Page 16 of Loving the Tormentor

And he disappears into the night, leaving me with that feeling I have too often around him.

That I'm completely unlovable. Not by my mother, who left me. Not by my father, who would rather throw me to the wolves than ever deal with his issues. And not by my boyfriend, who holds so much above my head I've forgotten if I truly love him or if I'm just trying to survive as best as I can.

Chapter Four

Achilles

Starbuster - Fontaines D.C.

"Your tie, Achilles," my father grunts as I get into our town car. He's been sitting in there for God knows how long. "And you're late. I've been waiting twenty minutes for you."

Twenty minutes? That’s nice.

I loosen the knot of my crooked tie a little more and turn to him, offering my best smile.

"I know you're annoyed about having to come to this event, but Catherine is stuck in the middle of nowhere after the jet had to emergency land. She won't make it on time, and I can't show up alone. Portraying the image of a united family is very important at the moment."

Despite the AC blasting in the car, I take off my suit jacket. It's too hot to even breathe today.

"The only thing I'm annoyed about is that Catherine's emergency landing wasn't a full-blown crash," I answer calmly.

He ignores my comment and drops his phone on my lap. "There are two of them. Pick one."

His screen shows the picture of a woman with her age. Twenty. Just three years younger than me. At least she's older than the eighteen-year-old he offered two days ago. I look before I swipe, not because I’d choose any of them, but because I have to know what they look like to make sure I put the fear of God in them if they try to approach me. On the second one, I pause. She's cute; there's no denying that, and the pouty lips add the right amount of sexy. But I simply don't care.

"How much are you offering them to initiate?" I ask as I give him the device back. "Or did you find them somewhere so fucked up that they'll do it for the smallest favor?"

Locking his phone, he puts it in his jacket, looking out of the window when he answers.

"I haven't offered them anything yet. But you know, not everyone has to be forced into a secret society that will protect them at all costs." His gaze turns to me. "Some people aren't self-entitled kids who think themselves invincible. They're thankful for the opportunity."

My smile brightens, because nothing puts me in a better mood than provoking my father.

"Yes, those grateful people need a whole society behind them to feel invincible. It only shows how weak they are."

Saying that to the president of said society truly brings me all the joy I need for the rest of the day.

We're dropped off on campus by our chauffeur. Right where everyone is waiting for us on foldable chairs that have been put on the grass for this occasion. The piece of land SFU had bought many years ago was always meant to be used to expand their campus in the Silver Falls Forest. They were just waiting for someone "generous" enough to fund a new building.

I step on the red carpet leading to a stand the second I walk out of the car, and it takes all of me not to roll my eyes. My father follows, and a round of applause roars around us. He walks infront of me, waving, smiling, pretending to be humble as his left hand comes to rest on his heart.

Fraud.

I don't make the effort to go all the way with him, instead choosing to join my friends I spot standing at the back since all the chairs are taken. Why did so many people come? We're just celebrating someone evading taxes and succeeding at his philanthropist PR stunt.

I almost laugh at myself.That'swhy so many people are here. Because I grew up in a town where we celebrate that kind of behavior.

"Excited about the new music department, are we?" I ask my friends, Wren and Peach, as I settle next to them at the back.

"It's always safer to keep an eye on your father," Wren replies, his arm casually draped around Peach's shoulders. Her long red hair falls below her chest, and every now and then, Wren's fingers play with it.

"Sure is."

"When did he grow a heart?" That's our other friend, Ella. She and her boyfriend, Chris, are a little farther back, right behind me.

I exchange a look with Wren.

"He needs the good publicity," I say lazily.