Chapter 19

Blair 

Matte black walls encased the two women that sat in the office. The long marble table that stood in the middle distanced one human time-bomb from another. Blinds were shut, shielding away any person watching from the outside perimeters.

As always, my mother was dressed fabulously. Chic, in a fine champagne colored silk blouse and black, wide-legged palazzos. Her chocolate locks were pristinely pulled in a sleek low bun accompanied by a glass of blood red liquor in her right hand.

"A business internship in Berlin? I don't recall ever applying for one, mother." I attempted to keep my voice at a calm and low volume, but the blood that boiled beneath my skin told otherwise.

Her expression didn't move.She barely reacted to my defiance, as if expecting that answer to come from her daughter. "I think it's the perfect head-start for what is about to come. You need to submerge yourself in experience firsthand before you take on the position that will be bestowed upon you. My position."

She had been alotting my place in the business since the day she brought me into the world. Her plan was to engage myself in Harrington Industries as quickly as possible when I was of age and mold me into becoming a carbon copy of her, if not better.

I couldn't help but selfishly envision the future that I wanted. One where I've launched a career of my own from the ground up, and had a line successfully running, doing what I loved. What I was naturally good at, not forced to be.

"Can't you see that I'm trying to help you here? May I remind you that once you graduate, I will retire and you will be running Harrington Industries whether you disagree with me or not." she spoke, disregarding any shown acts of my disfavor.

"Under your control." the words left my mouth bitterly. Although her time was coming to an end, she still wanted to get her hands dirtied in the filth of corruption. A young, puppet Chief Executive was what she wanted, and there was no one better than her only offspring to do the job.

Unlike her, my father would have given me the chance to choose and create a path under my construction. If he were here, he would have argued his way with my mother into getting me out of the internship. "What about school? College? Princeton?"

"You will find a way. When I was your age, I had a lot more on my plate than you could ever imagine. What you have right now isn't even a quarter compared to what I endured," she held the stem of the glass and brought it up to her lips, "Now that I think about it, a college degree is just an accessory. I no longer see the need for you to attend such a waste of effort."

One of the greatest skills my mother honed was rendering me defenseless. Months ago, I had already sent my application to the University of Paris, and I was only waiting for a respond. If she got what she wanted, everything I worked for would be thrown into the wind.

"I can schedule the beginning of your internship any time. As of the moment, I can allow you to focus on your studies and.... extracurricular activities," she rose from her seat and walked towards me. The way she looked at me was unlike anything I had seen before. It was as if I was the leverage to attaining something she couldn't manage to get herself.

"I just wanted you to see a portion of your future, and what you are about to witness is far from anything you expect. This is the real world, Blair. This is not some juvenile high school you can easily rule over and have people bowing, you need to exert your reign carefully and strategically,"

"You need me. You need my guidance," I felt her hand on my chin, raising it up to meet her gaze, "I created a powerful weapon in my grasp that can change the field of business forever if she wanted to, and I cannot afford to lose that. After all, the best defense is a good offense. You are the future of Harrington Industries, Blair."