CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

“F—Father”

She stuttered. Pain washed through her chest. She never wanted to see him, she wanted to see her mother

And her mother wasn't there

“Where's mother?”

Her eyes darted from her father to the door, until it was closed shut by a servant, further confirming her suspicion

Her mother did not come

“Is that the first thing you have to say to me after all this time?”

His cold eyes scanned his surroundings, then went back to her. He looked at her the same way he had always looked at her

Since she was born

He looked at her like something he hated to see, and anomaly, a mistake he was constantly trying to get rid of. love never existed between them. Not when she was a child, or teenager, not even in her adulthood

Sharon's world spun around her and she held the railings for support.

She felt something grip her waist, to steady her

She didn't need to turn around to see who it was, she was already familiar with his scent. And the idea of knowing him to that extent sickened her.

Luca took her hand and walked down the steps that were left, to the foyer

Where her father was standing

He gave him a handshake out of courtesy, and they went to the dining, as if he wasn't mentally tormenting his daughter a minute before

They were business partners now.

Luca Pavilochenki, the Pavilochenki's in general were beneficial to his success

That was the reason he was there and his wife wasn't. It wasn't about her or Sharon, it was about him

Sharon pinched her food, her appetite had disappeared since her father walked into the house without her mum

It gave her a clearer picture of her position

Like her mother, she was insignificant. In this case, she was just as useful as the decor

********************

“You've barely touched your food”

Luca's voice which was usually very cold had taken a calm and caring tune

“I’m—I’m not very hungry”

Luca could sense the discomfort in her voice

Sharon's eyes suddenly met her father's

His cold piercing gaze was all it took for her to start stuffing her mouth with food

Luca looked from Sharon, to her father, and back to Sharon

She had obviously lost her appetite for some reason, but with one look from her father it had come back

These were the signs, but Luca didn't care about her enough to think about it

He continued discussing business, and paid no attention to the mentally strangled woman seated beside him

Then he received an important call

“I'm so sorry, I'll have to take this”

There it was. Luca was the thin line that had been separating them, and now he was gone

“Now listen up Sharon. You will do whatever it takes to make that man happy. I don't care if you have to fuck him all the days of your life, just make him happy

This alliance is important to me, do you understand?

My success is near, I can feel it”

Sharon was silent. Her head was bowed and she had no words to say

“Your mother sends her greetings”

Mr Hillary said, not even raising his head to look at her

“Really?”

Sharon's face brightened up

“Well she's been ranting about how she's wanted to see you. I just told her you were busy.

When she heard about the dinner today, she was so excited that I had to lock her up and beat the happiness out of her

What I couldn't wrap my head around was the fact that she was still screaming your name. She screams a lot

That's why two years ago, I had those doors removed and replaced with sound proof ones

The bitch has no idea—”

“Stop!”

Sharon's voice echoed, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

She hadn't noticed it before, but she was just now seeing the details

The red marks on his hand—

He had got them from punching her mother

And whenever he punched, he didn't stop

“I'm sick, just stop it already!”

Sharon screamed

“How dare you raise your voice at me? Do you think that you're out of my reach just because you're married now?

You're just like your mother. Clueless, stupid. You always forget that I'm the one calling the shots

“Or do you need to be reminder—”

Mr Gray slowly got up from his seat and extended his hand towards Sharon

“Should I be worried?”

Luca said as he strolled casually to his seat

“Not at all, my daughter is having a moment. I'm sure she'll come to her senses soon”

He tucked a strand of hair behind his daughter’s ear, like that was what he intended to do in the first place

My Gray went on eating his food as though nothing happened

Sharon wiped the tears off her face, but they never seemed to stop flowing

“How's my mother in law doing?”

Luca asked

“She's doing great, infact I can hear her screams of joy from this place, she's —”

Sharon's fork hit the ceramic with so much intensity, that a crack formed in the middle

Luca looked at her wide eyed, then his face morphed back to it's former expression

He was completely oblivious to everything going on, oblivious to the tension between them. It was either that or he chose to ignore it, if at all he noticed it

Not only did Sharon have to endure his bullshit, she also had to live through the fact that her mother was also living a nightmare.

And the two people responsible for it all were sitting on the same table as her, laughing and having a good time

Sharon stood up abruptly, making them to shift their attention to her

Her fists were clenched, and tears slid down her eyes

“I've lost my fucking appetite—”