13: Are You?

•Odette•

After leaving the garden, I calmly walked into the mansion, navigating through the walkways to get to my father’s study while my heart drummed loudly against my chest.

As much as I hated Silver, her independent opinion and actions meant nothing to me. The only things that mattered to me were the reactions and opinions of my parents.

Before Silver came into our lives, I used to think that I knew them best. That I could predict their movements and decisions.

I was wrong.

I knocked on the mahogany door of my father’s private study first before announcing my arrival.

“Father, it’s me. Odette.” The fear that I thought I could suppress surfaced when I spoke with a weak voice.

Ten whole seconds passed—I counted—before Father granted me the permission to step into his study. I learnt the hard way as a kid that I needed verbal permission before stepping foot into this private territory of his.

Even grown, my hand still trembled as I turned open the knob and stepped into the room. Father was sitting behind his wooden desk that was backing the only window in the sizable room filled with books on shelves.

“Hi, Dad.” I started out by speaking casually.

What if he wasn’t upset with me? What if he called me over just to see me? I was taking the chance of the small possibility whereby I wasn’t summoned by him to receive an earful that would result in him making a final decision on my life.

“Sit down, Odette.” Father said, his features as stern as I remembered.

Ever since the discovery that we weren’t blood related, I started to realize that I didn’t look like anyone in this family at all.

My hair was thicker and browner, almost black. And my eyes, I was the only one in the family with light brown eyes. Father had black eyes, Mother had blue eyes. Father’s parents, who never really cared about me, both had black and hazel-colored eyes.

I was born with a straight and pointed nose. I even had dimples, contrary to everyone else in the family. My facial structure was round, lacking the sharp angles Father possessed, along with the soft edges Mother had.

I looked nothing like them. I was absolutely nothing like them.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and sat directly across from my father on a wooden chair.

Father had been reading a book before I stepped in, so he was wearing his pair of reading glasses. After I sat down, he took them off and placed them on the desk.

Then he sighed and propped his elbows seriously.

“Explain yourself.”

He gave me one chance.

“I’m in love with Draven Lockwood.”

And I blew it.

“Love? Odette, do you know what love is?” Father didn’t even let me answer the question. “Love is not gallivanting around with a strange maniac and ruining your family’s reputation. Love is doing as you’re told and staying put unless needed.”

“No, Father. I truly love him. And I can’t live without him.” I spoke with a desperate tone, feeling tears prick my eyes.

They didn’t appear because of my so-called love confession. The cause was the expression on my father’s face.

“You can’t live without him? Odette, are you insane? Less than a week ago, you were engaged to the Montague kid and happy to tie the knot with him. Now, you expect me to believe that you love this bastard!?” Father shot up from his chair in a fit of anger.

“Yes! I do!” I followed suit, rising up and kicking the chair back. “I was pretending. I’ve been pretending all this while that I was happy being with Tristen. And I would've pretended all my life had you not set me free by proclaiming to the world that I’m not your real daughter.

“Draven and I have been in love for years—”

“Don’t you dare say such blasphemous words.” Father inputted.

“I’ll dare! I’ll dare because it’s true! Now that I’m no longer bound to an engagement I never wanted to be in, I can now live my best life with Draven Lockwood.” I declared.

Father fumed, walking around his desk to pace his office. He was huffing and puffing like he would explode of anger soon. After a few rounds of pacing, he stopped in front of me and callously said:

“You will stay away from that boy, Odette.”

“I will not, Father. You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t be with.” I spoke against the almighty Allister Valmont.

“I can and I will! I am your father!” he roared, chest heaving, loud breathing and all.

“Are you?” I asked with a small voice. The tears pricking my eyes slowly cascaded.

Father’s countenance relaxed. He was finally at a loss for words.

“Draven and I are getting married. You can fix Silver’s wedding with Tristen at a later date. Right now, this is the one thing I won’t let you ruin for me because of Silver.” I wiped the tears off my cheeks as I spoke.

“I’ll send an invitation to you and Mother. Come if you want.”

Father’s nose flared up at my unmasked arrogance.

“You will not do such a thing,” he proclaimed. “You will break up with that boy and apologize to me and your mother for daring to humiliate us. And you will apologize to me for raising your voice at me and disrespecting me.”

“I will do none of those things.” I countered.

“Odette, you—”

“Good bye, Father. I’ve listened to what you wanted me to hear and told you what I wanted you to know. My regards to Mother.”

I didn’t cower for a moment as I walked past my father and left the study. I heard him call out my name and order for me to return but I didn’t react.

I kept on walking till I was out of the mansion and inside my car. I didn’t even give myself the time to process what just happened when I saw a folded paper seated at the top of my steering wheel.

I picked it up and opened it.

~I know your secret.