Disowned

Trish’s POV:

“You’ve disappointed me, Latricia.” My father’s words rang in my head, and for a long while, it was the only sound that I could hear.

With the folded handkerchief that smelled too much of his strong perfume, my father still dabbed at the tears on my cheek and as the tears cleared from my eyes I became afraid.

There was no compassion or kindness in his eyes as he looked down at me.

“Dad, I…”

He brought the handkerchief over my mouth, silencing me. “Shh…”

I did not have enough time to think of what would happen as my mouth was forcefully opened and I was gagged with the same handkerchief that had been used to dry up my tears.

He’s going to kill me. The realization was bitter and as tears gathered in my eye I could not help but wonder if this was how I would die. I’d sworn deep down that I would take vengeance on Declan but this way I would not be able to do so, or maybe I would haunt him as a ghost. That would be nice.

My father’s hand came up to block my nose too and that was when I knew for certain that he was going to kill me.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve cost me you, stupid child!” I could hear him say but I could no longer breathe and I was too weak to really struggle.

I was feeling dizzy again and my eyes were starting to close when he suddenly pulled back and I took in  very big gulps of air.

I breathed like I’d just been chased halfway through the world by a mad beast and it took a long while before I could get myself to calm down, as my eyes searched the room frantically for who had come to my rescue.

For a second I assumed it was the doctor who had come in to check up on me but after seeing my dad gagging the life out of me, had pulled him away but no. There was no one.

My father stood beside the bed, wiping his hand clean with another handkerchief, because the one he used to try to kill me still remained in my mouth. I spit it out and I had no idea when I started to cry.

It was messy and ugly and it took too much energy from me and left me with a terrible migraine, but I could not stop crying.

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking… I was tricked.”

“I raised you to be smarter than this, Latricia. I told you that the heart is very fragile yet you went and gave yours to that snake. Of all the bastards you could have been an idiot over, it had to be that one. The wretched son of Robert!” He seethed and I feared that he was going to gag me again but instead it was his fist that came down upon me as he rained slaps upon slaps on my face.

I was weak, too weak to resist him or prevent any of his attacks. And even if I weren’t, I wasn’t going to refuse him, I deserved it, I deserved his anger, his fury, his assault.

I’d been a fool. I deserve this.

The bloodied knuckles of my father was proof enough for me to know that I was bleeding, because I could feel nothing.

When he was done, he walked to a desk close to the door, picked up a paper and dumped it on me.

“Sign it.”

I made no move to pick up the paper, or to collect the pen he stretched at me and that seemed to annoy him.

“Sign the paper or I swear to God, Latricia, I’ll go all the way this time. And there’s not a damned thing anybody on this planet would do about it.”

I knew that to be true. My father was a powerful man. He had money and connections, ones that meant if his stupid twenty-two years old daughter mysteriously winds up dead, nobody would ask any question.

I took the pen with shaky hands and brought the paper to my face. Upon seeing the content, more tears rolled down my eyes.

“You know what that son of a bitch did?” My father spoke again as he pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket and lit it. “Met with my board members in secret, promised them things. Bribed the bastards and that wasn’t enough. He fucked my daughter and took her shares. He stormed into my office like the arrogant prick that he is and they carried out a vote to overthrow me from the position of CEO, from MY OWN COMPANY!” He yelled the last part and I felt it in my bones.

Afraid of what he might do to me I brought the pen to the paper and scribbled my signature. It was messy but it was still my signature.

He snatched the paper from me and took a long drag of his cigarette. “The boy said he’d give me a place in the company.” He barked out a bitter laugh and I could see in his face the barely contained fury.

I’d done this. How could I have been so stupid.

“I have been kicked out of my own company. I have been made to look like a fool. I have lost my dignity. I no longer have the backing of the board—” He took one long look at the paper and at my signature. “—and now, I no longer have a daughter.”

With that, he turned on his feet and left, slamming the door behind him and leaving me beaten, bloody and broken.

The paper I’d just signed was a Declaration of Disinheritance and Disownment Declaration.

Not only was I no longer his daughter, he’d taken every single property he’d given me.

My father wasn’t the only one who had lost things. I’d lost my dignity too, my house and properties. I had also lost my father. I was left with nothing, save the money in my account and even that wasn’t much.

I’ll have my revenge on Declan, one way or the other. I’ll make him go on his knees and beg, and so will Leonard Hooke, my ex-father.