Ruthless Monarch - A Billionaire Enemies-to-Lovers Romance - Ava Harrison Page 0,4
allowed to dream.” I let out a wistful sigh.
“That’s not a dream, honey. That’s a fantasy. Hell will freeze over before Marino will let you out of his sight. I’m surprised you haven’t been summoned before. Isn’t he champing at the bit to marry you off?”
“He is.” There’s a ball of anxiety in my voice, and it is growing impossibly large right now.
“And who is the lucky suitor?” She laughs. This has become a game. I go to dinner with my family, my father tries to arrange a marriage for me, and then I meet up with Julia and tell her all the gruesome details.
“Beats the fuck out of me. But I’m not looking forward to that fight. I need to think of a plan. Every time they do this, I’m afraid this will be the time they finally make me.”
“Do you have enough money saved to break free on your own?”
“No,” I admit. And that ball of anxiety? It gets bigger, making it harder to breathe.
“I wish I could help . . .”
I lean forward, placing my face in my palms. “I know, and I love you for it.”
And I do. Julia and I have been friends since we were kids. Her mother was my nanny, and she and her brother were raised on the estate with me. After her mother passed, we had lost touch.
My father’s doing . . .
He controlled me and who I spoke to.
But when we ended up at the same college by chance, our friendship quickly reverted to what it was before. The moment I heard from one of the staff members at my parents’ house that Jules would be at NYU as well, I had a feeling I would see her. I was right. She sought me out, and when she finally found me, she basically jumped on top of me and vowed never to let me out of her sight again. Seeing her the first time was hard. I hadn’t seen her since her mother died. The memories attacked me, making it hard to breathe, but then she laughed like she always did, smiled, and made me promise never to leave her again.
I did.
A promise I’ll never regret.
No matter what it costs me, I need her in my life. She is my life raft. The only person who understands my family. Understands the power the “governor” has on me.
In her own way, and unbeknownst to her, she’s a part of it.
My need to help her, protect her, and also atone for my past sins, keeps me under my father’s thumb.
She doesn’t know that part, though. Nor will she ever.
“When do you have to see him?” Her voice dips, her once peppy attitude turning more somber.
“Dinner is tomorrow, I’m sure. Like always,” I deadpan.
As much as I wish it wasn’t the case, my father insists I attend family dinner every Sunday night. He makes sure pictures are always taken, posted, and tweeted.
He wants to portray the picture of the perfect family man.
If only that was the truth.
But that’s my role. To be the perfect daughter. All in the great pursuit of the ultimate goal.
My father has always made it very clear what that would be.
My father has presidential dreams. He also has very powerful friends who will get him there.
The man is cutthroat, ruthless, and to top it off, a real asshole.
There is not one good bone in his whole body.
He is the devil incarnate.
A feeling of dread always overcomes me when I know I have to see him. That I will have to acknowledge his presence at all.
But the worst part about it, the part I dread the most, is that no matter how hard I try to break away, he still has complete control over me. It’s gotten worse too. Every year, it gets worse. My heart lurches again as bile travels up my throat.
I hate the man.
The feeling is mutual, I’m sure.
There is no love lost between us.
As if manifested by a higher power, my cell phone dings on the table. I know it’s him before I even check who’s calling.
Other than Julia, no one calls me.
Not even my mother.
She is the dutiful wife. The perfect politician’s accessory.
Too bad she is an awful parent. Even awful is an understatement for what she is.
I grab my phone and look down. Just as I suspected, there on the screen is a message from dear old dad.
Governor asshole: Dinner tomorrow. 6:00 pm. Do not be late, Viviana.