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Stupid bumble bee lights can't protect me.
This isn't some fantasy world where I can find someone I love and be with him. This is a dark world with no escape.
Chapter 12 My Own Place
It's time. Time to stand up to my father and tell him what I want for my life. He hates it when I complain about all I have, and I am grateful to him, but there's something missing. I don't have anything meaningful in my life outside of my family. Everything I do revolves around my father and his business. Who am I without Vaughn Bianchi?
That's the problem. I have no clue.
So, I need my own place. I need distance to find myself. Somewhere I can hang up my lights and not have to tear them down. A shelf to display my figurines. Someplace light and airy away from this dark cloud surrounding my every thought and move. Maybe a simple house in New Jersey or a cabin with a lot of trees.
I've missed Foster terribly in the last week. Moving out won't bring him back, but it's a step on the path to healing.
I knock confidently on the door to his office in our Manhattan home and crack it open. "Dad?"
He closes his phone and looks up at me. "Hi, honey. Just finished a phone call."
I walk in and sit down opposite him like this is a business meeting and I'm an employee.
He starts talking first. "Did you hear we got some late donations from the summer event?"
"No."
"Not enough to make up for the loss so we need a new plan."
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something else."
"I haven't seen you working in a week. What's wrong with you?"
"Well, I—"
"Good. Let's get to business. I've got an idea." My dad always changes the topic to business. It's like emotions and relationships are just an annoying distraction from work. "We do two winter events and add a New Year's Eve party."
Three holiday events instead of one? "That's a lot of work, Dad. There's so many other New Year's Eve parties."
"Ours will be the best. You'll make it superb. And then do a wedding in the spring." He grins like this is a fabulous idea.
I've never planned a wedding before. "Whose wedding?"
"For a spring event, we'll do a wedding for you and Renzo." My heart sinks to the floor but he doesn't notice. "Have the guests donate their gifts. Tax deductible." He wiggles his eyebrows.
"I don't want to marry Renzo." Not only is he too old, he's aloof and self-absorbed. He's never even taken the time toget to know me. I hate it when my dad jokes about it. "Please stop talking about it like it's real."
"Oh it's real. He's perfect for you. Italian, well-dressed, loaded."
Renzo inherited his father's money years ago and continues to amass his wealth. I don't even know what business he's in. "I don't like him at all. He's not attractive to me."
"Give him a chance. Chemistry takes a long time to develop." He steeples his fingers in front of his nose.
"Please, Dad." I shake my head. "You know I love you and I'll do anything for you, but not this. Please, not this."
"You've known I planned this for you since his father died. Never complained. Suddenly he's not good enough for you?"
"I never agreed to it."
"It's always been in the works. You marry him and we bring him into the family."
He means we'd bring his father's money into the family.
