Page 3 of Broken Saint

"Go ahead into the other room where the priest is waiting for you, Catherine. In this case, there is no need for a grand ceremony or thousands of dollars wasted. We will be in as soon as the paperwork is completed."

His cold demand uttered so matter of factly and with no emotion fired something in my brain.

"I am not getting married." My words were measured and low, but I knew he heard them.

He slowly raised his head. "Excuse me?"

I straightened my spine and sat up straight. He might not know it yet, hell, I wasn't sure I knew it yet, but I was more my father's daughter than either of us knew.

"I have already accepted an internship in New York. A designer is interested in working with me to develop my designs. I am supposed to leave in two days."

"That's outrageous. Why was I not informed?" He glanced at my mother, who suddenly looked as frightened as I felt.

"I didn't know," she said, hesitating before she continued. "I swear, Anthony. She's obviously been keeping secrets from both of us."

He scrutinized my mother for a minute more before he finally turned back to me. We had embarrassed him, and I knew there would be hell to pay later.

"No matter. You will cancel. This family is far more important than a young girl's silly dream. Besides, it's all arranged. And in case you were wondering, young lady, your mother threw away all your artwork. Your husband does not need you to clutter his home with your incessant sketching."

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog of disbelief. This could not be happening. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?" It may have been a question he would never answer, but I couldn't keep the need to know inside.

He sat back and stared at me. Seconds ticked by as he steepled his fingers in front of him and seemed to contemplate me and my words. When I was about to break from the silence he finally leaned forward to answer.

"I don't hate you, Catherine. Far from it. But like it or not, you are part of this family, and as such, you have a duty to do what is best for the family. This is what we do. There are no other options."

I knew he wasn't just referring to him, my mother or my siblings. The family in our life had a much larger scope than it did for most people. The family comprised everyone inside his business—all the way from the top to the bottom.

I seemed to fall at the bottom.

I might be the boss's daughter, but that only meant so much. When it came to the business, everyone had their own role. My mother's duty was to raise his children, keep their home and personally support my father. My brothers' duty was to follow in our father's footsteps, learn the business, and probably, also marry for the good of the family. Love clearly didn't factor in at all.

"Please, father. I'm not ready for this. I need to go to college, gain some experience. I need more time."

Again, he went silent as if thinking about my words or maybe at least considering them. I wasn't sure, but I was frozen, unable to take a breath for the small sliver of hope still filling my chest.

"The family needs your cooperation, Catherine. To defy me is to betray me. I'm sure you understand the limitations we all face."

Did I? Until this moment, I hadn't truly considered it. Had I been too naive? I'd made plans without consulting anyone, knowing darn well it wasn't going to go over well. But still...

"What if you gave me some time? What good do I have to offer this man with no experience in anything? Just a few years. I'm certain then I could offer much more to the family than I can now."

He shook his head and slammed his palm down on his desk. "Enough arguing. You embarrass me with your begging. I have made my decision, and it's final. You will do as you are told, or I will have Francisco help you do the right thing."

My future husband snorted. "I like that she is feisty. It will actually be my pleasure to break her for you."

My father shot him a hard look, but said nothing. The dark cloud on his face scared the hell out of me, as did the idea of Francisco helping me with anything. That bastard took pleasure in hurting people.

"Sandra, take her in the other room and prepare her. We will join you momentarily."

My mother nodded before rounding the desk and grabbing my arm in a surprisingly hard grip. Not once had she ever touched me in anger, but I could feel it now. It practically radiated off of her.

As for my father...

How could he be so callous? What the hell was wrong with him? If he thought—

Wait.

An idea sprang into my mind. One so desperate it just might work. If it didn't get me killed first.

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