Page 18 of Pretty Poison

“Hey, Dad,” I say, a soft smile forming on my lips.

“How are you, Principessa?” His voice lacks his usual enthusiasm; he sounds drained.

“I’m okay.” I settle on a white lie rather than unveiling it all. He’s got enough on his plate. “Everyone’s so nice and they make me feel welcome here.”

“The Vitales are good people; Vincent and Elaina wouldn’t have you feeling out of place. You’re in good hands.” Not knowinghow to respond without unravelling the web I’ve found myself in, the line of communication falls silent for a moment until he adds, “I called to tell you that work is going great. Your engagement announcement is drawing in more clients for me. I wanted to thank you.”

“That’s great.” My smile widens. “So, I can come home soon?”

“No,” he says, his voice sounding confused. “This is a permanent arrangement, Liana. I thought you’d have realised that by now.” His words take me by surprise.

“What do you mean it’s permanent?” I ask, walking backwards towards my bed. I perch myself on the edge and swallow hard. “You assured me it was a temporary arrangement.”

“It was,” he says plainly, his voice void of emotion, “but then I realised what I could gain from a zero-interest debt, and I don’t need more shit from Dario. So I need you to play whatever role he wants you to because I won’t have you fuck this up for me.”

I’m taken aback by his confession. How could he do this to me? “You’re joking, right?”

Without hesitation, he says, “I’m deadly serious, Liana. This is exactly what I needed to get my feet on solid ground again. I should’ve realised it sooner, but there’s no changing the past now. I need you to be a good girl and do as I say.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

He huffs out in annoyance. “Then let me spell it out for you—” He shifts slightly and I hear his office chair squeak beneath his weight. “You were initially an innocent caught up in my mistake, but once opportunities began pouring in from my announcement of your engagement, you became a means to an end. Because of you, I’ll rise through the business world faster than I could’ve ever imagined.”

“So your job is more important than your daughter?” I scoff, blinking back the tears.

Another sigh reaches my ears and he mutters something under his breath. “I have spent my whole life working my ass off to achieve something as big as this and now that it’s happening, you want me to put it on hold? Stop being so selfish and just be happy for me.” He sucks his teeth.

“I’m sorry,” I say, sarcasm lacing my tone. “I’m so, so happy for you, Dad. You’ve achieved so much and I’m so proud.”

“Less sarcasm would be nice.”

“You know what else would be nice? Having a father who not only stuck to his word but cared for his daughter’s well-being. You should be ashamed of yourself. I looked up to you, wanted to achieve the greatness you have, but now, I couldn’t care less. I hope you get everything you could ever wish for because as of now, you have nothing holding you back. You lost Apollo because you were unable to put aside your old-fashioned mindset for two minutes and accept him, and now, after all you’ve done for me, you’ve lost me too.”

“I won’t have you disrespect—”

“I wasn’t fucking finished,” I interrupt. “I hope your entire business crumbles down on you and as you try to crawl your way out, you get stuck in the rubble. Maybe then, you’ll understand a sliver of what I’m feeling right now. Because believe me, you won’t be able to grasp the anger and betrayal radiating through me until that happens. I’ll be praying for it every day, hoping that day will soon come.” Without waiting for his response, I hang up and slam my phone down onto the bed beside me.

A faint knock comes from my door, and I stand, turning around to rid my eyes of the angry tears threatening to escape me.Spinning back around on my heels, I watch Kat walk in. She’s dressed to the nines in a beautiful emerald dress that shows off her adorable baby bump, and a pair of small black chunky heels. The matching earrings and necklace set, with silver crests adorning them, are stunning.

“Are you read—” she pauses in her tracks and her words halt for a moment. “Wow, you almost look better than me.”

“Key word there, almost,” I respond with a breathy laugh as I walk back to the mirror. I don’t even look like myself, and I don’t feel like it either.

Watching my reflection, my hands trail down the front of the floor-length gown and I shudder. The silver material is soft under my fingertips and feels amazing, but I can’t bring myself to love it. In the public eye, I put on a facade with a forced smile, knowing buried beneath the surface, I hate all the fashionable clothes that cost a fortune because they’re not me. It’s always been my father’s thing to look sharp; he takes pride in it. But being his daughter, I have to follow his lead to ensure my presence in the media resembles his, furthering his good reputation.

“Are you ready to head down?” she asks, snapping me from my thoughts.

I nod my head, and she takes the lead, walking back out of my room. With her gone, I breathe in, filling my lungs, and attempt to gather what remaining mental strength I have before following her.

The hall is quiet and the only sounds I hear are the clacks of our heels against the marble. The eerie silence makes the walk through it feel longer than usual and a lot more daunting. Tonight is my first and last family dinner with them before I’m properly introduced as a Vitale.

As we reach the bottom of the stairs, Kat links her arm through mine and tilts my chin to direct my gaze straight ahead. “Keep your chin up, Liana. From this moment forward, you need to hold your head high and not take everything to heart. This isn’t the end even if it feels like it is… This is a new beginning, something you can mould into your own shape to suit yourself. Don’t force yourself to be a woman you won’t recognise tomorrow. You don’t need to pretend around us, okay? We don’t want a fake version of you; we want the real, raw and unfiltered version because that's how we are as a family. Whether you like it or not, you’re family.”

Without waiting for my response, she carries on walking, dragging me along with her.

As we inch closer to the door, the muffled chatter swarms us. My heart is pounding in my chest like a bass drum, and everything begins to sink in—whatever awaits me behind those closed doors is my fate. There’s no backing out now.

Pushing open the swinging double doors, the conversations stop and everyone shifts their gaze to us. Then they all stand in unison as we continue into the room, a whoosh of air skimming across my skin as the doors close. Everyone is adorned in suits and dresses all of the same shade, making me stick out like a sore thumb in my silver gown. I sense a running pattern here.

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