Page 5 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride
After a moment, he huffed out a breath that sounded faintly amused before admitting, “No, no…I actually wanted to ask you about something.”
Pulling in a breath, I had the feeling the phone call was about to be much longer than I had hoped. “Okay…what is it?”
“There’s a charity gala coming up this Friday night, and I’d like you to come with me,” he said, finally getting to the real point of the phone call. “Just like old times.”
A charity gala…that wasn’t exactly outside of the norm for him, given how prominent he had always been in the community and how he often liked to give back however he could. With his wealth, it was no surprise that he would be invited to more prestigious events held in the city.
But it had been a long time since I last went with him. I had only been a teenager when he last took me with him, since he wanted me to experience it for myself. It was as grand and over the top as anyone would expect, and while it was nice, it wasn’t exactly my scene.
“Why isn’t Mom going with you?”
There was a momentary silence between us before he sighed, giving away how it had obviously been a touchy subject. Or, at the very least, a cause for some sort of disagreement. “You know your mother…she claims to be tired of them, and she has already made other plans.”
As much as part of me wished she would go instead of me, I absolutely believed that.
I wasn’t necessarily the closest with my dad, given how pushy he could be, but what I had with my mom was even worse; it was almost laughable to call it any kind of relationship.
Since the day I could pick up on it, my mom had been cold and detached, almost like she never had the desire to be anyone’s mother in the first place.
Regardless of how I used to try and connect with her in some way, she never seemed interested. She did what she needed to do as a mom when I was young, but the older I became, the less involved she was.
Eventually, we were more like individuals living under the same roof—nothing beyond that.
I wanted to decline the offer and move on from the topic, but knowing how she could be, that felt impossible; picturing my dad at the event alone made me feel guiltier than I cared to admit.
I sighed and ran a hand down my face. “Okay, fine…I’ll go with you. But I don’t have anything fancy left to wear.”
The elation in his voice was both immediate and somewhat surprising as he returned, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have something arranged.”
Nodding to myself, I was well aware of what I was agreeing to and how it would take away from my allotted painting time. As annoying as that was, I couldn’t miss just how relieved he sounded to hear my acceptance.
“Friday night, then. You know where to find me.”
“That I do,” he returned, allowing his satisfied smile to translate through his words. “And thank you, my dear. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful night out.”
Even if we weren’t the closest father and daughter pair, I couldn’t ignore the faint warmth in my chest from his gratitude. He sounded so sincere…almost like I made his entire week. In a way, I could only assume I had.
With him looking forward to the upcoming gala, we said our goodbyes for the night, and I found myself alone in the quiet apartment once more, with the silence cut only by traffic outside and the subdued nighttime bustle.
Letting out a breath, I leaned back on the couch and tried to wrestle with the fact that I agreed to go to a gala I had no business attending—not when it was part of the world I wanted to escape from the very moment I could.
But it was obvious Dad wanted someone with him, and it was at least somewhat touching to know he’d rather have me there than go alone. In a way, it seemed like he was trying to be closer to me, and as almost strange as it felt, I didn’t think I was in a position to complain.
I had a few days left to mentally prepare, and I could only hope the event wouldn’t be as dull as I remembered, despite the glamor.
Chapter 3 - Val
Public events were perhaps my least favorite part of the gig, but they were unavoidable, it seemed.
Even though the night had only just started in the grand scheme of things, it felt endless, but of course, I still had several hours ahead of me.
The clinking of glasses and aimless chatter all blended in around me, topped with overpriced cologne and perfume, the gleam of diamonds and other various jewels in the low light, and the usual practiced smiles that rarely struck me as genuine.
Despite spending more time than I cared to admit at galas and whatever other events were going on in the city, it always felt so exhausting. Like being stuck in a gilded cage with someone trying to strike a deal for your escape.
I wasn’t one to scoff at the finer things; it was the people that bothered me, how they came with agendas of their own, even if it was all in the name of charity.
Navigating through the crowd, seeing quite a few familiar faces, I shook hands with those I knew and managed to become acquainted with those I didn’t. I could pretend like I was there out of the goodness of my heart, but in all honesty, I didn’t have any right to mock them for coming armed with hidden motives…not when I had one of my own.
