Page 53 of Redeeming the Villain

I do as told, quietly walking around the armchair and sitting on the edge of the seat. “Hi.”

He clears his throat and lifts a piece of paper from the desk, handing it to me. I lean forward and take it.

Physically resisting my eyes from rolling, I read the headline.Areas of Improvement.

It’s been a few years since I got one of these from him, although I was a teenager then, still in his care. Now I’m an adult, teetering on the edge of ending our relationship.

“As you can see, there isa lotto work on.” He studies his own copy. “But for starters, let’s discuss today. First off, you were late.Unacceptable. You know how important appearances are in this world, and you failed to uphold them.” His face reddens the longer he talks. “You barely spoke all afternoon, and I had to remind you to smile more than once. If you still lived under my roof, I would have taken everything from you as punishment. It’s disgraceful, Alora. For both of us.”

His face may be red with frustration, but my blood is boiling with rage.

Maybe it’s from the small stint of being on my own that I’ve found this new sense of separation from my dad, more so than I did when I went to live with just my aunts. But I know that if he wanted to, he could have me revoked from this school with one phone call and upheave my entire life.

I don’t care about the money. I know how to be happy without it. My aunts taught me that. But I won’t say that I hate having the money I was born into. It’s a blessing, one that I don’t take for granted. But I don’t need him to hold on to a majority of my money, thanks to my mom and the trust fund she had set up for me. The hundreds of millions set aside in the trust is the safety net allowing me to distance myself from my dad.

There’s a tightrope between standing up for myself and pissing him off. I have to pick my battles, and I’m just not sure this is the one I want to choose.

“I apologize,” I say as genuinely as I can muster.

He nods, dismissing it immediately. “Now, let’s talk about your time here on campus. You haven’t been managing it wisely.”

He checks the sheet again, and I follow, looking down at my own paper. I notice the second section, and my body goes cold.

“H-have you been having me followed?” My words are a ghost of a whisper.

He looks at me like I’m stupid. “Of course I have. You’re an extension of my agency. What you do affects me.”

My lungs empty, and a shiver skates across my shoulders. I know he values image above everything else and he has plans to run for senator and then president one day, but I never once questioned that he would completely invade my privacy.

Reaching into his bag, he pulls out a small picture. “I received word that you’d been spotted interacting with this individual.”

He slides the photo across the desk, and my heart sinks.

It’s a photo of Malik and me at the party, visibly angry with one another. Apparently, there’s nowhere my father can’t reach, including a college party with an invite-only attendance.

Did one of the brothers take a check from him to get whoever his spy is put on the list?

My mind starts racing as I try to remember if anyone stands out who I’ve maybe seen more than once that isn’t a coincidence.

Then my eyes focus on Malik in the photo, and I recall the discussion at hand. “What about him?”

He shakes his head, disappointed I don’t already know the answer. “You cannot be friends with this boy. Do you understand me? He doesn’t have a great reputation. And certainly doesn’t fit in the line of what we represent.”

“It’s a good thing we aren’t friends. Merely old high-school acquaintances.” My words are short and sharp.

I don’t know why I feel so defensive of Malik. He’s made my life hell. I know part of it is the daddy issues I have, wanting to defend anyone he dislikes. But I also understand the difference between the heat of anger I feel wanting to defy my dad, and the bubbling heat I feel beneath the surface when Malik’s near me.

He remains quiet, and after I briefly scan the paper, I rise from my seat.

“If that’s all …”

“That’s all,” he dismisses me.

Shit, I got up too fast.

When I lower myself to my seat, he watches me for a moment, and I swear I catch a glimpse of concern in his gaze. But it must be the black spots flashing in my eyes like glitter.

“It was good seeing you,” he mutters softly.

---