Clementine had become a wild child. Born in America but raised abroad, she now had little regard for the expectations of high society. But her reckless ways eventually catch up with her when she is kicked out of college in New York City and forced t...
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Before Clementine had chance to realize what was going on, her mother had already pulled her into the ladies room across the hallway
"If you think that ruling back to that...problem, while your father's destiny is on the line and this family's livelihood, is going to be the solution for you anymore, well then, I'm very disappointed in you," Clementine's mother looked at her with a look of pure anger and it frightened Clementine, who was still shaken up from her encounter with Zico.
Clementine blinked the tears away and got a grip.
"But I..." Clementine tried to protest.
"You what?" Her mother asked with an exasperated look. "You what? You think you'll ever see him again? The boy is going to jail, Clementine. Jail. Meanwhile, your father and I - the people who raised you - who knows what's going to happen to us. And you, you run around like a little slut!"
At that, Clementine's eyes widened at her mother's audacity, and it was all she could do to stop herself form doing something she'd regret later, so she gathered herself and left the bathroom.
In the hallway, the security guard was in hush discussions with someone else in front of Zico's door.
The lawyer, was leaning against the wall, looking at the floor, and looking up to see Clementine exit unexpectedly he looked surprised at the sudden changed demeanour in her look.
"Where is he? Bring me to my father?" Clementine was simultaneously speaking and walking back to where she came from.
"Now, Clementine, you need to calm down. Your father is in a delicate state, and you only have 10 mins late. But I do agree, you need to go see him," they were walking and talking, the lawyer placed his hand on the final door. "Are you ready?"
Clementine nodded, "I'll be good, I promise."
He opened the door, and Clementine burst in.
"Its your fault!" Before even seeing him, "you did this."
But upon coign closer to him, she was taken a back by how tired and aged he looked. Her face immediately softened.
He was sitting behind a desk, not in a cage like some sort of animal, but he looked spent.
His brows were furrowed, "Clementine," he said her name and then they sat there in silence looking at each other for a moment.
Finally she spoke again, "Are you ok?" In a softer tone.
"That is relative. I'm glad you're okay," her father tried to smile at her.
"I just...I can't believe you never told me about any of this. I can't believe that you're here. I can't believe Zico is in jail," Clementine looked at her hands as if she could find the answer there.
"Listen to me, Clementine. I will get out of here. I don't know how much the lawyer told you, but it won't be without consequence. Yes, Zico is in jail. I'm sorry it had to end that way, but he knew perfectly well what he was getting into, going behind my back," her father said spitefully.
"Its not his fault!" Clementine exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Facts are facts, and you need to get out of here. Brazil, I mean. And you need to do it fast, while they're still letting you out of the country." Her father looked away but still acted calm as if this was a perfectly natural thing to say.
Clementine eyes widened in disbelief. "I am not the drug dealer here!" She said.
"You're right, but Zico is!" Her father retorted.
"And what are you then?!" Clementine yelled.
"I ran the damn operation, and if he listened to me in the first place, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Her father was getting heated but then he calmed down, trying to be more gently. "It does't matter now. What matters is I'm still your father. And as you can see, none of us are perfect. But the last thing I can do, is get you to safety. Do you still have your ticket that I gave you?"
"Yes," Clementine said meekly, coming to the realization that his was her only hope. Her affa with Zico started with an escape form NYC and it was going to end with an escape back to it.
"Good," I need you to board that plane. Take only what you need. We still have the Tiel for that apartment. The keys are yours. I - we - your mother and I will be out of touch for the first little while, but we'll join you when you can. I think we won't have much choice in the matter either." He was speaking rushed now, and all the pieces were falling together.
"But...but daddy I loved him!" Clementine broke down like a little girl, and reached over. To hug her father over the desk. Horrified, she saw that he was chained to the chair he was sitting on. Seeing her see that, he became a little embarrassed, and whispered in her ear:
"This is all temporary. I love you," he said and Clementine hugged him tighter, realizing that she was about to lose everyone she loved.
"I love you," she said, for the second time that day.
"Time!" The door flew open and the security guard came into the room, breaking their time apart.
"Don't forget what I said!" Her father managed to yell across the room at her as she was getting up to leave, and looking back behind her, she whispered:
"I won't."
If before, she thought that there was a way around this, she now knew that the only way out was through. She knew what she had to do.
