Chapter Ten

The following evening, I sat across from my father at the dining table. Dinner was almost over, but neither of us seemed in a hurry to leave. He placed his glass down and looked at me.

“Julian mentioned you haven't been taking his calls.”

I kept my eyes on my plate. “I've been busy.”

“Busy enough to ignore him?”

“I've been reading.”

It was a weak excuse, and we both knew it. My father didn't press the matter. Instead, he reached for his napkin and wiped his mouth.

“You should make more of an effort with Julian.”

I finally looked up. “What makes him so important to you?”

The question had been sitting inside me for long. He leaned back in his chair.

“Because he's suitable.”

“Suitable?”

“Yes.”

He said it as though that single word explained everything. I wasn't satisfied.

“What makes him suitable?”

My father sighed. “Julian comes from a powerful family. His father built one of the country's largest business empires. The Vances are wealthy, influential, and stable.”

I stared at him. “You already have all of that.”

My father's expression hardened slightly. “I have enough to take care of you.”

“Then why do I need Julian?”

“For the future.”

“What future?”

He was silent. I leaned forward.

“You keep telling me that Julian is the right choice. But whenever I ask why, you talk about money and security. Father, I'm not asking about a business merger. I'm asking about my life.”

His jaw tightened. “You're young.”

“I'm old enough to know when someone is deciding my future without asking me.”

Then he lowered his voice.

“You don't understand what you're asking.”

“Then explain it to me.”

He looked away. I noticed his eyes settle on the painting of my mother hanging on the far wall. Something changed in his expression. It was brief, but I saw it.

“Did Mother know?”

He didn't answer immediately. “Know what?”

“Whatever you're not telling me.”

His fingers tightened around the stem of his glass. “Your mother knew there were things about this family that couldn't simply be ignored.”

I felt a chill. “What things?”

He looked back at me. “Things that existed long before you were born.”

“Then why have you never told me?”

“Because it's not yet time you should know.”

“Really?”

My father stood. I watched him carefully. “Father.”

He didn't answer. I rose from my chair too.

“You just told me Mother knew something. Now you're refusing to tell me what it was.”

My father's expression remained unreadable. “Some truths come with consequences.”

“I'm not a child.”

“No,” he said quietly. “You're my daughter. That's exactly why I don't want you involved.”

I swallowed. “Was she afraid?”

My father's face changed. Only for a moment. But I saw it.

“Yes,” he said.

My heart skipped. “Of what?”

My father looked toward the painting again. “There are things about this family that could destroy everything we've built.”

I stared at him. “Then why are you pushing me toward them?”

My father's silence lasted several seconds. When he finally spoke;

“Because the Vances understand the world you're about to inherit.”

I frowned. “That doesn't answer my question.”

“It answers more than you realize.”

I stepped closer. “Are you saying I have to marry Julian because of something involving his family?”

My father's eyes met mine. “I am saying that your future cannot be separated from the Davidson family's position.”

“That still isn't an answer.”

“It is the only one you're getting tonight.”

I felt frustration rising inside me.

“So I'm supposed to marry someone I don't love?”

My father's expression hardened. “Love isn't the only thing that matters.”

“It matters to me.”

“You'll understand when you're older.”

“I've heard that my entire life.”

My father walked toward the door. I followed him with my eyes. “Father.”

He stopped. I took a breath.

“Did Mother agree with you?”

My father remained still. For several seconds, I thought he wouldn't answer. Then he said quietly,

“Your mother understood why I made the choices I did.”

He opened the door. I stared at him.

“That's not the same as saying she agreed.”

My father looked back at me. “No. It isn't.”

Then he walked away.

I remained standing in the dining room. My mother's portrait seemed to stare back at me from across the room. For years, I had believed my mother had died and was behind memories. Now, I wondered if there had been more. Something my father had hidden. Something my mother had known. Something serious enough that made my father always say that my marriage with Julian would protect his empire.

My phone vibrated on the table. I glanced down. Julian's name appeared on the screen. I didn't answer.

Instead, I looked back at my late mother's portrait.

“Mom,” I whispered.

My voice trembled. “What were you hiding from me?”

The room fell silent again.

My late mother had known something about the Vance family—something my father was still refusing to explain. And somehow, that secret was connected to Julian. I wasn't simply wondering why my father wanted Julian in my life, I wanted to know what had happened between our family and the Vances when I was still a kid.

Because if my mother could carry the secret to her grave, it meant it was a sacred one, and I deserved to know. But the worst part was that I didn't have any feelings for Julian, and that was the biggest issue. My father had no idea I was never ready to bow to his law, no matter how strict he had been with me. I was only waiting for the right time to strike.