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He awkwardly put a hand on my shoulder, stiff and territorial. Vincent’s gaze flicked to me for the briefest of moments. The fact that I couldn’t go to him right now was torture. I wanted to hold his hand. I wanted him to be the one offering a reassuring touch.
But we couldn’t do that. Not in public. Not while I was still enrolled at the university.
I’d been so wrapped up watching the volley between my father and Vincent that I forgot to keep track of my sister. She sidled up to Vincent like a snake, taking his arm.
“It’s so good to meet you, Professor Stonebridge,” she purred. “I’m Giselle’s older sister, Helene. You know, in my college days, none of my teachers looked anything like you.”
She smoothed her hand down his bicep with a squeeze. A red haze clouded my vision. She was flirting with him. In front of me.
A logical voice in the back of my mind said Helene didn’t know Vincent and I were together. Not that it mattered. She probably would have flirted with him to make me jealous anyway. I couldn’t say a word, couldn’t warn her to get her hands off my man.
And to make matters worse, they made an attractive couple. Helene wore a snug pencil skirt that accentuated her slim figure, black pumps as slick as an oil spill, and her hair was pinned up in an immaculate French twist. Even though she was still younger than him by a significant margin, she was closer in age than I was.
My throat tightened. I fought to take in a gulp of air. This was all going horribly wrong…
“Why don’t you show me around, Professor?” Helene said. “I’d love a private tour of the campus, just the two of us.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Dad said. “You’ll enjoy her company, Professor. Helene has always been an intellectually brilliant conversationalist.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. Watching my sister lead Vincent away was a nightmare come true.
Dad grabbed my arm with a plastic, well-practiced smile for his audience, and pulled me into a nearby hall.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he hissed.
“I bet you’re about to tell me,” I replied.
“This is unacceptable, Giselle. You show up in public looking like you crawled out of a goddamn dumpster. And your sister informed me that you were thinking about changing your major. So, I contacted the school.”
I bit my tongue until I tasted blood. The back of my neck prickled with the heat of shame.
“Why the hell are you studying English now?” Dad continued. “It’s a waste of my time and money.”
“But I like it,” I said. “I want—”
I broke off. Dad raised his eyebrows and spread his hands.
“You want what, Giselle? Do you want to embarrass me in front of the whole world? Do you want to make us the laughing stock? Tell me what you’re going to do with a degree in English.”
My tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth. I still didn’t have an answer to that question. Dad crossed his arms.
“Just as I thought. You have no clue what you’re doing. I informed the school that there has been a mistake. You’re studying business admin, like I told you to in the first place.”
A roaring started in my ears.
“No. No, you can’t…do that.”
“I’m paying for your degree. I can do whatever the hell I want.”
I sputtered, feeling as if my heart had been ripped in two. My grades were improving. I was happy.
And now…I felt like I had plummeted straight to the ground without a parachute. As long as my father could wield his money over my head, I would never be free from his control.
I squared my shoulders, knowing I’d been backed into a corner and there was only one option left.
“Then I quit.”
Chapter 12
