5

Camiela's Perspective

I raised a hand to my mouth, letting out a yawn, and squinted in the living room as the morning sunlight flooded the space. The dining table was filled with lively conversations and the joyful sounds of Khan's laughter. Our family had a longstanding tradition of coming together for breakfast every Friday and throughout the weekends. Despite my exhaustion, I managed to drag myself here this morning.

Having arrived early, I was the first one here. Too tired to change, I made my way to my old room and dozed off on the bed.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Mom chuckled, manoeuvring around me and giving my cheeks a playful squeeze. She then passed a plate of pancakes to Dad before taking a seat beside him.

Without saying a word, I settled into the vacant seat on Dad's other side and lifted Khan into my lap as he continued to run around the table, refusing to sit down and eat. Closing my eyes once more, I rested my chin on top of Khan's head, struggling to keep myself awake. The familial warmth and the comforting routine provided a brief respite from the chaos that often surrounded us.

"Eat your pancakes, sweetheart," Dad said, gently waking me up by shaking my head. He pushed a plate with two pancakes toward me. I let out a sleepy hum, opened my eyes, and looked down at Khan in my lap. I playfully squeezed and tickled his sides, making him jump off and run back to Derek.

Derek, taking advantage of the moment, caught Khan and put him on his lap with his back facing the table. "Now I've got you, Khan. No more running away," Derek said dramatically.

Shirley, ignoring Khan's protests, brought a spoon to his mouth, offering him a bite despite his thrashing and whining. "Open wide," she insisted.

"I don't want it!" Khan protested, grabbing Derek's shirt and leaning forward to wipe his mouth on it.

Quickly, Shirley slipped a paper napkin between Khan's mouth and Derek's shoulder, saving Derek's fancy shirt from any mess. Laughter filled the room as our lively family breakfast continued with its usual mix of chaos and joy.

"Khan", Derek sighed, "you need to eat." He then faced Shirley. "How do you expect a two-year-old to eat oatmeal when everyone around him is having pancakes?" 

"Oatmeal is good for him." 

"I don't want it!" Khan exclaimed, grabbing fistfuls of Derek's shirt. 

"He doesn't want it," Derek cried out in frustration, throwing his head back. 

Shirley turned to me, "Help me out." 

I laughed, rubbing my eyes. "He doesn't want it." I glanced over at Khan as I took my fork and knife in hand. "I guess he doesn't want ice cream after breakfast either." 

Khan turned to look at me over his shoulder, his eyes wide in shock. 

"Do you?" 

He nodded eagerly. Derek set him down, and he walked over to me. 

I pulled out the chair beside mine, seating him down, and took the oatmeal from Shirley, ignoring his pout. "If you finish the little bit of oatmeal that's left in this bowl, I'll get you ice cream." 

"You're bribing my son," Derek said. 

"I'm negotiating," I ground out, glaring at Derek. 

"With my two-year-old?" He stared at me sceptically, his gaze narrowed. 

Ignoring Derek, I brought a spoonful in front of Khan. He reluctantly opened his mouth and swallowed it down. In return, I looked over at Derek, feigning wide-eyed surprise. "Wow", I gasped, "magic." 

Derek watched me in amusement before he returned to his own food. 

"Dove sei andato ieri sera, mia cara?" Dad asked, glancing at me. 'Where did you go last night, my dear?' 

I paused, my chewing slowing down as I cleared my throat and replied, "Ho lasciato la festa presto." 'I left the party early.'

"Why?" Mom asked, frustrated. 'Why?' "All my friends were praising how stunning you looked, Camiela."

"I was... really tired from work," I shrugged.

"And where did you go? Back home or back to the Fortress?" Dad questioned knowingly.

I glanced at him sheepishly out of the corner of my eye. "I couldn't stand being at that party any longer. My social battery died out."

"You need to train it to last a little longer, honey," Mom mumbled.

"I don't understand why I had to attend, to begin with. I wasn't invited; the people invited were Derek, Camiela, and you both," I said to my parents.

"You are our daughter, Camiela," Dad chuckled. "When you get married, you can choose whether you want to attend with your husband or not, but with us, you are expected to attend. I know you don't like it, but it's just the way it is."

"Why? Because I'm your daughter?" I rolled my eyes.

He sighed softly and paused for a moment. "Because you are my child. The invite was for the Rodriguez, sweetheart."

"Last we checked, you're still a Rodriguez," Derek added, teasing me. "If you want to get out of these things, just get married." He shrugged nonchalantly.

I gave him a fake smile before faking a punch in his direction. "One day I will," I huffed, "because I will never marry a man in this... cult." 

"Cult?" Dad laughed. 

"I want nothing to do with this circle you guys are a part of. Where all people care about is wealth and showing off and talking about each other." 

"You're no saint, Camiela. You're one of us," Derek pointed out. 

"Not by choice. If I had the choice, I would have disappeared," I said through gritted teeth, jabbing my knife towards him before feeding Khan the last bite. "I'll get you ice cream in a little bit, I promise," I said, wiping his mouth clean and then planting a quick kiss on top of his head. 

"You act too righteous," Derek said in annoyance. 

"I have every right to because I don't indulge in all the immoral..." I glanced at Khan in frustration. "Crap that you guys do," I finished, resisting the string of curses on my tongue. 

"She has a point," Dad agreed. 

"Then why do you do it?" Mom scoffed at Dad. "I told you we should stop before our kids got too old and understood our reality," she scolded aggressively. 

"Jane, once you're in, you're in," Dad sighed, facing her, "it wasn't always a choice. But if we're here, we might as well make the best of it and enjoy it." 

"Oh, I'll enjoy it, all right," I snickered softly under my breath. 

"Okay, let's not start the weekend with arguments," Shirley spoke up, gathering everyone's attention. "Camiela." 

I lifted my brows at her expectantly. 

"I'm going out with a few girls tonight for some drinks. Do you want to come along? I'm sure you could use some change," she winked. 

"Babe, you have to—" Derek began. 

"Take someone with me, I know," Shirley said, grinning at him. "We'll take Larry," she said, referring to a bodyguard Derek had hired straight from Dad's company after Khan was born. He mostly stuck with Shirley and Khan whenever they went and even chauffeured them around. "So, Derek's on baby duty tonight," she laughed, looking at Khan. "Don't trouble Daddy too much, okay?" 

He nodded, smiling widely and mischievously at Derek. 

"I'll get you that ice cream," Derek said, finishing up his food before standing up, waving Khan over. Khan ran around the table, yelling as he jumped onto Derek, who picked him up, faking a grunt. "You're getting heavy, Khan," he teased, picking him up and carrying him to the kitchen. 

"Don't let her out of your sight," Dad told Shirley, nodding towards me. 

"Hey! I can take care of myself," I scoffed in disbelief, shoving the last piece of pancake into my mouth. 

"Of course, you can. But the safety of you girls is our priority," he explained, giving a gentle punch to my stuffy cheeks as I ate before excusing himself to take a call as his phone buzzed. Khan came running back in and tugged at my mom's clothes, pulling her to the kitchen with them while Derek called out for help since he couldn't find the ice cream.