Lured into Love (Blossom in Winter #2) - Melanie Martins Page 0,76
I ask, reveling in it.
Immersed under a wave of shock, Dad takes a second to reply. “Yes, but it’s not the same.” His voice is unusually shaken—he seems so lost and destabilized by my statement that I can’t help but rejoice in it.
“Oh, and you’ve got your precious reputation too,” I tell him. His expression remains just as tormented, afraid of losing me once and for all. “Have a great day,” I mumble, making my way back inside the house.
“Petra!” Dad stands up, his sadness switching to anger. I stop walking and look back at him. “If you want to become my estranged daughter, then by all means, but you can forget your inheritance.”
WHAT?! I cannot for the life of me believe that he’s threatening me and my inheritance. “Wow,” I blurt out. Now I’m the one in shock. “You would go so far as to disinherit me?”
“If you intend to leave…” he starts, observing my distress, then as our eyes lock, he says, “Yes.”
Shaking my head in disgust, I look upward, trying to prevent tears from falling at the blow I just got. After being the perfect daughter for eighteen years, this is what I get in return? Very well, if he is making his moves, so am I. I feel the urge to call Emma’s attorney and ask her if Dad can do that. But knowing Dad as I do, he must have already checked it out. Then my mind goes to Julia, and I feel the urge to ask her instead, but I’m not sure if I should. After all, her brother just broke up with me.
“Wow.” That’s all I manage to say in return. I keep gaping at him, barely believing how our argument has escalated into threats of disinheritance. What a wake-up call this is! Ice water has just been thrown on me, and I feel so sick to my stomach about his intentions that I shout, “What a monster you are!” To my surprise, Dad remains mute. Vexed maybe? I can’t tell. But the air is so toxic between us that I can barely breathe. “I, um, I’ve got to go.”
Mercifully, he doesn’t try to stop me. When I get to my room, I close the door behind me and call Emma.
Upon hearing her voice, I ask, “Hi, Emma, how are you?”
“I’m good, but by the sound of your voice, I’m not sure if you are.”
Lowering my tone, I say, “I got into a big fight with Dad.”
“Ooh la la…” Emma replies. “Alright, I get it. You need a place to stay.”
I can’t help but chuckle. She knows me so well. “Not for now. But we need to talk. Um, do you still have that lawyer of yours?”
“Yeah, of course I do. But what’s up?”
“Well, long story short, Alex broke up with me, and Dad threatened me to disinherit me if I move out.”
“Holy shit!” she shouts. “Are you serious right now?”
“Of course I’m serious!” I whisper, looking around as if I’m being spied on. “Do you think I’d call you if I wasn’t?”
“Damn!” Emma seems to be just as shocked. “That’s fucked up. Like… super fucked up. Alright, I’m calling my driver, and I will be there in an hour.”
“Can you just call your lawyer first and ask her about inheritance laws in New York, please? I just want to know if he can really do that.”
“Yeah, of course. So, should we meet for lunch at your place, then? I mean, your dad’s place?”
I huff back at her, knowing all too well that she’s teasing. “Ha ha. Thank you for the reality check…”
“Be careful with your moves, babe,” she warns.
“I know…”
“Look, take a deep breath, and, um, we’ll talk later. I’ve got you, okay?”
“Thanks Emma.”
“Love you,” she says before hanging up.
And I smile because love is not something I’ve experienced very often in this house.
Once I finish get dressed, I realize Dad left the house without even apologizing. Not that I was expecting him to anyway, but I thought he wouldn’t leave before calming down and at least withdrawing his threat. The ringing of the doorbell brings me back to earth, and, as I glance at my watch, I know it’s my group from Columbia. We meet twice a week to work on the analysis of objectivism applied to economics for our study. Today, though, I’d rather be left alone than meet with them.
Janine is already on her way to open the door as I leave the dining room, where we’ll be studying,