(Sapphire's POV)
"Mrs Blackwood, you have a guest."
I paused mid-step on the staircase and turned around so fast Mr Flash would have been proud of me.
A guest?
Who would dare to visit the Blackwood's estate unannounced and without prior notice?
"I am not expecting anyone," I told her quietly.
The elderly housekeeper lowerred her gaze respectfully and nervously shifted from side to side.
"Is there a problem?" I gently asked her.
"He insisted, Ma'am," she explained.
He?
A cold knot formed in my throat.
Before she could reply, I heard it.
That familiar commanding voice I could recognize anywhere.
"Hello, Daughter."
I staggered back a little.
"Father."
He smiled, but I wasn't fooled.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, quickly recovering from my shock.
The smile vanished from his face as fast as it had come.
"What is that question supposed to mean? Aren't you happy to see me? The man who gave you life and all these wealth you're now enjoying?" He asked as he looked around the massive living room.
"I…"
"Send the staff away." He cut me short.
I didn't say anything.
"Now!" He shouted.
I and the housekeeper jumped together. If we were in an animated movie, our skins would have left our bones for sure.
The elderly woman looked at me unsurely, she was obviously scared, but didn't want to leave me alone with this scary man.
I smiled kindly at her, "I'll be fine, you may go."
She hesitated, but nodded and quickly walked away from the room.
She had given me enough time to recover, I took a deep breath and faced my father.
"What do you want?" I asked without warmth.
He walked closer to me.
"Say what?"
"I asked why you're here, father." I was scared of him, but I wasn't going to show it.
"I heard about the càfe incident, Sapphire." He spat.
Of course he did. These men had eyes everywhere.
"So you're here to make sure your investment is intact, then?"
"Exactly." He smiled like he finally realized I wasn't totally daft.
"It was nothing, father."
"Oh, it was everything, do you understand? Everything. You're here to make us get back on our feet, and I am not asking you to fall in love with that man, but make sure I get enough money to keep my empire intact. So for your own sake, do not ruin this for me."
"So, I am still nothing but a pawn in your game." I spoke quietly.
I had tears in my eyes, but I wasn't going to let any drop.
"Exactly! Now listen carefully, daughter. You will not disgrace the family name like that again or I'll be forced to…"
"You will be forced to do nothing, Mr Montgomery." An icy voice said from behind me.
My father took a step back at once.
"Mr Blackwood." He managed to say.
"I do not appreciate you coming into my house and threatening my wife barely twenty four hours after our wedding, Victor." Damian's aura was so strong at that moment that even I was too afraid to move or turn around.
But my father had gotten a hold of himself.
"Sapphire is my daughter, so I will speak to her however I see fit!" He almost yelled.
His voice sounded like it was shaking.
"Wrong choice of words, Victor." Damian answered and walked closer to him. He pushed me behind him and stood toe to toe with my father.
The height difference between both men was almost unbelievable, and my father was not a short man either.
"She is my wife, legally married to me, and that makes her my responsibility, so if you or any other man tries to intimidate or hurt her, you will have me to face. Are we clear?"
My father raised his head and tried to look at my husband in the eyes, but he couldn't. He looked away just as fast.
"We are clear." He replied timidly.
Oh, father. How low you have suddenly fallen.
"Now, I will ask you just once, why are you here?" Damian asked him.
My father gulped, but stood straighter. "To make sure the agreement still stands now that you have gotten married to her." He answered as he pointed at me like I was a market commodity.
"Yes. Now, you may leave, and if you ever come into our property again without my wife's permission or mine, we will not hesitate to treat you like a trespasser." Damian wasn't bluffing.
"I am your father-in-law!" My father shouted in exasperation.
"Then act like it. Ferdinand, show him out and make sure he isn't anywhere near my wife when I open my eyes."
One of his bodyguards appeared from nowhere and nodding, he ushered my father out of the room.
"Remember all I have told you, Sapphire. Remember that father knows best!" My father yelled out to me as he was being led out.
I stayed like that until the door closed behind them.
Then I inhale deeply.
"Are you alright, Sapphire?" Damian asked me.
I couldn't form words yet, so I simply nodded.
"Turn around and look at me." He commanded softly.
I did as he asked.
"You're shaking, sit."
The housekeeper appeared out of nowhere with a glass of water.
I smiled at her as I took it.
She was a sweet woman and gave me motherly vibes.
"What did he say to you, are you alright?" Damian asked me.
I gave him a summary of what had happened before he came.
Damian's eyes went dark. He was pissed.
"Your father is a greedy man, Sapphire. I believe you know this." He wasn't asking, but I nodded.
"So, I will be placing you with two bodyguards whenever you're going out. And be informed that if he treats you like this again, I will have him beaten." It was as if he was asking for permission from me.
"Please don't, Damian." I begged.
"Okay." He stood up. "Is there anything you need?"
"A room. Bare." I answered at once.
He raised an eyebrow at me. He was curious.
"What do you need a room for? Do you not like your room?" He asked without any expression on his face.
"I am an artist, Damian. I need a studio to paint." I replied.
"I see. Give me a day or two." Was all he said.
He walked out of the living room without another word or a backward glance.
"Food, dear?" The housekeeper asked me.
"Yes, please. Thank you." It was almost evening and I had not had anything since morning except the coffee I had with Luke at the càfe.
"Okay, ma'am." She nodded and made to go to the kitchen.
"What is your name?" I asked her.
"Pauline. My name is Pauline, Madame." She answered with a smile.
"Thank you, Pauline. I know you went to call my husband when you left here earlier." I said.
She smiled and nodded.
I sighed and closed my eyes when she left the room.
I was sad, but I wasn't going to cry.
My father loved me so much when I was a child, and was always there to teach me what to do and what not to do.
The "pros and cons of life." he used to call it.
"Sapphire, do this. No, Sapphire, this is wrong."
Always so available, and I had loved him so much because of that, but now I understood why my mother was just always in the shadows.
Looking at us from afar.
Because my father had decided that if he couldn't get a son to take over his empire, he would shape his daughter to become the stepping stone to him reaching greater heights.
He had groomed me to always obey so that as soon as I was old enough, I would be sold to the highest bidder.
And he had done just that.
I was now married to the feared business mogul, Damian Blackwood. He had used me to remove himself from all his debts, but why was he still being greedy, why wasn't he leaving me alone?
Why was he still trying to control me even in my husband's house?
What was his problem?
I kept thinking until I dozed off right there on the living room couch.