Chapter 2

Two Years Earlier…

Sidney's Pov

The sound of breaking glass downstairs startled me out of sleep, and I sat up immediately, breathing heavily as I heard another loud crash echo through the mansion walls. For a few seconds, I stayed still, staring into the darkness of my room while my heart beat rapidly against my chest. Then I heard my mother cry out, and my stomach dropped. I threw the blankets off my body and rushed out of my room barefoot. The marble floors were freezing beneath my feet as I hurried toward the staircase.

As I reached the staircase, my father’s voice thundered through the first floor. “You humiliated me tonight!” I stopped halfway down the stairs, my chest tightening painfully.  I could see the shattered remains of a wine glass near the fireplace, red wine staining the cream carpet like blood. My mother hunched over the bar, trembling violently, and from a distance I could see tears streaming down her face.

Gregory Vale, my father, stood in front of her with fury in his eyes. Even at fifty-three, my father carried himself like a tyrant king, who believed the world belonged beneath his feet, but all I could see was a monster.

 “Gregory, please,” my mother whispered weakly. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You made me look weak in front of investors.” He continued

“It was a misunderstanding, Greg…”

The slap came so fast that I gasped. My mother stumbled sideways, crashing into the edge of the table before falling to her knees.

“Mom!” I screamed, running downstairs immediately.

My father’s gaze snapped toward me, dark and cold. “Go back to your room, Sidney.”

I ignored him and dropped beside my mother instead. My hands shook as I touched her face carefully. There was a red mark spreading across her cheek.

Rage exploded inside me. “She’s bleeding!” I yelled.

“She’ll survive,” my father said indifferently.

I looked up at him in disbelief. “How can you say that?”

He calmly adjusted the cuffs of his suit as none of this bothered him. “She embarrassed me tonight; she spoke out of turn.”

I stared at him, horrified. “She’s your wife, and she is sick!”

“And you are acting sicker, Sidney,” he replied coldly, “You are still my daughter, I feed you, clothe you, without me, you would be nothing, which means you will lower your voice when speaking to me.”

Fear settled inside my stomach because I knew exactly what he was capable of. Growing up in the Vale household meant learning how to survive sudden storms of toxicity. My father controlled everything around him with money, fear, and power. Employees feared him, politicians feared him, the media worshipped him.

And my mother? She endured him. I used to think rich people lived perfect lives. At the orphanage, I watched my friends get adopted into wealthy homes and prayed that one day it would be me. Then, I turned eight years old and got adopted by Gregory and Elena Vale. The first welcome I got was seeing my father shove my mother against a wall because dinner was late. After that, the illusion died.

“Sidney,” my mother whispered suddenly, gripping my wrist tightly. “Please stop.”

I looked down at her. Even now, she was still protecting him. I helped her stand carefully while my father poured himself another glass of whiskey.

 “I have a campaign dinner party tomorrow,” he said flatly. “And for you both not to look miserable in front of the cameras, I’ll make it a masked party.”

His expression darkened. “Now get out of my sight before I forget you’re my daughter and take you back to the gutters from where I picked you.”

I immediately wrapped my arm around my mother and guided her upstairs while my father remained downstairs drinking as if nothing had happened. The moment we entered her bedroom, my mother broke down. I quickly locked the door behind us before helping her sit on the bed.

“It’s okay,” I whispered even though it clearly wasn’t. “I’ll get the first aid kit.”

I rushed into the bathroom, grabbed it and sat beside her, dabbing the antiseptic carefully against the fresh cut near her lip, and she flinched. 

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“It’s alright, baby,” she said faintly.

“You should leave him, let’s get out of here,” I said while cleaning the bruise forming near her cheekbone.

My mother gave a weak laugh. “You say that every time, you forget that he’s the only one who would take care of me despite everything.”

“Mom, you have done nothing wrong; your health failing is not your fault.”

“It’s my fault, child. I was always too weak for him, but he chose me anyway.”

I looked at her, trying unsuccessfully to hide the disgust on my face at her words.

Mom looked at me like she read my thoughts and said, “Elena Vale divorcing Gregory Vale would become national news overnight, and your father’s Senatorial election is coming up soon.”

“I don’t care!” I snapped

“But he does, and you know your father.” My mother sighed tiredly. “Men like your father don’t let people go that easily.”

That much was true. Gregory Vale cared about one thing above everything else, and that was his image. He wanted to be the perfect billionaire, the perfect husband, the perfect family man, but only in the public eye.

I finished cleaning my mother’s wounds before helping her lie down properly. She looked exhausted beneath the blankets.

“You should sleep,” I whispered.

She nodded weakly before suddenly grabbing my hand. “Promise me something.”

“What?” I blinked rapidly, trying to control my tears

Her eyes filled with sadness. “Don’t ever fall in love with any powerful man.”

 “Just go to sleep, Mom?” I said hoarsely.

“I mean it, Sidney.”

I forced out a small laugh. “Trust me, Mom, men, marriage, etc., are the last thing on my list.”

“You say that now.”

“I’m serious.” I smiled faintly. “I’d rather become a nun.”

That earned the tiniest smile from her, but it faded quickly.

“Power changes people,” she whispered. “It makes them cruel.”

I kissed her forehead gently before standing up. “I’ll stay with you tonight.”

I switched off the bedside lamp and climbed into bed beside her, as I used to as a child after bad nights.

Mom eventually fell asleep beside me, but I couldn’t. I stared at the ceiling quietly while anger burned through my chest. I hated this life, I hated pretending we were a normal family, and I hated how powerless I felt. I heard the study door close with a loud bang, and I knew my father had retired for the night as I drifted off to sleep.

The Next morning…

The Vale mansion had transformed magically; fresh flowers decorated the garden, hallways, and living room, while chefs rushed around the kitchen, all in preparation for the dinner party.

The bruises on Mom’s face had disappeared beneath layers of makeup, and everything looked perfect again.  I sat silently at the dining table while my father read the newspaper calmly. One would never guess he had slapped his wife the night before or even threatened his daughter.

Mom and I barely touched our breakfast.

“Sidney,” my father said suddenly, without looking up from the paper. “You’ll attend tonight’s dinner with us.”

“Uhm… father, I have to finish my sewing for design class by tonight,” I replied, hoping that would change his mind.

“It's not a request, Sidney,” he said sharply, catching me off guard.

I knew there was no point in arguing, so I agreed and quietly went upstairs.