“You poor pathetic boy,” I laugh, properly this time at his ridiculous accusation as I give barely a glance from where he now stands from his seat, his hands firmly pressed to his hips, “The only thing I have at stake is sanity and joy, and I stand to lose them both if I continue to play by your rules.”
“Rosit—Rosie,if you do this, if you don’t go ahead with the deal, I lose my father’s company.” Mickey speaks quietly, looking toward the ground, only flicking his attention back to me when he’s done. Nothing but embarrassment written clear across his face.
“What do you mean?”
“My father has promised me a share in his company, a controlling interest, but I have to follow through on the deal. Our two families together can create a really powerful legacy. Can you imagine the life our children could have?—”
“Let me stop you right there.” I raise a hand to pause his monologue. “You have made the incorrect assumption that I give a damn about you, your father’s company, or this imaginary legacy you seem to think I would willingly be a part of. You seem to be having trouble understanding me here. Both of you.” I make a point to look them both in the eyes, “My answer is no. I’m not doing it, and there isn’t a single thing you could say to make me change my mind.”
“Rosie, you can’t do this to me!” Mickey reaches forward, gripping both my arms and shaking my body until I’m forced to look up at his eyes.
“Get your hands off me!” I pull to dislodge his grip, though it’s no use, so instead, I let go of the restraint I’ve had in the pastand stamp my foot, heel first, as hard as I can into the toe of his shoe.If only I actually had my lucky Jimmys on for this.
“Ouch,fuck!You bitch!”
“That’s enough!” My father roars and Mickey hops with a hand on his foot before straightening next to me. His seething burns me where I stand. Smoothing my hands down my arms in the place he had gripped them, I let my attention once again find my father.
“You understand what you’re doing then, Rosita?” His menacing stare forms into a bone-chilling smile, and for the first time since I walked in here, I lose a little bit of my strength. And apparently, also my words. I dip my chin, firm and confident, being sure to raise my head again to show him just how sure, howcertain,I am about my decisions.
“You walk out that door, and you’re dead to me, to this family. You leave here making your foolish decision to leave everything behind and you will lose it all.”
“What else is there to possibly lose after you’ve already taken everything,” I spit back at him, burying the slight sting I feel at his callous words. That he could cut me off, like I don’t exist, just like that. Without a second thought. I cross my arms over my chest, shielding the way my heart races when my father straightens, his shoulders relaxing and his smile turning all the more intimidating.
“The apartment you live rent-free in? The black card and trust fund you use to fund your overly expensive shopping sprees and whatever else you girls waste my money on? You walk out that door and all of it will be gone.” The way he relaxes back into his chair with his head tilted in calculating assessment of me makes my lip curl in disgust.
“You truly think so little of me, that I would give up my life, my freedom, and my dignity for things as materialistic as clothes and a fancy apartment? You truly think sosmallof me thatyou don’t think I would have been ready to give that up, that I wouldn’t already have backup plans?”
“And you don’t think I could control and dismantle this little life you think you’re going to build?” He raises a brow at me. I take a moment, a tiny little breath of fear invading my heart before I blow it out and settle my nerves. There is no way he could possibly get access and ruin Caleb’s finance, nor take a single thing away from him or any of my friends. He’s bluffing. A brilliant move, I’ll give him that. But he’s just trying to manipulate me. Again.
So I smile once more, leaning forward with my hands resting on his desk. I don’t blink, not once, as I finish this once and for all. “Go on then, Antonio. Pull the trigger, I dare you.”
His left eye twitches, the man who never falters, for a split second, let his fear of losing control shine right through, and it gives me all the confidence I need to walk out of here knowing I won’t ever have to face this man in my life again.
“I’ll see myself out then.” I straighten, not dropping my smile. I give him a beat to say something else, to deliver another empty threat or to try another dramatic way of stopping me, but he doesn’t. He simply rises from his seat, buttons his suit jacket, and quietly places his hands in his pockets. His eyes bounce between mine, his face hardened into an unreadable expression. That’s when Mickey explodes.
“You can’t let her do this! Antonio, you will regret this! My father will stop construction and you’ll never have another one of the Castillo’s casinos in a Garcia building ever again!” he shouts at my father and me, the two of us remaining locked in a death stare. I do have to force my lips to stay closed and not laugh at his little tantrum. I only flinch when Mickey picks up the office chair he’d been seated on and throws it against the wall with a squeal I could have blamed on a six-year-old.
“Miguel, for the love of God, calm down.” My father sighs, with a hand wipe down his face. “I don’t take orders from you boy. Leave and have your tantrum elsewhere. Our business is clearly concluded.” My father, the usually rageful monster, the manipulating and calculating billionaire just stands there, assured, confident, and seeming otherwise completely unbothered. It makes me shift only slightly, in unease at how well he seems to be handling the loss of this deal, the future loss of all the money being connected to the Castillos would bring…until it hits me.
“Oh…you think I’ll come crawling back.”
“Oh, I’msureof it.” He smiles smugly while Mickey decides to take that moment, uttering a range of Spanish curses, storming from my father’s office. I hear the slam of the office door behind me, and then the front door as he goes.
I laugh again, this time freely, feeling like the entire weight of the world has finally lifted from my shoulders. Because my father is so blinded by his own arrogance that he truly believes I will come crawling back. He believes I’ll see what it’s like having to buy from the Target sale rack instead of being the first to wear off the runway and I’ll simply sign my life away.
I laugh harder, cackling and wiping little tears from the corner of my eyes as I turn and head for the office door, because this arrogant mother fucker is still standing there confidently, like there is nothing I could say or do that would convince him that this is goodbye. I pause only when I’m at the door. With it open, I stand at the threshold and look back over my shoulder at the smug and self-assured old man.
There is something bittersweet about this moment. Because I’m cutting ties with the life I grew up with, with people who are meant to be my family. Who are meant to love me, unconditionally and without prejudice, and I’m weirdly happy about it. I feel no pain or sadness at losing them, and it onlysolidifies that this was the right decision. The pain I thought I would feel, I felt when I thought I’d lost Caleb. How I would feel if I were to ever lose myrealfamily; Addison and Casey. Nowthatwould break me in two. I never realized until this very moment that those girls, Caleb, Carmela, Halle, Jasper, and the rest of our crew, they truly were all that I will need, and all that I have ever needed.
“Goodbye, Antonio. Iwon’tbe seeing you around.” With one last wink, I let the door close behind me, walking on air once again through the house. I can feel the tears drip down my cheeks despite the small smile I can feel pushing through the weird numbness coating my body. When I enter the living room, I find my mother seated at the bar in the back corner that overlooks the city below. She sits, facing me with a whiskey glass half filled with a clear liquid I can only assume is vodka.
“Quite the drama you seem to have caused. As usual.” She mutters under her breath, not meeting my eyes as she takes a rather large drink from her glass.
Taking a centering breath, I turn to face her, “I truly hope you find the power to make your own decisions one day, Maria. Living like this, under him, with no freedom and no joy? I know you don’t know any other way, but this isn’t it. And you do have the power to choose, you just have to be brave enough to do it.” Her eyes raise to meet mine, one corner of her lips turned up ever so slightly as one long second turns into five. She huffs a breath, swirling her glass as she breaks eye contact and peers down into the liquid.
I don’t know what emotions she seems to cycle through, but something passes over her as she stands from her seat at the bar, frowning down at her glass and, almost reluctantly, places it down on the bar top. Quietly, without another word or look in my direction, she heads in the direction of her room.
“Goodbye, Mom,” I whisper to myself as I turn and head for the front door, leaving everything about this world, about the Garcia life, behind me for good. And though I feel an immense amount of relief and joy at knowing I get to leave here today and finally live the life I have been trying to escape into, that I get to run into Caleb’s arms and know everything will be okay, I can’t shake the feeling of anticipation, like I’m missing something and that the proverbial other shoe is just about to drop.
