Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Athena’s P.O.V.

“No. You didn’t disturb me, and you will never be a disturbance to me. I’m actually done with my dinner, and yes, I am already on my bed—resting with our Mama Bear and Baby Bear. Will you really be fine, huh? Please ask that inspector to take you home, okay? Be careful and text me as soon as you get home, Cristoff. I love you!”

“I love—” Dying of patience to know the truth behind what happened to him, I was in a hurry, so I didn’t wait for Cristoff to respond with the words, “I love you too.” I just ended the call.

Now, I was already sure that Drew wasn’t the one who did that horrible thing. He might throw a fit over my boyfriend saving Vanessa earlier but Drew never had the capability to ruin Cristoff.

There was only one way to find out because I knew one person who could do that. I hurried out of my bedroom but even before I could close the door, I instantly saw Daddy in the hallway of the third floor.

“So, did my favorite daughter here already receive the bad news?” Looking too proud with his cleft chin lifted, Daddy smirked at me while crossing his arms in front of his chest. I could say that we were now in a staring contest.

“Dad, why are you doing this?” I asked him using a weak voice that was full of resentment. I was hurt beyond what the word really means.

I didn’t want to, but these were the times I would have prayed that this evil man shouldn’t have been my father! He was more than a demon. If only I could swap a father in this lifetime, I would have never wished to be the daughter of this vile CEO. It would even be better for me to live as a poor person.

“Because you’re not listening to me, Helena. You already knew how to disobey me now, all because of that stupid man! I told you to just use him and distract him for you to steal the valedictorian award, right? But you fell in love with him, damn it! You’re only sixteen—even fifteen way back then since you only turned sixteen today!”

“What do you know about such things, huh? What do you know about love when you couldn’t even love yourself? He’s not the right one for you, and no matter what happens, you will marry someone who’s destined to be with you. So, you better end your nonsense relationship as soon as possible!” Daddy shouted at me. He was undoubtedly infuriated that he even clenched his fist, and hardened veins showed on it.

“Do you even hear what you are telling me right now, huh? Don’t you realize that I never learned how to love myself before because it was you who had never shown me what love really means? You know what? Cristoff loved me more than you did. Oh, sorry! I was wrong because, in the first place, you never loved me!” I shot back.

“He was the one destined for me, Dad… and I will declare to whom I will give my heart! Or did you mean someone who was ‘arranged’ to be with me rather than ‘destined,’ huh? And who’s that? That pervert son of your business partner? Just for you to remember, destined and arranged were two different words!” I harshly remarked, even sarcastically quoting the two words in the air.

I suddenly remembered that stupid guy, who Dad happily introduced to Helena when we were only thirteen, but in the end—that crazy son of a bitch admitted that he liked me more than my twin. It was the first time that Dad asked me for a favor to properly treat his best friend’s only child, but I didn’t do it. And I would never do it even beyond the grave!

It was a good thing that Uncle Eros and his freak son had finally migrated to Germany. I never saw that damn creep ever since.

“And if I wasn’t mistaken… this is not the first time that I disobeyed you, Dad! I am Athena, and I have always been rebellious. Of all people, you know that! You are just fooling yourself, trying to form me as Helena… but you knew for a fact that I was really not and would never be your favorite daughter even once!” I couldn’t help but growled at him satirically and burst everything I wanted to say to him.

Because of that, a loud slap was unleashed by Daddy when his rough hand deafeningly landed on my left cheek. I couldn’t help but wince out of excruciating pain, and for that, I could now taste the blood from the left side of my lips. I grimaced while slowly conditioning myself to look at him.

It was as if something had broken on my left jaw, with the intensity of my face turning in the other direction. If I were someone else, she would have probably been pathetically lying on the floor. But me? The ever-defiant Delgado daughter? I was still standing stiffly in front of my father, and only my face had moved.

“Satisfied now, or you wanted to slap the other one?” I boldly offered him my right cheek.

Maybe today was the first time Dad hurt me as Helena, but living as Athena before, what else would be new? I was already used to receiving incomparable gifts like these from him. Slapping me consecutively in front of my twin sister already became boring. Dragging me in front of the public was even nothing.

My body used to become numb and disoriented. I was alive, but I became dead and spiritless.

It eventually numbed my heart too. And that made me not believe in love anymore!

But everything had changed when I met Cristoff. He made me feel appreciated. He respected me far beyond what was the real meaning of the word. And for his own sake and freedom, I had to do something that I knew would kill me again… but would do him good.

I saw how Dad narrowed his eyes when he grimly stared at me. At some point, I could say that he was ready to kill someone brutally if I would open my mouth again and say something he would never want to hear.

“Disobey me now, and I’ll make sure that your poor classmate will never graduate from high school! That David will never be able to go to college because he will be blacklisted at all universities no matter how smart he is. When that happens, tell me… how can he get a stable job? How about his family? His eldest sister will suffer too because, as far as I know, she is only a trainee after resigning as a club dancer. Meretriz!” Daddy’s veins were throbbing on his neck.

And he indeed had the time to research about those things? To sum it all up, he might have even hired a detective and not just a spy. Oh, why would I be surprised? The photos in the envelope didn’t say otherwise.

Cristoff never mentioned that his sister used to work as a club dancer. But I was sure as hell that his sister knew her boundaries, and Dad had no right to call her *meretriz. She was unquestionably a filial breadwinner—who had to balance studies and work to make ends meet. I never met her, but I knew that she could be a woman of dignity.

“If you are still blind to what I can do, then I’m letting you know that David’s future will be ruined in just a snap of my fingers, my hard-headed daughter. But I will give you the power to change it, Athena… for you to prove that your beloved father here wasn’t really that bad. Disobey or follow my rules? The choice is all yours!”

He intentionally mentioned Athena because he couldn’t bear to call me Helena after hurting me. Until now, I didn’t know what wrong have I done that led him not to give the same love and attention that he used to show to my twin.

And what did he just say? Choice? He left with no choice at all!

His words were definitely tearing me apart, but I still refrained from crying. Out of frustration and disappointment, my lips hardly pressed together like I couldn’t have ever imagined.

Living as Athena, I learned how to have an immense tolerance when it came to holding up my tears even when my whole world was already crushing in front of me. But no, I was untrue to myself. I soon realized that I was only superb at hiding my tears in front of him, but I could never change the fact that I was already weeping.

“Dad, please don’t do this.” I took a deep breath, even though it felt like my chest had already constricted. I gave up. “Leave Cristoff alone, and I’ll do whatever you want. I promise to obey you, just leave him and his family alone.” I begged for him while rubbing my palms against each other. I almost knelt in front of my father.

For Cristoff’s future, I would sacrifice my happiness. For him, I was ready to live with infinite sadness.

I thought that I would never cry in front of my father, but I was totally wrong. God knew that I would have never wanted to say these words, but what I said next made me burst into tears… as I slowly shattered into pieces.

“J-Just give me time, and I’ll break up with him.”

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Meretriz* is a Spanish term for ‘prostitute.’