Page 10 of Wife Unwanted
I scoffed. I knew this was the direction of the conversation before it even started. His hatred for 'the lower classes' was so archaic, one would think he time traveled from the eighteen hundreds to the present. "And?" I cocked my eyebrows for good measure.
"You have a career to think of."
"And that's my main focus."
"Your political career."
I rolled my eyes. This again. He thought he was the next Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. His desire to create the next Kennedy dynasty was admirable if it wasn't so repulsive. He wanted one of his sons to become the next president and sometime when I was growing up; he decided it would be me. If only he had asked me if I wanted a political career.
"Isn't making partner part of furthering my career?"
He nodded. "It is. You'd have fast tracked it if you were a prosecutor—"
"They don't make that much money. And lots of DAs won an election without ever being one."
"And few have one while single. You might become a DA while single, but higher political office, like senator, mayor or, dare I say, governor. You won't get anywhere near those while single."
"What are you trying to say?"
"That it's about time you got married. Preferably someone from a good family with good stock."
"You want my wife to be in the same elite circle I move around in? Good luck having that play well with the electorate."
A small smile appeared on his face for a brief moment. "I want you to be with someone who won't embarrass this family, that's all."
"And if I don't want to get married?"
"Then you'll have to adjust to living alone, without a trust fund and a job to support you."
"Are you blackmailing me into marriage?"
"Only simply pointing out your options."
"You're the worst father in the world. Do you know that?"
My father smirked. "Everything I do, I do for you and this family. You may not understand it now, but you will in the future."
"Is it for me or for your desire to achieve your goals through me?"
"Are you going to do it or not?"
This is why I have always hated this man. He asked as though I had a choice in the matter, but he knew I didn't. I could do as he said, reject his ultimatum, but where would that put me? Where my sister Ivy was. Scrounging for bare necessities while cut off from every source of funds. He had done it to Ivy before. He could easily do it to me. I would not let him dictate my life. If there's a way to make a choice on my own, I was going to take it. There's another way I could win. She just has to agree to my proposal.
Father was gone the next day, but his presence still loomed over me. Over us. Thalia was no longer the same carefree person she was previously, and I knew, without asking her, that my father had something to do with it. In order to get away from him, I took her out on a walk on the beach. The sun was warm and inviting and waters were calm. "How was my father?" I asked after we had walked in silence for about a quarter of anhour. Her back turned rigid, and she plastered a smile. "Did he say anything about me?"
"I know how… intense he can be, and I promise I didn't know he would be here."
"I understand."
"He likes ruffling feathers. But he's gone now and according to my brother, he was called to an emergency meeting so he's not coming back."
"Carey." She held my hand. "I understand. We had a small talk after dinner and then I went to bed."
"He never grilled you on why we are dating?"
"I didn't know we were dating. I thought this was a non serious relationship."
A bird flew above us, and my gaze went to it. How amazing it would be to be as free as one of them, I wondered. However, when I turned back my attention to Thalia, I realized being with her is the first time in my life I have felt anything close to freedom. She demanded nothing from me. Whenever I was with her, I never felt like I had to be something I am not. If anything, I wanted to be better for her, not because she was pushing me to, but because I felt it would improve our relationship.
