Page 22 of Bittersweet Legacy

The man she married was clearly a cold-hearted monster who didn’t look at her, touch her, or show her any affection – she was just a pretty toy who served one purpose – to make him look good when necessary.

I sighed thinking about how sad she always looked, how a woman who should be full of life looked like a faded version of herself.

“What’s the problem, Esmeralda?” My father asked, reacting to my sigh. However, his tone made it clear he didn’t want to deal with any issue.

“No problem father, everything is fine.”

He nodded stiffly. “We’re having people for dinner tonight. I believe it’s time to introduce you officially to the people who matter.”

I looked down at my bowl to hide my eyeroll. ‘People who matter’ meant his rich asshole friends.

“Look at me, Esmeralda,” he snapped, making my brother smile.Why did that boy enjoy my suffering so much?

I met my father’s cold eyes unwaveringly. “Yes, father?”

“I need you on your best behaviour tonight, polished and appropriate, I will not tolerate any mishaps, do you understand me?”

“Yes, father I do.” These words felt like pebbles in my mouth. I wanted to tell him to shove his middle-aged rules as far up his butt as he could.

He seemed pleased by my answer as his eyes shone with approval. “Very well, if everything goes well, I might reconsider your access to a phone.”

I did my best to keep my face smooth knowing that any phone he would give me would probably be tapped, but at last I would have a communication device to talk to Tay.

“Thank you,” I replied, and Lord did it cost me to bow my head and accept this.

My father smiled brightly. “I’m glad you’re coming around,” He commented before swirling around and leaving the room the same way he walked in.

Archie glared at me and I returned his look with an eyeroll. “I won’t steal your spot as favorite child Archibald,” I sighed. “I would never sink low enough on my principles and personality to be able to hold it.”

Archie’s nostrils flared at the jab. If he thought he could break my spirit he had another thing coming.

“Let’s go,” he ordered, standing up briskly and leaving the room without as much as a look back. He really was our father’s son.

“Is Oppenheimer driving you tonight?” he asked as we settled into the car.

“No, she has model union.”

“Be on time then, I don’t want to wait for you,” he barked and resumed his usual disregard for me as we drove in tense silence –ah, family!

“Please tell me you’re coming today,” I begged Tay as soon as I met her on the front steps.

She shook her head. “No sorry, mom doesn’t do sitters and I’m always too happy to avoid stuffy parties by babysitting my brothers.”

“Yeah, I understand,” I replied, crestfallen. I wanted her there, she was rapidly becoming my best friend, but I didn’t want her to suffer along with me. I liked her enough already to avoid subjecting her to any undue stress. “It’s maybe better this way, I’ll have a hard time pretending with you around.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ah yes, after Barbie wife William Forbes is gunning for Barbie daughter, isn’t he?”

I shrugged. “It’s not forever.”

She gave me a small smile full of meaning and it made me uncomfortable, as if I was delusional to even think about escaping this life.

“Just see this evening as a social experiment,” she added with a shrug as we walked down the corridor, our arms interlaced.

“It will help me with my Independent Studies,” I confirmed, somehow seeing the evening a bit more positively.

“How is that?”

“I decided to write a paper in Sociology, on the social castes and how old legacies didn’t really evolve to make place for strong women.”

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