Chapter 48 Father's Threat

"Don't be nervous, Sisi, relax," my mother said, noticing my unease. She took the freshly washed Samoyed from the maid's arms and placed it into my lap. The puppy, somewhat heavy, settled comfortably on my legs, sticking its tongue out at me in a friendly gesture. My shoulders, previously tense, relaxed instantly. My fingers buried themselves in its fluffy, fragrant fur, my heart softening like water.

I knew I had overreacted and felt compelled to explain, "I'm sorry, Mom. I just felt it wasn't right... It's Valentina's engagement party, and she's the only princess."

"That's fine," Mom acknowledged my feelings but quickly made another decision that unsettled me. "After Val's engagement party, I'll host a separate event to formally introduce you to everyone," she said firmly, gripping my hand. "That includes my family and very important partners to me."

"Oh, and Val's fiancé, Luciano. He's a close friend and ally of mine. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get to know him," she added with a gentle smile that masked an invisible firmness, subtle but undeniable. I found myself unable to refuse her, realizing she was different from the mother I remembered. Nodding, I agreed, "Okay."

"I need to handle some work now. You can play with him for a while; his name is Caesar." I pondered how to persuade my father to leave Philadelphia after Valentina's engagement party. I hadn't forgotten about the $500,000 he demanded, which made me both angry and anxious.

Caesar was an energetic puppy, only three months old, still small enough for me to cradle in my arms. "Caesar rarely gets so attached to anyone besides Mrs. and Valentina. He really likes you," the maid handling Caesar said as she handed me an old baseball, chewed up from his bites. "Excuse me, I'm needed in the kitchen."

"That's okay, you can go," I said, tossing the baseball towards a corner of the spacious yard. Caesar immediately sprinted after it. "I enjoy playing games with Caesar, too."

Playing with the puppy was tiring but joyful. During our chase, I forgot about my phone, which fell from my skirt pocket. Caesar, mistaking it for a new toy, snatched it up.

"No, Caesar, you can't do that," I chased after him as he stopped by the pond, suddenly barking furiously towards the fence. My phone fell from his mouth into the water.

"No!" I rushed over and scooped up my phone, but it was already soaked, the screen shattered by Caesar's teeth, leaving imprints. The phone was completely dead, no response to my pressing the power button. Realizing it was probably ruined, my first reaction was oddly a sigh of relief.

I was relieved to be cut off from worrying about messages from Antonio, afraid he might appear and disrupt Valentina's engagement party. But I was aware it was only a temporary reprieve. Antonio could find me anytime if he wanted, despite changing my phone number.

This feeling of inescapable entrapment was dreadful, causing a spasm in my stomach.

Outside the fence, my father Vince looked at me with cold indifference. "You've seen your mother, Sienna. You know she is wealthy."

"That's Mom's money," I tried to quieten Caesar as he barked at my father, but he wouldn't listen.

"It's your money too!" My father reached through the fence trying to grab me, but I dodged with Caesar in my arms. My phone fell at my feet, and I accidentally stepped on it, the glass shards embedding in the sole of my shoe.

"I won't ask Mom for money," I declared, making a final compromise. "I'll give you $30,000, and that's the last time I give you money."

Dad clenched his teeth, his face contorted with rage. "I need $500,000, not a penny less!"

"I only have $30,000," I growled back, "If you stop gambling and find a job, $30,000 is enough to live on for a long while!"

"Why shouldn't I win it back? The casino took so much from me; with $500,000, I could win it all back, even $80 million!" He threatened loudly, "I'll wait until just before your engagement party, Sienna. If you don't give me the money, I'll reveal your affair with Antonio at the party, tell everyone you're his mistress, a whore!"

My father acted like a mad gambler. No, he was a mad gambler, his mind corroded by gambling, far from sane.

I thought perhaps he deserved to die on Pink Island.

That malicious thought shocked even me. Had my time with Antonio turned me this cruel?

Caesar's barking drew Mom and her bodyguard Giacomo's attention. Dad fled. Giacomo and Mom watched his retreating figure but did not pursue. Giacomo whispered something to Mom, and with a nod from her, he chased after Dad.

"What's he going to do?" I worried Giacomo might press my father, exposing everything.

"Giacomo will handle it," Mom assured as she led me inside. "It seems Vince has been troubling you."

My heart raced with her probing. "We just have some disagreements."

"Oh?" Mom's gaze was calm, expectant of my explanation.

I clenched my hands, unable to reveal the truth, "I'm about to graduate... and I was considering moving to another city, but Dad disagrees."

"Where do you want to go? Philadelphia? New York? Washington?"

"I don't know." Truly, I had thought about leaving Boston, maybe moving to New York, but I wasn't sure if Antonio would let me go. To him, I was just a trivial mistress, yet he could easily control my life or death. It was a terrible feeling.

"It seems you haven't decided yet," Mom said softly, touching my face. "Is your thesis done?"

Shoot! I had forgotten about my thesis.

"Not yet!"

"Let's finish your thesis first, shall we?" Mom suggested, picking up my ruined phone. "Looks like you need a new one; it's completely broken."

"I'll get one."

"We can go together tomorrow. I'm off work then."