Chapter 1 — Veronica Williams
1214 Words
“I just received my admission email,”
Veronica muttered, clutching her phone tightly, as she lifted it towards her mother who was enjoying a peaceful massage in their luxurious mansion. From her tone alone, it was clear she wasn’t pleased with the news.
"Oh," said a whisper.
Diana Williams is one of the most popular actresses in the country. She built a media company after her husband left her for his mistress.
Now, she wants her daughter to follow in her footsteps. But the truth is, Veronica doesn’t want the lavish, stylish life her mother is trying to shape for her. She just wants something simple, like any normal teenager.
But Diana can’t risk the family name being dragged through the mud or splashed across blogs for all nasty reasons.
“Well, that’s good news,” Diana replied, yanking off the cucumber slices from her eyes so she could see her daughter clearly. She didn’t sound surprised at all.
“Let me guess,” Veronica hissed, folding her arms together, “You already knew.”
Diana stared at her, not confirming or denying it, and that only made Veronica furious. She got her answer.
“Mom, I told you I don’t want to study theater. Why do you keep doing this?”
Diana could sense an emotional breakdown about to explode, but she couldn’t have the maids around. She looked at them, giving a signal to vacate the room. They did as instructed, leaving mother and daughter alone, the atmosphere suddenly thick.
“How dare you?" She murmured. "After everything I keep doing for you, this is the thank you I get?”
“Mom, please. I have no passion for acting, it’s all you. You’re the star, and I’m just the daughter of the star. I can’t keep following your footsteps. I want my own lane. My own future, Mom. Mine!” Veronica cried out, her voice trembling.
But her mother didn’t flinch one bit. She’s not the type who can easily be moved by crocodile tears.
“You better wipe those fake tears of yours and get your s**t together. I’m your mother, and I always know what’s best for you.”
“And that’s the damn problem,” Veronica flung her hands in the air. Obviously, she was fed up with her mother always deciding her life. She’s nineteen and believes she’s more than capable of handling her own business.
“You always think it’s about you. My life is not about you, Mom. What about Troy? He gets to be what he wants, why can’t I receive the same treatment?”
“Your family has a media company, which your brother runs, so don’t you even compare yourself to Troy, because he’s nothing like you,” Diana muttered before she could contain herself. “I keep trying my best, trying everything I can for this family but you keep giving me a hard time, Veronica. What else do you want from me?”
The atmosphere was already becoming tense at this point, but Veronica couldn’t care less. “I didn’t ask for any of this. It was all your idea, so you don’t get to ask me those kind of questions,”
“So what do you want then?” Diana asked. “What the hell is your passion?” she flipped both middle fingers in the air, mocking her daughter from her earlier statement.
Veronica kept thinking. The truth is, she didn’t want to study theater. She knew deep down that it wasn’t meant for her, but then again, she had no idea what she really wanted. She remained silent, searching for the right words, but that only gave Diana the upper hand.
“Exactly!” she yelled slightly. “You don’t know what it is you’re saying. And you sure don’t know what the hell you want, so when I say you’re going to study theater, then theater it is,” she screamed, trying her best to retain composure, but that only ignited the fire in Veronica.
“I wish you were never my mother. Things could’ve really been easier for me,” she cursed, her voice low.
Diana was stunned. She never thought there would be a day in her life when her own child would say something like that to her face. She walked up slowly to Veronica and delivered a hot, resounding slap across her soft cheek.
Veronica felt the pain settle across her face. She placed her hand slowly on the spot her mother had slapped. That was the first slap she had ever received from her mother since birth. Maybe it wasn’t just the pain of the slap, maybe it was the fact that her family still sees her as the little Vee of yesterday, who can’t make decisions on her own.
“Get out!” Diana said, almost like a whisper. “Your new bags are ready. I’ve bought all the designers and accessories you’ll need for school. You’ll thank me after this.”
Veronica was at a loss for words. She had no idea what else she could say in order to convince her mother, and after that slap, it was better she didn’t even try.
Just as she was leaving, her brother Troy walked in on them. She stared at him with disgust, not uttering a single word, and made her way straight to her room upstairs.
“What the hell is wrong with her?” Troy asked his mother, who was already fuming with anger.
“Your sister keeps pissing me off. She thinks she’s all grown up,” Diana said to Troy, rolling her eyes, the thought incredibly ridiculous to her.
“Mom, she’s still a teenager, that’s what they all do. You’ve got to take it easy on her. When the right time comes, she’ll definitely understand.”
“What’s going on with the company? Any good news?” Diana muttered. She was done with the Veronica conversation now and wanted to focus on business.
Troy shook his head in disapproval, his face heavy as though he didn’t want to say the words. “The company is still in debt, Mom, but I’m trying my best to fix this.”
“Trying your best, Troy? I guess your best isn’t good enough,” Diana hissed as she reached for her phone.
“Well then, let’s call Dad and ask for help.”
Diana paused, the gravity of that word pulling in old memories. “After all these years of studying in business school and making headlines, I thought you knew better.”
“Mom…” Troy tried to calm her down.
“Just get out as well,” she murmured as Troy tried to come closer.
“I said get the hell out!” she snapped.
Troy swallowed hard. He felt so embarrassed, but he deserved it. He turned his back and walked off slowly.
“Your sister seems to be better than you,” Diana murmured as he walked out of the room.
- Writer
