Whispers of Shadowed Hearts

Chapter 9

Riven Rothschild

"You need to grow up and start taking responsibility. You can't keep making stupid mistakes like this!"

 I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. The last thing I wanted was to get scolded by my father early in the morning, especially while still hungover from last night's drinks. "You almost ruined everything for our investors and all our hard work by showing up drunk to the gala!"

"Please, don't exaggerate. It was just a joke." His face turned bright red as he clenched his fists. I had never seen him this angry before, and maybe he was right, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me admit it.

"What did you say? A joke?" He closed the distance between us in a few steps. "Jokes are supposed to be harmless. Do you really think this was a harmless joke?"

"Well, considering we didn't lose any investors yet..." I felt the cold metal of his ring hit my lip hard. The taste of blood was familiar as it spread on my tongue. I licked my lips, wanting to feel more of the blood.

"You don't understand the value of what you have!" Last night had been a carefully planned company gala. I was supposed to attend, meet the investors, and build good relationships with them. This way, they would know who the heir to the company was and feel reassured that their investments were in good hands.

But everything went wrong. After a fight with Lydia that morning, I drowned myself in drinks, thinking I'd sober up by the evening. But I didn't, and when I showed up to the gala drunk, my father lost it.

"Get out, now!" I didn't waste a second. I was already counting the moments to escape. Within seconds, I was out the door and had started my car.

My relationship with my father had always been turbulent. It was never easy to meet his expectations, and the fact that I didn't try very hard drove him crazy. He wanted to be sure that the company's heir could handle all the responsibilities, but that was the problem. I wasn't ready to take on so many responsibilities and give up my youth.

Blackthorn was, unsurprisingly, hosting another rainy day.

I was eager to escape this gloomy town. I had never wanted to live here, but my family refused to move, saying that this was where the foundations of our company and legacy were built.

We also had homes in New York. My parents went there a few times a month to handle business matters. Of course, they had no idea about the big parties I threw at home during those days.

I parked my car in my designated spot at the school parking lot. Normally, parking spaces weren't reserved, but the Golds had their own spots, and no one dared to park in them.

I was used to the stares as I walked through the school grounds. Attention and popularity had always been a part of my life.

Girls chased after me, trying to win me over, never caring about who I was on the inside. For them, my looks and popularity were enough. Maybe, after a while, I became nothing more than that.

When I saw Jordan in the parking lot, he waved at me. I wasted no time heading over to him. "What's up?"

"Hey, hey, hey." His eyes scanned my face. "Another fight with your dad?"

I looked away and nodded. Jordan knew everything about my life. We had grown up together, and life never really separated us. He was the truest friend I had.

"Why don't you try going along with him for once? You're always pushing him, and you never get anywhere." I rolled my eyes. He couldn't understand. His family was so supportive and sweet that he couldn't even imagine my situation.