THE HEARTBREAK SOCIETY

➶ 20

BLINKING HAZILY, I WAS INSTILLED WITH regret and trepidation when I recognized the accustomed furniture. The curtains were left wide open, and I groaned out, attempting to conjure convincing stories that my father would possibly believe. With my bedroom being on the highest floor, I hid beneath the covers after seeing the wrought iron villa gates. Shutting my eyes, trying to calm my irregular heartbeat, I hoped it was a dream. And yet, listening to the vague sound of the fountain shooting water fifty feet in the air, said otherwise. Pushing myself out of bed, I stretched my arms as I looked out the glass balcony doors. My eyes glazed the surroundings to see if my family had made any new changes with the villa while I was away for the past few months. The tennis court, the field for croquet, and the greenhouse garden were still in place. The only thing that seemed to stand out was the gigantic, separate building that my father once talked about constructing for the car collection the family was growing. Oh, God.

Upon hearing hushed footsteps patter up the stairs, I leaped back in bed and dropped like a fish. Squeezing my eyes closed, I pretended to be still asleep. The signature perfume and cologne from my parents naturally triggered my fight-or-flight response. And I was a hundred percent, all about flight. "I know you're awake, my gem," he pinched the tip of my nose until I scowled, slapping his hand away. "I'd like an explanation why I found my daughter drowning. Or, should I proceed to cut billions of dollars worth of business deals to anyone present yesterday?" And he and I both knew that he could easily recover the loss in less than two years. With the number of business deals and rising corporations, it was very much doable.

"I slipped," my voice remaining steady, "I was curious about the waterfall pool and got a bit too close. I wanted to incorporate its ideas into the villa." It was a plausible half-lie, considering that I had wandered the gardens barefoot, and August could verify that if it came down to that. I might have been an excellent liar, but I also learned from the best. I was like a replica of my father, which meant that as great at lying he was, he was also good at telling it apart. "I'm really, really sorry about the dress, la mère. I know you spent a lot of time designing it."

Clicking her tongue curtly, she crossed her arms with a sour look, swiftly slapping the back of my head. "Idiot," she scorned, an accent peeking through. "The dress is the least of my concerns. You could've drowned! What were you thinking?!" Then gushed, "You're lucky that cute boy saved you."

"Absolutely not, Stasia," he pursued his lips in a thin line. "Over my dead body will you date August Laurent. Hell, I'll even haunt you," with a placid expression, he added. "By the way, if you're lying, you're moving back to France. No ifs or buts. And before my interrogation ends, what did Zahara mean when she said you're dating him, hm?"

Spewing bullshit was a skill that I mastered. "Unlike Zahara, I value my life. She's only speaking nonsense. There's no way I would date him," I had to stay sharp since my father was perceptive and overly protective. "I only attended the gala with him because it was convenient to travel there."

"I never asked about the two of you attending together," he mused dryly. I was positive that it was no secret. The rumour would have travelled to my father faster than any blog. August and I were seen together at the academy more than I would like to say, and we publically attended two events. But the only reason why I tolerated him was that my stubborn nature wanted to win. Now, if my father found out that I had met his parents, it would be chaotic. "Mentorship starts in a few days, but for the rest of the duration of this trip, you'll be staying here."

Smugly, I crooned, completely lost in my own thought. "I'm going to be five-hundred-thousand dollars richer."

My father chuckled with a tease, "You're getting pocket-change?" And before I could retort back, his phone began ringing. Without bothering to check the caller ID, he answered it and put it on speaker.