fake friendliness in public, but the presence of these other men in the house today makes me nervous so I have no choice but to sit beside my annoying step brother.
Luca is not mean to me unlike his sister that never fails to make me feel like I am beneath her, but he is...creepy. Since the very moment they became part of this family, Luca told me he liked me and wanted me to be his even though we are supposed to be brother and sister. Over time, I took it as a harmless crush until a few months ago when he tried to kiss me forcefully.
I slapped him out of shock and anger and to my greatest shock and horror, Luca slapped me back and even punched my face and stomach. I'll never forget the evil glint I saw in his eyes as he beat me the hell up that night when l turned twenty one. All because I stopped him from kissing me. After giving me a black eye and a bruised rib, he promised to do horrible things that made me tremble with fear of him. I try to stay out of his way but it's virtually impossible considering that we stay in the same house.
That is when I realized that I don't want to stay in this house anymore. That is the reason why I've been secretly schooling online so I can one day become an official tech developer and make enough money to be able to move out of here because even though my father is a perceived wealthy man, I live like any normal young girl with struggling parents does. My father acts like I don't exist most times and I barely receive any allowance recently. Although, it seems like father's finances are not as buoyant as before because Isabella has been complaining about her allowance being reduced even if it is still around thousands of dollars per month.
Ungrateful much right?
"Now that every member of my family is present, I would like us to introduce ourselves" My father's strained voice breaks me out of my thoughts. He is seated at the far end of the round table, holding a glass of champagne in his shaky hands. Beside him, Franca, my step mother is seated with her head held high, her make-up on fleek and her appearance glittering with everything luxury. It is no wonder my father is obsessed with his wife. Francesca Falcone is one beautiful woman. Before she remarried my father, it was rumored that her former husband was murdered by her lover. Franca is what you would call a local celebrity In New York because of her beauty and fashionable lifestyle. She is a special woman and from the way she carries herself, she knows it. And that's why my father dances to every one of her single tune. I am almost sure that if Franca asks my father to disown me tomorrow, he will not only consider it, he will do it immediately.
She briefly glances at me with obvious disinterest in her gaze, then beams at her daughter before blowing her a kiss. My chest pinches with envy and pain. I can never have that kind of affection shown to me anymore.
My uncles and aunties are also seated and watching my father talk about his guest with rapt attention. The men in expensive suits who I'm guessing are the guests, about five of them are seated opposite us, looking very intimidating and regal.
"Now, it's an honor to introduce the man who will become part of our family and take our family to the next level. The king of the NewYork empire, Leonardo Voss." My father announces as he gets up on his feet. Everyone instinctively does the same thing. The man must be very important, I note.
There is a minute of silence, before a man slowly emerges from the shadows as his men give him space to show himself. I can't see him since he is standing behind his men, but I can make out the line of his wide shoulders and how tall he is. He appears to be speaking to someone on his phone while we wait for him to acknowledge my father's presence.
This man, whoever he is, I can tell that he is used to keeping people waiting. I spare a quick glance at my father and I can see his smile wavering. One thing my father hates is feeling unimportant. It's kinda funny, considering how he loves making everyone else feel unimportant except his wife. I wonder how it feels to be on the receiving end of the stick.
"Apologies for my unusual tardiness everyone," A weirdly familiar smooth and thick voice that makes my pulse race breaks the silence before the man walks in and my breath ceases in that split second. This man is....
My heart is pumping so hard in my chest that I'm afraid Luca will hear it. It cannot be the same man. But my fears are confirmed the moment the man's piercing eyes wanders through everyone at the table and finally lands on me.
Yes. Yes it is the same man that just dragged me out of the pool not up to an hour ago. The same man that caught me trying to drown myself. He is the important man whom my father has been eating his ass. Leonardo Voss.
His dark blue eyes pierces into my brown ones, causing me to choke on my breath. Instant recognition flickers in his dark gaze and he practically pins me down with his eyes, watching me for what feels like hours.
My skin burns so hot and I can feel the flush creeping up my neck till it reaches my cheeks and ears.
Then he smiles.
At me.
With everyone watching.
***