Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 11 - Stolen Choices

The warning use of Colin using her full name meant it was something he would rather discuss with her in private or never at all.

"Fine Daddy, we'll discuss it later." Anna said after she asked Colin what he was getting surgery on. She had already been told that he was embarrassed and didn't want to discuss the subject. To ask again in front of Harmony was cruel but Anna couldn't help feeling so shocked and angry at all the secrecy. Her father and her may not see each other as often as she would like but she talked to him every couple of days her whole life. You would think that would be enough to be open and honest with each other, Anna thought. Her face slightly blushed again while the memory of the night before jumped in her head and slapped her face. Anna's hand headed automatically to her face, but she dropped her arm before it could reach her neck.

Worried her father had seen her action, and not wanting to draw attention to her face, Anna looked at Colin. He was looking down for a moment for which she knew he was trying not to get angry. The tone of his skin looked wrong to her. Anna glanced at Harmony since she thought the lighting in the room could be off, but she looked at beautiful and perfect as ever. When Anna turned back at her dad, she was sure his skin for sure had a shade of gray to it. Forgetting her own problems, Anna took a squinted a bit at her father and knew something was wrong. Anna's stomach did a flip and she was having a hard time swallowing. A sip of her cold blue concoction went down her throat cold but was otherwise unnoticed. She wanted to avoid a confrontation with her Dad no matter if he was deciding to change her life in a moment's notice or not. It was obvious there was another secret that he was hiding. It was the way he could only look at her for a couple of minutes at a time when he was trying to convince her that life was going to be wonderful. He looked at her with an intensity to his expression she couldn't help but sit still and listen. They had always had an agreement:

"If you listen to me, then I'll listen to you."

No matter who talked first. Today, she was working as hard as she could to keep that agreement when all she wanted to do is scream and throw a fit out of panic.

"The rest of our staff leaves for the island Monday and can't wait to enjoy the sun and fun. Anna, it'll be like our own little world. You can even name it. I temporarily named it Dragonfly Island because there are so many there, but there is plenty of time for that. Wait to name it after you see it if you'd like up close." Colin said.

Anna could tell that Colin watched the expressions pass across her face, yet she could only focus on one thing.

"You told everyone but me?" Anna yelled, which startled Harmony and caused her to spill her drink on her new shirt. Anna barely watched Harmony run to the bar sink in a panic. Her father however seemed to expect Anna's outburst for he didn't even flinch. The circles around his eyes looked darker. He looked hopeful but not yet defeated. What surprised Anna most was that Harmony was so patiently quiet thus far. Harmony better not have known, Anna thought because that would mean she was talking to her father behind Anna's back. That would anger her more than the situation.

Trying not to let her fears run away into a stronger life, Anna took a deep breath and tried to see past the hurt she felt. It was only the concern she had for her dad's health, no matter how secret he thought he was being that she even tried to bite down the word vomit she wanted to inflict on him as a form of punishment.

"Just the staff that was moving to the island. I had to pay them extra to keep quiet, and each one of them made me do it too. They knew you were going to be mad at first before you realized what a treasure you really have. It has only been within the last couple of months that anyone knew anything. I needed things moved without question and I didn't want anyone to hear about the island until it was ready. If anyone knew I was going to be weak for a minute by selling my resorts or any property so I could have the island, I would have had competitors just waiting to nip at my vulnerability and mess with my opportunity to retire quietly. What started off as a small project, became a project of design to live on long term, so nobody else really had much time to think about it. " Colin replied then shrugged as if his privacy was his alone no matter who it affected. This made Anna even angrier.