𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 | mattheo riddle

twenty 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆

・・・❦・・・

VANESSA sat at the long dining table of her home, her eyes fixed on the plate in front of her. the room was quiet except for the clinking of silverware. her father sat at the other end, eating in silence.

she didn't want to be here. she never wanted to be here. but at least last night hadn't been all bad. seeing mattheo had made it better, much better. her lips curled into a small, secret smile as she thought about their dance, the way he'd looked at her like she was the only person in that room.

but then the memory of her father forcing her to dance with lorenzo surfaced, and her smile vanished. she clenched her jaw, trying to keep her anger in check. she'd been doing her best to ignore her father since the ball, not wanting to have another argument, but every time she looked at him, the frustration built up again. how could he have forced her to dance with that creep? and for what? reputation? as if that meant anything to her.

suddenly, her father's deep voice cut through the silence, startling her. "i've been thinking," he began, his tone as formal and stiff as ever. vanessa could already feel the tension rising in her chest. nothing good ever came from his "thinking."

"i'm not comfortable with your closeness to mattheo riddle."

vanessa's fork paused mid-air, her eyes snapping up to meet his. "what?"

her father didn't look at her, just continued cutting his steak as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "i don't know what is going on between you, but you need to end it. immediately."

for a moment, vanessa was too stunned to speak. "you can't be serious."

he finally met her gaze, his dark eyes hard and unwavering. "i am very serious. his father is dangerous and extremely powerful, and i won't have you getting involved in something you can't handle."

vanessa blinked, the shock quickly turning into anger. "you don't even know mattheo."

"i know enough," her father said, his tone sharp, "i know who his father is. i know what kind of man the dark lord is, and i know what happens to those who get too close to him. i won't let you be one of those people."

vanessa's heart pounded in her chest. "mattheo isn't his father. he's nothing like him."

her father's face hardened. "you're too naive, vanessa. you don't understand the danger you're putting yourself in. i won't lose another child to foolish decisions."

the mention of her brother, her father's favorite weapon in any argument, sent a wave of fury crashing through her. she pushed her chair back, standing up so abruptly that it scraped loudly against the floor. "this isn't about you losing a child! this is about you trying to control my life, like you always do! you just can't see me happy!"

"sit down," her father ordered, his voice dangerously low, but vanessa didn't listen.

"no! i'm not going to sit down and listen to you dictate who i can and can't be with!" she shouted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "you don't get to decide that. you never did and you never will."

her father's eyes flashed with anger, and he slammed his hand down on the table. "you don't know what you're talking about. this isn't some childish game, vanessa. this is about your future. you need to start thinking about what's best for you. and mattheo riddle is not what's best for you."

vanessa laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "oh, so you think blaise is what's best for me, huh? that's what you want? me to go back to him? or do you want me to marry some weird creep like lorenzo berkshire?"