Chapter 7
1908 Words
“I’m asking you to marry Lucian Salvatore, Penelope. For the sake of the family.”
Penelope instantly felt lightheaded as her brain registered the words her father had poisoned; it was like thunder struck her straight in the head.
Penelope never asked for anything, not a car, or luxury items, nothing. All she ever asked of her father was to finish her studies so she could get the hell out of this house.
Now, he wanted to take that away too.
“No,” she muttered, looking straight at her father. She wasn’t going to compromise her future to save the Sterlings. “You said you were choosing Eleanor, just go with that. I’m not interested.”
Penelope jumped to her feet and headed to the door.
“Where do you think you are going?!” Eleanor hissed, grabbing Penelope by the arm.
Penelope turned around, glaring daggers at her half-sister, and where her hand grasped her arm.
“Let go,” Penelope said quietly.
Eleanor backed away, seeing the anger on the redhead’s face.
“I’m not going to marry Lucian Salvatore!”
“You always wanted to marry into an old-money family,” Penelope said, raising an eyebrow. “I believe the Salvatore would make that wish come true.”
Eleanor scoffed in a laugh. “Don’t you know anything! It’s Lucian Salvatore, the Tyrant of the underground. I'm not marrying someone suspected of being the head of the Mafia in the city. Think of my social status, what will happen when I become his wife? Absolutely not!”
“That’s right!” Vivian interrupted, stepping before her husband. “Think of your daughter! What will happen if she were to marry such a man! It’s as if we are selling our daughter to such a man; she’ll live in misery!”
Penelope scoffed loudly, not believing the hypocrisy in their words.
“But, you want to marry me to him?” started Penelope, raising her eyebrows. “That’s okay, and it obliges with your morals, doesn’t it? Makes you feel better to sell me instead of your precious little daughter?”
“It’s about time you pay us for all we have done for you!” said Vivian, eyeing Penelope up and down in disgust as if she were nothing but a homeless beggar they took in.
“We took you in when your mother came begging us to help you! And that’s how you repay us?!”
“I never asked for your money,” Penelope muttered. It was low but loud enough to echo in the darkly furnished room.
“That’s enough!” interrupted Arthur. He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly before turning to Penelope, his expression softening.
Disgusting, Penelope thought, bringing her hands into fists next to her thighs, her knuckles going white.
“You don’t want to marry him, Penelope?” he asked with gentleness that resembled the kind father he should’ve been to her for all those years; her stomach turned.
But she was over those manipulative words; she had fallen for them more times than she could count now.
“Would that even matter to you!?” Penelope said, her voice quiet but fierce and cold, reflecting the coldness in her frozen heart.
“Of course,” her father instantly answered, and turned to Eleanor. “Sweety–”
“Arthur!” Vivian interrupted, slamming her hands on the desk, causing the things atop it to clatter. “Eleanor will not marry that monster! If you even think of forcing her–’
“I’ll send her abroad!” she continued, turning towards Penelope. “And you–you will have to find someone else to fund your tuition! You will rot along with this house that you hate so much!”
“No one is going to rot!” Arthur exclaimed. “And Eleanor won’t go anywhere.”
“Penelope, honey, could you–”
“You’ve already made up your mind, haven't you?” Penelope spat out, her head still held high.
When Arthur avoided her eyes, she knew she was right. He was only going to pretend to be trying to convince her, so that it would seem she decided to marry Lucian Salvatore. And finding a bin to dump his guilt in, Penelope.
Her arms trembled from the anger running through her. How long has she been planning to get out of this house? For as long as she could remember.
She decided to use the only thing she is good at, studying.
She’ll get a job and make money, and get out of here!
But now she had to marry some mafia? What the hell was happening to the world around her?!
“I’ve already made the deal with Mr. Salvatore.”
~~~~~
“I’ve already made the deal with Mr. Salvatore.”
Penelope slammed her bedroom door behind her so hard that the windows shuddered. She skipped into the middle of the room, walking back and forth and back again, not knowing what to do. Her world seemed to crumble before her very eyes, and she was shackled to the ground, witnessing it all happen.
“Damn it!” Penelope muttered, biting down on her lower lip till she tasted blood.
She took a deep breath, running a hand through her scarlet hair as she walked to her bed. She threw herself and fell with a loud thud, staring at the ceiling,feeling numb. The rush of anger, hate, and misery was leaving her numb.
Her mind was foggy from the adrenaline in her veins. She hated when her mind wasn’t thinking straight, and she was desperate for it now. She needed a plan.
Arthur seemed set on her marriage.
And she wasn’t just going to sit and wait like a loving bride now.
She jolted herself to sit up straight, fishing for her phone from her back pocket and dialled the first number in her log. There was a peep for a couple of seconds before it was answered.
“Casey,” Penelope started. “I need your help ASAP!”
“What are you with that hottie again?” her friend answered. She heard her giggle.
“No, not about that, it’s something else.”
“Sure, what is it?” Casey answered more seriously.
“I need your help to run away.”
~~~~
Luca pulled into the parking of the Salvatore mansion, where he lived with the rest of his adoptive family. Anna Salvatore, his step-mother, Amelia, and Jamie, his step-siblings.
He would’ve to move out soon for the sake of the bride. No matter who it is, she doesn’t deserve to live with her in-laws under the same roof.
He turned off the ignition, the engine roared to silence, and the sound of the night was muffled through the tinted glass. Luca sat quietly, staring at the wheel as he went through what had happened today.
“f**k,” he whispered to the empty car, leaning his head against the headrest.
He felt numb and irritated, his hands were colder than usual, and he couldn’t help but doubt his decision. Not that it was wrong, but he doubted himself. William was right, Luca might have done some insane things for the sake of the company, but marriage wasn’t one of them. At first, when William read Robert’s will to the family, Luca found it amusing.
He took it as Robert’s last game for him. He had tried to marry, but failed.
He couldn’t commit to the woman by his side; he felt suffocated and broke it off.
However, as the year started to come to an end, the board was waiting idly by to overthrow him from his position, waiting for the first opening. For Luca to secure his seat using his own resources, it would take years.
“This is for the best,” he sighed, opening the car’s door and walking on the asphalt ground heading to the entrance.
Luca climbed up the staircase and onto the portico. Two maids opened the doors from the inside. Once he was in the foyer, he noticed Anna and James in the living room on his right, staring daggers at him.
“I heard Arthur Sterling came by today,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she approached.
Luca sighed, he had hoped she would ignore him so he could finally have some rest, but home just felt like another company he needed to handle. The work just never ended.
“Is he finally going to repay his debt?” Anna started. “It’s already been two years. You’ve been too lenient with them.”
“There is nothing for you to worry about,” he said. “I’m handling it.”
“What do you mean–Lucian!”
Luca ignored her and climbed up the stairs to his room, leaving her standing with her mouth gaping. He felt like he could finally breathe when he closed his room’s door behind him. He took off his black trench coat, tossing it on the bed as he undid his tie. He stripped off his clothes and headed to the bathroom; the warm water seemed to be cleansing his very soul.
He was interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned off the water and climbed out of the shower cabinet. The bathroom was foggy from the hot water.
“Who is it?”
“It’s William, Boss,” said William. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve got what you asked for.”
Luca grabbed his bathrobe before walking out of the bathroom, his drenched hair leaving a trail behind him.
“You could’ve sent it by mail,” Luca sighed, heading to the wine cabinet beside his desk. He asked William if he would like some.
“No, thank you, I drove here,” he answered. “And I found something you will find very interesting, boss. Look at this.”
Luca took a sip of his glass before setting it down on the coffee table and took the files from William. He flipped it open. It was labelled...
ARTHUR’S OFFSPRINGS.
He turned the page and saw his daughter, Eleanor Sterling, with dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes. His eyes skimmed over her biography, but soon got tired; it was a typical biography of a tycoon’s daughter.
“You came to show me this?” Luca said, uninterested. “Seems to me like a normal daddy’s girl.”
“That’s not to see the next page,” said William, pointing to the file. “He has another daughter, the same age as Eleanor.”
“Her twin?” Luca held up a brow. “Never heard of her.” He took the file again and flipped to the last page of the file.
His eyes widened as he saw the photo of a red-headed girl with dazzling green eyes, her freckles barely visible in the picture. The photograph wasn’t giving her beauty enough credit, but Luca didn’t mind since he had seen her.
He went to bed with her.
“He has another daughter, but from another woman, Penelope Sterling.”
Luca’s complexion relaxed as a smirk pulled on the corners of his lips. He leaned back against the couch, holding up the photograph and tracing the outline of her rounded face.
“Things are starting to get interesting…”
- Writer
