Twisted Ties

Chapter One CHAPTER ONE The Bitter Taste of Victory Years had passed since Stella had left school, and just now, she had gotten the biggest break of her life, but it came with a bitter taste she couldn't quite shake off. The cab swerved around a corner, narrowly missing a cyclist. Stella barely noticed, she was too busy waving the envelope in her hands like a golden ticket. “Faster, please!” she urged the driver, her voice was a mix of excitement and anxiety. The cab driver glanced back at her through the rearview mirror. “You got a hot date or something?” “Better than a date”, Stella grinned. “I just got the best job of my life”. The cabbie whistled low. “Careful then, a job that shines always cuts both ways" he stressed the last part with a sigh. Stella thought of the word of the driver, but she really didn't mind, all she wanted was a big focus on her new job. She clutched the letter tightly again, pressing it to her chest, trying to steady the beat of her racing heart. Personal Assistant to Vincent Vercetti, the city’s most powerful and talked-about CEO. The salary was jaw-dropping, and it came with the prestige to match it. It was everything she’d hoped for, every sleepless night, every humiliating interview, every lonely day behind a library desk, all of it had led to this. But it still held a bitter taste at the back of her mouth. Her phone buzzed with a news alert. Another photo of Vincent Vercetti storming out of a gala. A new chick was by his side and a glass of whiskey in his hand. The comment section was wild: The Ice king strikes again, whispers of lawsuits buried in silence. Stella bit her lip, unsure of what she was going to meet there. Vincent Vercetti was known as the infamous, wealthy bachelor in town and also the top peak playboy of the town. He was rude, dismissive and ruthless. Each day, new rumors flew across the city about him changing ladies like clothes, firing someone in a minute, and other reckless lifestyles he lived. People who see him through the pictures online call him a genius, but most of those who had been close to him whispered something else, an abuser. Stella shoved that thought aside as the cab pulled up in front of her family’s modest two-bedroom house. She tossed the fare to the driver, shouted a quick thank you, and bolted out, holding the appointment letter high like a trophy. She barged into the living room, breathless, and nearly tripped on the old rug. “Mom!” "Mom!" She yelled frantically again. “In here!” her mother called faintly from the tiny kitchen. “Mother, you won’t believe it!” Stella yelled as her mother came quickly from the kitchen door, breathing hard. “I got it. I got the job!” Martha Raymond beamed, wiping her hands on her apron. Her eyes lit up instantly. “The one with the Vercetti company?” Stella nodded, grinning so hard it hurt. “They hired me mum! I can't believe it, on Monday, I start as Vincent Vercetti personal assistant” For a moment, it was like she had no words to answer her daughter, her tired face lit up with pride. She reached out and pulled Stella into a tight hug, nearly crushing the letter in her hand. “Oh, Stella, I knew it. I knew you could do it.” Her voice trembled. “You’ve always been so strong. My smart, beautiful girl, I always believed in you.” They stood there in silence for a few seconds, holding onto each other like someone could take them apart if they pulled away. Then her mother pulled back first, but slightly, just enough to see her face. “Are you comfortable with this job?” Stella's smile dimmed a bit, she didn't want to spoil the moment. This is what they'd been waiting for. “Yes. I mean, it’s everything I ever wanted. The pay, the benefits, the exposure, it’s perfect.” “But Vincent Vercetti?” her mother asked carefully with her brows drawn together. “You’ve read the stories, right?” Stella sighed. “Everyone has, but he’s not exactly a beast.” Martha’s gaze softened with concern. “Men like that,” she hesitated. “They’re broken, cold, just like your father, and power doesn’t help, it only makes them meaner.” Stella crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't like the way her mother defended her father, like he was some sort of saint. “I can handle him, and besides, I’m not going in there to be his friend.” Martha nodded slowly. “Just be careful, sweetheart. I don’t want you to lose yourself.” Before Stella could respond, the front door swung open with a loud thud as it hit the wall. Heavy footsteps could be heard, then a gruff voice followed from the hallway. “What’s all this noise?” Her mother stiffened instinctively while Stella's stomach turned. Francis Raymond entered the living room with a scowl on his face. “Every time I close my damn eyes in this house, someone’s shouting.” Stella’s jaw clenched, but she forced a calm smile. “I was just telling Mom about my new job.” He scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. “Probably some nonsense secretary gig like all the other useless women these days.” “Actually, it’s at Vercetti Enterprises,” she said, trying to stay calm. “I’m starting Monday as Mr. Vincent Vercetti’s personal assistant.” He was taken aback for a second, but masked it quickly and turned to Martha. “And this is what you’re celebrating? She’s going to serve drinks to some entitled pig?” “I think it’s a big opportunity for her,” Martha said quietly. He sneered. “Of course, you do. Anything that takes her away from this house is ‘a good thing’ in your mind, isn’t it?” “Francis, please don’t…” “Shut up, Martha,” he snapped. “You think this brat will be any different from you? Look at her, she's already harbouring the same fake dreams, the same naive stupidity.” Stella’s hands shook, but she forced herself to steady as she held the appointment letter out.“This isn’t about dreams. It’s a real job, with real responsibilities, and I earned it.” “You’re nothing, Stella,” he spat, kicking off the chair beside him in anger . “You think a degree and some lipstick make you better than me? You’ll come crawling back here like your mother did, with nothing but shame.” “You are nothing, and you can never be something. You're just sort of a trash, that should I've wasted then”, he said, making advances at her mum. “You can't survive in this world that you are in. There is nothing you can do, you are totally useless, he said. “So, get your lame ass and go look for a job as a waitress near the road side, at least it fits you best”. Stella was shivering with fear and disgrace, as she walked slowly, the tears threatened to drop as she tried her best to hold it back, but it was much of what she had expected. When would he ever stop feeling this way towards me? She asked herself. She wanted to run off and just go to a quiet place, where she alone would be able to breathe. But Francis called her back, immediately she took a step to leave. “Let me see it,” he said, snatching the paper from her hand before she could stop him. He scanned the letter, and then something wicked ran through his mind. Before Stella knew it, he tore it in half, then again, and again, till it couldn't be recognized. Before he could say another word, she turned and ran out of the living room, out the door, down the front steps, then down the road. She ran till she couldn’t breathe again. By the time she stopped running, she was in the park near the bus stop. She found an idle spot and sat there, resting her back against the tree as the thoughts ran in quickly. That was when it dawned on her. He ruined the only copy of her appointment letter, and without the appointment letter, she can't be given the job. All hopes were lost and it was too late.