A Woman's Empire

LI

CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

The funeral was small and intimate. Only family members and close friends came. Jacque bawled her eyes out and she sobbed to everyone how much she loved Audrielle's mother, but what she really meant was the money.

Orlando held Audrielle's hand and when she quietly started to tear up, Orlando would hug her legs, trying his best to comfort his mom. Audrielle took a deep breath and walked up to the podium to make her speech and Antonio stood next to Orlando.

"I would just like to thank you all for coming here today to farewell my mother and father even though I don't know who the hell half of you are. My father was a very business driven man who took things with greed and the only thing he really loved was money and young women. My mother, Maria, knew about my father's mistresses and his sudden getaways to private islands with models but as long as the money kept rolling in for her to spend, she didn't care. My parents were nowhere near parents and don't deserve to be called that. Sure, I was spoiled with designer dresses and expensive things but I never had a life like a real child. I didn't have any friends. Every part of my fucking life has been controlled by them. I was forced to marry a fucking stranger, because in their eyes, I was not capable as a woman to inherit the family business!" Audrielle growled and everyone stared at her with disbelief.

A heavy and awkward silence fell and suddenly some strange man wearing a thick black coat and a black fedora hat with dark sunglasses began to slowly applaud her. Audrielle had no idea who this strange looking man was but she brushed it off, thinking he was a business partner of her father.

An angry Jacque began to push her way through until she was standing right in front of Audrielle. Before Audrielle could register what was happening, the woman who worshipped her mother slapped her hard across the face. A cut quickly formed on Audrielle's lip and she smirked, wiping the blood away with her thumb.

"You spoilt little bitch! How dare you take the life your mother and father gave you for granted! You piss off for five years to god knows where and not once did you contact them to see how they were doing! You didn't even let them know about their grandson being born! They cared about you and you decided to be a bitch and leave!" Jacque yelled at Audrielle. A loud, sarcastic laugh erupted from Audrielle as a fire within her began to roar to life. She was sick and tired of people still treating her like a child even though she was well into her twenties.

"Don't. You. Ever. Say that I was a shit daughter! I had no life! My parents controlled every bit of it! From the meals I ate, to the clothes I wore and to the people I could talk to! My life sucked because of them! Your son is attending an Ivy League College all because of my father! You bawled to my mom how he didn't get into Harvard and she felt bad, so my dad made a few phone calls and less than two weeks later he was attending an elite college!" Audrielle bellowed and everyone in the audience watched the two women fight.

"Your son has more freedom than I ever will! I was not allowed to attend a normal school or experience high school like everybody else could! While your son was living the life I deserved at college, my mother was starving me to make sure I could fit into a fucking wedding dress that I didn't want to wear! I was ripped from my human rights as soon as I was born! And if you don't like it that I'm finally standing up for myself then you can fuck yourself Jacque!" Everyone gasped at Audrielle's harsh words but she didn't care. Her hands shook in anger and her jaw was locked so tight that it might break. She hated everyone here who worshipped her parents.

As Audrielle walked away from the stand, she stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to Jacque. "You know what Jacque? Go rot in hell. Oh, and while you're there, tell my parents I said hi." Audrielle walked straight to Antonio and Orlando. She grabbed Orlando's hand and she didn't turn back once as she left everyone else standing around the two graves all shocked.