Golden Hearts | Rafe Cameron [1]

7

0.7

June 7

20 minutes later, I open the door to my large house where I live with my family. It's quiet inside when I open the door and close it behind me. Almost unusually quiet, which scares me a bit.

The sound of dishes can be heard from the kitchen, and I'm about to go there when my dad emerges from his office with a puzzled look, immediately making me realize that something is wrong.

"Adeline, there you are. Did everything go well at the hotel?" my dad asks with a tone in his voice that scares me.

"Yes," I say shortly, unsure if I should mention Lilly or not.

"I received complaints," he says, approaching me with slow steps, causing me to back away slightly until I hit my back against the door I just walked through. "Complaints from both a customer who witnessed this, but also from Lilly," he says, now standing right in front of me so I can feel his breath on my face.

"Okay," I say slowly and hesitantly.

"Okay? Is that your only response? Don't you understand that you've just ruined things for us! You can't treat our staff like that, don't you understand that?" my dad says with a very loud voice now, almost spitting in my face as the words leave his mouth. It makes me turn my head slightly to the side.

"You've ruined things for all of us! If this gets out that you mistreated Lilly, you know it's over for us! Because you know who her father is. He owns that big company on the mainland! What's wrong with you?" My dad screams the last sentence, and it feels like a stab in my heart. Like a knife cutting through it into several pieces. He's treated me unfairly several times, but when he yells at me, it just makes me feel so bad. I hate it when people yell at me.

"I'm sorry," is the only sound I manage to produce, a weak whisper that makes my dad snort and look at me with a disappointed look.

"I'm really disappointed in you," he says quietly.

"Let me explain—" I begin.

"No! No! I don't want to hear it! I don't want your stupid explanations!" my dad yells, raising his right hand towards my face and bringing it closer to my cheek, but just then the door behind me opens, causing my dad to quickly lower his hand again. My brother comes in and puts his phone in his pocket, looking at us with concern.

"Is everything okay here?" he asks, looking worriedly at me, who is on the verge of tears, and then at my dad, who now stands there with a somewhat silly smile.

"Yes, everything is fine here! How great that you came, Nathan. I thought maybe you'd like to help me with some paperwork over here?" he says, smiling excessively, which makes Nathan give me a confused look.

"I actually can't right now—" Nathan begins.

"That's okay," says dad, putting his arm around Nathan's shoulder, who just looks back and forth between us both bewildered, but I say nothing because I know it's impossible when my dad is here too, and I don't want to worry my brother unnecessarily. It's not like this is the first time, really.

"Go up to your room, Adeline," my dad says, devoid of any emotion in his voice. "And don't come down until dinner." My dad gives me an annoyed look before disappearing with my brother. As soon as they're out of sight, I feel the tears start to run down my cheeks, and I take a deep breath to try to calm down my breathing, which has become so rapid and heavy.

The thought that he was going to hit me scares me. He has yelled and scolded me before, and had stupid rules, but he has never hit me. Even though he didn't today either, he was too close to doing it, and I know he would have if Nathan hadn't come in just then. I'm grateful that Nathan came just then. I don't know what I would have done otherwise, to be honest.