Canvas of deceit

  Chapter One: The Price of Obedience  "You can't be serious, Father!" Sophia shouted, her eyes burning with anger. "I'm not marrying anyone!"  She grabbed the folders containing her contract marriage and slammed them onto the table. Thereby causing a loud sound. Amidst the silence.  Her father stayed still. He stood at the other end of the table with his arms crossed, his face calm and hard. "You will do what I say, Sophia," he said in a cold, firm voice. "This marriage will save my crumbling empire."  Sophia took a step back, shaking her head. "No! You can't just trade me like some business deal!" she cried. "I’m your daughter, not some contract!"  He looked at her, his expression cold.  "You are also the only one to save this family.” Thomas Moretti stood by the big window, not moving at all. His hands were behind his back, and his grey suit still looked neat even though he had been wearing it all day.  He didn’t look at Sophia.  She could only see his reflection in the glass. He didn’t look like her father anymore. He was Cold and lacks empathy towards her own emotions and feeling.   This was the same man who used to carry her when she was a little girl, who never wanted her unhappy, who also kisses her forehead and called her his little star.  Now, he doesn't care about how she feels.  Now, he talks to her like she was nothing but a tool to solve his problem.   "You’re twenty-four, Sophia. You are not a kid anymore," he said, calm but with a cold tone in the way he spoke to her. "This is not something up for debate. My decision is final And you need to sign the papers."  She stared at him with disgust with her chest rising. "What decision? Is it the decision where you sell me off like a piece of an object? Like I’m something you can use to trade for your company's deal?"  Her tears were uncontrollable, her hands tremble with rage but she clenched them into a fists. Her eyes which were usually soft and bright when she paints now burned with betrayal.  "I am your daughter, not a business asset!"  "Lower your voice," he pleaded, his eyes still fixed outside the window.  "No!" she cried. "I will not pretend that this is okay. This isn’t right, Father. You can’t just give me away to a stranger, coupled with the fact that he is a very wicked and ruthless man!"  He turned around to look at her. His eyes were weary and pitiful,full of weight she couldn’t comprehend.  "He’s not just any man," my angel, and he isn't ruthless like you say, You just have to study him. "He’s Leonardo DeLuca. One of the most powerful men in this city, maybe in the entire country if we analyze him well. If you marry him, Moretti Industries will survive. This is his condition."  Her jaw dropped. "Then let the company die!" she screamed.  The words left her mouth louder than she had expected. Even she was shocked by the force at which she shouted at her father. But she meant the words.  Thomas walked toward her slowly. The only sound that was heard in the quiet room was the soft tap of his shoes on the marble floor. He picked up the contract she had thrown on the table and held it gently, like it meant something important to him.  "I built this company with my own hands," he said quietly. I took care of you from this company "I spent over forty years turning nothing into something. I gave up everything, my youth, my health, my marriage for this company to grow. I will not let it fall. Not now. Not when there’s a way to save it."  Sophia’s voice trembled. "At the cost of my freedom and happiness?"  Thomas didn’t answer. The silence was louder than any word he could have said.  "I have a life to live," father, "I’m an artist for crying out loud. My first solo gallery is next month and I have been sent an invitation to Paris for my exhibition. It had always been my dream since I was sixteen. Do you even remember?"  For somewhile, something changed in his eyes. A hint of regret, maybe. But it disappeared immediately, he didn't want to look vulnerable.  "There’s no Paris or solo gallery for you," he said.  The words felt like a punch to her stomach. She stumbled back and sat down on the chair, unable to stand. Her breath was caught in her throat.  "You don't care if he will be good to me, you already consented to his request, didn’t you?"  Thomas looked away, trying to control the tears that threatened dropping.  "Answer me!" She cried.  He held onto her shoulder and whispered to her, "The agreement is signed and stamped, just learn to live with it." You will overcome, he assured her.  She cried, but she blinked them away. She doesn't need to show that she was hurt, she thought within herself.  “You are so unbelievable," she said, her voice low and full of pain. "I knew you loved the company. But I didn’t know you loved the company more than me and chose it over me."  "I am doing this for you and your future," he said.  Sophia faked a smile. "You know it's not for me but for your selfish interest and gain. For the record's sake let's tell ourselves the truth. I deserve at least the truth."  Thomas didn’t deny it.  "I raised you to be strong," he said. "This is the moment to show that strength."  She looked at him with disgust, "No, Father. This is the moment I have to fight for my destiny and future. And I will. I’m not marrying Leonardo. I don’t care how rich he is or how many companies he owns. I don’t want him and I will never want him."  He stared at her so speechless to say a word.  For a moment, the only sound that was heard in the room was the ticking of the clock.  Then Thomas broke the silence without looking at her, "He’s coming for dinner tonight at seven o’clock. You will have to meet him and that is final."  Sophia stood up slowly. Her eyes locked onto his, then she said to him in a cold whisper.  "Then I hope you enjoy dinner alone."  She turned and walked out of the room.   Upstairs, in her bedroom, she slammed the door shut and let the tears fall freely now. Her chest heaved as she slid down to the floor, her back against the wall. She stared at the room she had grown up in, she caressed the white walls covered in her own artwork, with some canvas leaning against the corners, different sketches on the desk and different color of tubes of oil paint by the window. This room had been her safe place. Her dream space.  Now it felt like a prison.  She reached for her phone with shaking hands and called the only person she could think of who was her best friend, Lila.  "Hey, Soph!" Lila answered on the second ring. "What’s up?"  "Lila..." Sophia choked. "He’s marrying me off."  "What?" Lila's voice instantly rose.Who's marrying you off?"  "My father is selling me off to Leonardo DeLuca."  There were moment of silence, then Lila said, "Wait, The Leonardo DeLuca? The billionaire who practically owns almost half the city?"  "Yes."  "Holy shit."  Sophia laughed through her tears. "That’s what I said."  "Are you okay? What the hell is going on?"