The Depths We Go To
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Niccolite Slater (with S. S. Sahoo)
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528K
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20
Chapter 1
ANGELA
Annoyed, I flick my ponytail back over my shoulder, staring at the dinner bill that the waitress dropped off at our table half an hour ago.
Dadās talking to some business associate, ignoring my inner turmoil at the $300 bill thatās looking back at me, mocking me for what Iām inevitably going to have to do.
Dadās out of money. He has been for months, although he returns home spewing lies about how Carson Scientific is still dragging in the big bucks.
There hasnāt been a profit in over a year but somehow heās kept the place running. Until now.
Without a significant donation or a sponsor, weāre going to lose the company. As much as Iād hate to lose the invites to the extra fancy soirees, I wonāt actually be missing out on anything.
I paid my own way through college, graduating from Cambridge with a biochemistry degree, and have been living on my own ever since. Iām not even sure Dad has noticed that I officially moved out, nor does it bother him.
Momās lonely, I can tell, but sheāll have to face the music sooner or later.
With another deep breath, I pat the table to signal my departure, Dad giving me a wide smile as he sees me pick up the bill. I hate that he just assumes that Iāll take care of it.
Heās never even apologized that he doesnāt have the money to cover itābut I canāt worry about that now.
Iām more focused on how Iām going to pay my rent this month, because this dinner is going to cut into the funds Iāve been saving to leave town.
Thereās nothing left here for me to doāif Carson Scientific goes under, I wonāt have a job or a company to fall back on.
And with the elite that roam the city, the shame that would be constantly hanging over me would keep me from working anywhere else.
I plod over to the counter, giving the waitress a small, tight smile. She knows me well. We come here all the time, a cute Italian restaurant at the edge of town.
Most of the elite stay away from these hole-in-the-wall establishments, giving Dad ample room to meet clients without being watched. They all know weāre basically broke and I guess heās tired of hearing it.
āMaking you pay again?ā
I shrug. āIād rather not be asked in front of his newest client.ā
Susie looks over to the table and then back at me. āThatās not a client, Angela.ā
I know that. My eyes drift back to the table, falling on the man beside my dad. Heās not much older than me, maybe thirty-one or thirty-two, the son of the owner of some company whose name I canāt even pronounce.
Heās rolling in dough and his clothes cost more than what I paid to go to school. At least, they look like it, and half of the words that come out of his mouth make it sound like he slept next to a dictionary.
To me, though, he just sounds entitled.
Which makes him a favorite with Dad.
And a prospect.
The clients Dad meets arenāt just to save his business, because thatās never the deal. The deal is my hand for their money. Weāre not in the medieval ages but someone forgot to let my dad know that.
āSo, whoās this one?ā Susie asks, poking me in the side.
I love her and her silly anticsāsheās the only woman keeping me sane in this town. Sheās one of the few that I donāt have to pretend to be some uppity high-class person with, and she doesnāt have to pretend to bow at my feet.
āRiley Harrison.ā
Susie turns up her nose as she rounds the counter and grabs the bill from me. āSounds like a real dickhead but at least heās pretty? The last few that your father brought along, I feared for the children youād produce.ā
I let out a bitter laugh because thatās the only acceptable response to something like that. There will be no children in these marriages.
I will only stay long enough for our business to gather some footing and then find a way to amicably split with whatever rich individual Dad pairs me with.
Unfortunately, the longer I stare at the dark-haired, pompous ass chatting with my dad, the more I realize that I donāt want to lose my freedom.
Getting married means more rules that Iāll have to abide by. Iāll have to adopt a persona and a wardrobe that goes with it, just like my mom did.
I tell myself she sold out, especially since I see the bright look in her eyes when she stares at younger pictures of herself.
I canāt be that person.
Susie taps my shoulder, dragging me out of my head. āHey, girlie. I comped a few things. Comes up to a hundred and fifty dollars.ā
āYou canāt keep doing that. Your boss is going to kill you.ā
āI can and I will. Iāll just say that Riley guy had a shit fit or something. Take the gift, Angela. You need a break.ā
I donāt fight her on this because it means more money toward rent and I desperately need that. She swipes my card and gives me my copy after I sign, leaving me with one more piece of advice.
āIf you donāt want to get married, donāt. I know your father is trying to save his business and itās a cushy position but itās not worth it.ā
I wave her off, exiting through the back because I donāt want Dad to drag me back into the conversation. Susie knows what itās like being stuck in a loveless marriage. She did it for six years.
But I donāt have the luxury of just walking away. Failing my father isnāt on my bingo card for this year because itāll ruin my family.
Taking a deep breath, I hop into my hoodless jeep, enjoying the breeze against my bare shoulders. Itās the little freedoms like these that I would lose being married to a CEO in the limelight.
Iād have to be careful of my image, the car I drive, the clothes I wear, and the emotions I show on my face. Iām shit at following rules, and it gets even worse when people specifically tell me what to do.
Riley seems like he wonāt stand for anything less than obedience, but if he thinks Iām just going to roll over, he has another thing coming.
