9 Father-daughter

As I walk from the kitchen to the library I pass the renovated house- walls were painted a beige colour, the holes fixed, the floor changed to a new tile design, and modern taste of furniture placed. As I arrive at the library I pay attention to the detail of automotive painted spray, the built-in shelves with a metallic teal, giving the room a gloss reminiscent of the Finish Fetish movement of the '60s and '70s. "I see you got most of the place fixed up in one day?" I say as I enter looking at my dad who sits comfortably by the couch just looking around the library. Above the fireplace which is opposite the bookshelves stood a portrait of a woman but judging by her features it seemed to be my mother.

"Yes, they still have to work on the outside but the inside is almost finished. How was your day?" He asks as he gestures for me to sit.

I clear my throat.

"My day was interesting, everyone was really nice and accepting of me", I say sarcastically with a fake smile. He sighs and starts pouring whiskey in two glasses and hands me one.

I decline and say, "umm no, I'm underage" and he just shrugs and drinks. "Why is Darius so hostile?" I ask getting straight to the point.

"He doesn't think you are good enough to lead this family as he was actually the one who was supposed to take over, but ever since your survival was discovered, that all changed. He won't be the only one Elena, you must earn the respect of you subordinates, blood alone will not be enough."

"All of you seem close, almost like your own family, especially nana," I say and he smiles, "Yes, especially nana-she has been looking after our family since I was just a little boy"

"Why, did you give me up? You could have taken care of me without mom, we could have gone through it together but you chose to give me up and be alone." I say with a croaky voice and teary eyes.

"At the time I thought it was best, and I was scared, but I see now that isn't the case- You were deprived of love and the only thing you had close to it was taken away from you and now you are filled with vengeful hate," he says with remorseful eyes. He holds my hands and says," I am sorry, from now on I will be there for you."

I wipe away the tears and take deep breaths.

"When will we wipe out the Peers family?", he sighs and says, "Once you are ready, the Valgaz family is not as strong as the Peers- so if we attack right now they will wipe us out. We must wait for the right moment to strike," he says as he lights a cigar.

I clench my fist and stare intensely at the fire that was lit on the fireplace as I think of Bertha. My mind replaying scenarios of different ways I would kill her-for Baron. As I start to think of Baron and our childhood together I start to question why he would keep my origins from me as a few tears litter my face.

Suddenly, Virgo, my father gets up to comfort me by giving me a hug and I gladly embrace him, For a while, we stay in that position and then he heads back to his seat." Tomorrow you will start training with your bodyguards, Phine will, l be physical training, Luke will be weapons control and Darius skill training. You must also start with school again but here back home, I have hired someone will come and tutor you." he says.

I nod and walk to the bookshelves and start browsing through some books as my dad play some classical music on a boombox.

"Do you like reading?"

"Yes"

"Your mother loved reading, this room at one point became her sanctuary. Seeing you standing the reminds me of the old days, you too look so much alike." he says and I small a little, "I wish I met her."

For a while we stay in silence, the music creating a nice relaxed mood in the room, my father drinking whiskey and smoking his cigar while I browse through different books. I liked how the library had a completely different aesthetic from the rest of the house, you felt as if you were in a different time.

"My whole life people have treated me like trash and finally I thought I escaped that but now I'm scared people just treat me the same, "I say as I sit back down on the couch opposite him.

"In life, it does not matter where ever you may go, you will always find people that treat you badly they treat you differently, but at the end, it is your choice on how you will let that define you, will you buckle or break or will you stand your ground"

"Can I have a different bodyguard?" I ask and he chuckles.

"If I get you a different bodyguard, it will only show everyone else that you are easily shaken, the easiest way to gain everyone's respect is to earn Darius who is one of the toughest of us- we all respect him"

"He wants me to fail"

"One thing I know about him is no matter the situation, he will always want what's best for this family, and that goes for everyone. So he might push you very hard because he wants you to fail but to also build you up to be stronger and ready for anything that may come. Give him a chance" He says and I nod

"What kind of organisation is this?"I ask

"We illegally transport drugs while using our docking company as a front, right now we are not doing so well as the Peers family is leading in North America but in the future, we plan to expand towards Spain, Colombia and many more so that we gain more allies and clients."

"What are you waiting for?"I ask

"Competition is tough and I am on my last leg Elena", he takes a deep breath before saying "my days are numbered"

"You will take on the job once your 20"

For the rest of the night, we eat dinner together and after we sit and just talk until midnight I decide to go to bed. I hug him goodnight. As I enter my room and switch on the light, tired I head straight to the bathroom to freshen up before going to bed.