Chapter 19 Giving Up Everything I Have

"Of course," He said, without a hint of shame for invading my privacy, instead accusing me of hiding the news of Valentina's marriage. "I'm her father; I should be at her wedding. She needs my blessing. In return, she should also pay me a sum of money to support my future life."

"Valentina is only twenty, she's still a student!"

"She doesn’t have money, but Carmela does! You don't know yet, Sienna, your mother Carmela is quite wealthy now..."

"Shameless!" I yelled at him. "Mom has divorced you, that money is hers, it has nothing to do with you, you have no right to demand anything from her or Valentina."

"Valentina is a kind girl; she won't bear to see her dad starve on the streets. Besides, aren't you tempted at all, Sienna?" Dad was sure that no one could resist the lure of a huge fortune. "You are Carmela’s daughter too, half of her wealth belongs to you. You should be living a wealthy life like Valentina, not moving from one man's bed to another."

I never knew a person could be so disgusting, especially when that person is my father. He turned me into Antonio’s mistress and fantasized about me being a worthless whore. He had lost all affection and conscience; he didn’t deserve to be my father anymore, but I had to find a way to keep him from leaving Boston.

Not give him money? Lock him at home? I even considered asking Antonio to break his legs.

No, no, no, I had already decided to end the mistress contract with Antonio; I could no longer ask for his help, especially with the high cost of treating leg injuries, which I couldn’t afford.

I filled the bathtub with water, stripped off my dirty clothes, and sank into the warm water, spreading my arms and legs. The hot water stung my back, and I knew the skin must have been scraped.

I straightened up slightly, lifting the wounds out of the water, which alleviated the stinging pain a bit. I lay on the edge of the bathtub, my full breasts slightly deformed by the pressure, but I didn't want to move. The warm water softened my body and eased the soreness; I sighed comfortably, my mind a mess thinking about how to explain to mom.

Tomorrow, I needed to contact a cleaning service to tidy up the house. The real estate agent had found a suitable buyer, and I was quite satisfied with the offer. I needed to move out quickly, find a new apartment, and a job...

I had never felt so urgently the need for a formal job, a stable income could give me a little sense of security.

I climbed out of the tub, dried off with a towel, put on my pajamas, and walked into the room. I found a tube of bruise ointment in the medicine box and was applying it in front of the mirror when my phone chimed with a new email alert.

I picked it up and saw an email from an unknown address. Who could it be? Curious, I clicked the link, and what appeared was Nico’s self-proclaimed handsome selfie and his ugly genitalia, with a message, "Missing my dick, Sienna?"

I threw the phone aside, gagging with disgust. Damn it, this scumbag was sexually harassing me! If I had the money, I would definitely get a new phone!

Despite feeling nauseous, I blocked and deleted Nico's new account and email again, and considered the necessity of changing to a new email, but I had used my email for so long, changing it would be a hassle. At least for now, I didn't have the time or energy.

I was utterly annoyed.

I listlessly lay back on the bed, staring hopelessly at the ceiling when my phone chimed again with a new email alert. I sat up furiously, ready to type a reply, but it turned out to be an email from Bert.

Bert's email was lengthy; it detailed documents from the photography exhibition he had organized, including introductions to various organizers.

I skimmed through it, then opened another new email, this one was a registration form from Professor Falcone.

"Did you get the email, Sienna?" Professor Falcone called.

"Yes, Professor," I replied, walking out to the balcony where I could see the stars.

"You are my best student," said Professor Falcone, his voice slow with age. "I hope you seize this opportunity."

Professor Falcone was a world-renowned photographer, his works had won numerous awards and even set auction records over a million dollars. Being his student and receiving his affirmation had always been my honor, but at that moment, I dared not respond, afraid that I might disappoint him.

After a brief chat, he reminded me of the registration deadline before hanging up as it was his prescribed bedtime. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling utterly drained and surrounded by a sense of despair and decay.

I had no effective way out of my predicament, no money to pay the $30,000 tuition fee, but I was not willing to just accept the chaos that was my life.

I dozed off on the bed, not knowing how long I had slept when the alarm I had set earlier woke me. I had scheduled to see a new apartment with another agent; I needed to move as soon as possible. I was unwilling to move into Antonio’s apartment—as his mistress.

The agent showed me three apartments, and I liked the second one: a small two-bedroom apartment, just enough for me alone, but I had to consider my father, damn it, I still couldn’t let go of him. Most importantly, the rent was cheap, within my budget.

After signing the contract with the landlord and arranging the moving date, I started contacting moving companies to prepare for the move.

Moving was exhausting work, not only tidying up both places but also dealing with utilities shut-offs and changing mailing addresses. By the time the moving boxes arrived, I knocked on my father's door, asking him to clear out his room.

"The boxes are all by the door."

Father didn’t respond to me, nor did he open the door. I didn’t mind much; I knew he was still mad at me.

I began packing my clothes and shoes in my room. When I took out the key to open my nightstand, I found it had been pried open.

I immediately felt uneasy and rushed to check it. Sure enough, it was a mess inside, and the cash I had hidden was gone.

In a panic, I ran to my father’s room and used the spare key to open his door to check—his usual clothes, phone, and wallet were gone.

Damn, he must have gone to Philadelphia. He would ruin Valentina’s wedding, mom would find out about my plight, he would completely destroy me.

No, I couldn’t let him succeed, I had to chase him down!

I tried calling dad, but he didn’t pick up. Gritting my teeth, I called mom, and she answered quickly.

“Hey, Sienna, I was just about to call you. Are you in Philadelphia yet?”

“No, mom, I... I haven’t left yet.”

“Is there something you’re worried about?” Mom sounded surprised.

“No, mom, I’m just a bit busy,” I pondered how to explain. “Have you received any troubling calls recently? I mean, there shouldn’t be anything making you uncomfortable?”

“Of course not. Your question is strange, Sienna.”

I laughed nervously, “I’m just curious about the guests at the engagement party...”

“Don’t be too nervous, Sienna.” Mom’s reassuring voice suddenly paused, someone on the other end was whispering, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but mom’s tone became serious, “I have an emergency here, Sienna, we’ll talk another day.”

I hung up feeling uneasy.

I regretted not asking directly, but I knew I didn’t have much time left; I needed to get to Philadelphia as quickly as possible.

I quickly packed some clothes, grabbed my money and phone, regretting having sold my car. There weren’t many trains to Philadelphia now, and I had to buy a ticket for the next available flight. I was about to hail a taxi to the airport when I opened the door and saw a McLaren parked outside my house.

It was Dante!