"You dare disrespect me in front of one of my best business partner. I will teach you a lesson. You have been a fuc*ing disgrace to me all of the time. I will teach you a lesson. You insolent idiot"

He was seething. If a man could emit smoke, it would be now, my father. Like I give a damn... daddy dearest! Though I have to admit, I have never seen him this angry before. But, who was he kidding? Why can't he see that I am right for one time? I want to crash something. I can feel the onslaught of tears coming right up as a traitor.

However, I sat with my legs crossed and blew on my nails which were painted moments before he burst in. It felt good to see his hands in a bandage. Cool. I admired my nails, just to spite him off. He was practically red with rage.

"ANSWER ME. You have always been a damn disgrace. Not anymore. I will fuc*ing teach you a lesson."

I looked at him passively. He raised his hands to slap me with his good hand, seeing how irritating I am with my poker face. I raised one brow at him. He stopped his raised hand in mid-air and looked at his bandaged hand, then huffed and puffed as if he couldn't bring himself to beat me, again. Good. Or else he would have to walk with both hands in a bandage; that wouldn't look too good for a business tycoon. Now, will it? Inwardly I smirked.

I rolled on my bed, plugged in my stereo and Beyonce blared through the speaker. It was too loud to burn down the whole mansion. My father was not expecting this. He quickly put his hands to the ears and winced in pain.

It was then I saw Tiffany standing by the door with her hands crossed. I wanted to yell at her to get out of my room, but I didn't. I couldn't even raise one brow at her because my father pulled out my stereo and threw it down in full force. The music buzzed and the silence blared. I looked at my stereo with saddened eyes. Tiffany smiled smugly. Sam was breathing like an elephant in my room. Though I was too damn angry, I ignored both of them and plugged in my headphones.

Right now, I could feel my blood raging through my veins. I dearly wanted to go to my workout room and punch bob. It was my punching bag. I named it so that he will be my coach when I am wrestling with him. I was already away from reality with my thoughts when sadness crossed through my veins along with rage. His words played on a loop in my head.

"I am a fuc*ing disgrace."

Damn. It was too hard to ignore when that single phrase was repeating on a loop. I pinched myself hard not to cry. To cry in front of my bloody father and sister would be a disgrace.

Sam plucked the headphones from my ears harshly.

"What?" I asked with irritation.

"I was talking to you." He said calmly and that surprised me. Tiffany was starting to get angry with me. Like I care... Evelyn came inside with teary eyed. What the... was she actually crying. Why...?.

"So I heard," I said distractedly.

"And I was not finished." The last syllable was forced and I think he was emphasizing on how angry he was.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said without giving a fuc*.

"Don't you dare play your fuc*ing games with me."

"What game?" this time I looked at him, straight in the eye.

"LIANA... either you are to accept the proposal or you are as good as dead to me."

"Does that mean I can get away from this hellhole?" Evelyn gasped. Tiffany scoffed angrily and came to stand next to her father.

"How dare you?" my father was again close to slapping me but he couldn't.

"See daddy, how filthy ungrateful bitch she is... I can't believe she said that to you, daddy." She was using her sugary tone which means she is in need of something in the near future. Very well

"How could you say that?" it was Evelyn. I chose not to answer her. My father was still panting hard. This time Simon walked in.

"What is going on in here? I am having football practice early in the morning and I couldn't sleep. What is happening here?"

When Tiffany starts to speak, no one will get bored. Animatedly, taking her time, she will tell you everything in hour's time, even if it was something that happened for only two minutes.

I sighed hard.

When Tiffany finished, I was still in my bed, crossed legged and staring ahead. Evelyn was nowhere to be seen. And Tom was phasing in my room. Poor rug, he was not used to such foot-rage, you see. Well, when the silence was thick, I looked up to see Simon glaring at me. What the... I was not a baby. He could sharpen his eyes with steel and even then I will be sitting like this impassively.

"You better apologize to him, now. And accept the proposal for the good of you."

"Maybe, you are forgetting something, Simon... I am not that four years old who used to look up to you when I was young and promised the moon that I will listen to whatever my big brother asks me to do when I am in a freaking dilemma. Time changed and so did I. I get to take decisions as I please."

It must be so long since they have heard too many words in one sentence from me. And it surprised me too. I have always looked forward at Simon when I was young. And he was there for me, even if no one else knew about it. But, as we grew up, he became exactly like everyone else. So, I did my best to ignore all of them.

"I didn't ask you to expect anything from me. Now, for your own good, accept and apologize." It hurt. Sigh, I shouldn't have expected anything, now, should I?

"And for your all good, leave my room within five seconds."

"Or... else, what...

"You will get to know."

Tiffany was already out of my room. She knows what it will be to fight me. Good. Sam looked at me, disappointedly and said, "I don't know why you are like this but know this, I won't tolerate this kind of behavior from you. You have three days to think and decide. Then, I will decide your fate."

"I don't need three minutes Sam, my decision is final."

"We will see."

Sam walked away. Now, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes but I blinked it back and looked at Simon stoically.

"Why do you create unnecessary problems? Why can't you just try to make them happy at least once?"

"And why can't you accept me as your family?"

That must have picked some puzzle piece from somewhere. He looked alarmed. Then shocked and then he recovered to show that he was angry.

"Maybe if you didn't look at us in that eye, you will see that we care for you."

I snapped. "You guys care for me? What a joke? I am done, please leave my room."

He looked at me as he stood there by the door. And said, "You will know it one day..."

I couldn't ask him anything more. Since, one, I was shell shocked. Two, he closed the door and walked away. There was no point in me going behind his back, demanding answers. He won't talk.

So, this is practically my life, all most all of the time. I am not sure if I am at fault here or if they are. I am not even sure why they fight with me like this. I have never seen the others fighting with each other. Not even Sam and Evelyn. This time, for real, tears poured out. How could they be so cruel to me?

I couldn't take it anymore. I changed into my sports clothes and punched in the password into the hidden panel at the far end of my walk in closet. The hidden door opened and I got into my workout room. This place was fully equipped with whatever my uncle thought would be useful. The door to this room was actually a full-length wall mirror. So secretive, I know; but why? I don't know.

You must be wondering why every of my siblings is still in the home and why they are bossing me around when I am in high school. Aren't we all big enough to move out and make independent lives, right? Stephen was one grade above me. But he never bothers to be in the home all the time, it will be either in friend's house or his girlfriend's. Both Tiff and Simon were in college yet, they live here and not in their dorms. You see, my father has this weird notion of everything. And because he has set these standards in our home, we are to only follow his rules. Not disobey them. And why did he have us in the family mansion even now is a big question mark for me?

I mean why? I have always tried to run away before. Several times; to be in fact, but, either Simon will catch me or Tom does and then I am bed locked. House arrest... for how long will I be in prison will be decided on the spur of the moment. I am not sure why my family has this big secretive everything to it. Even Tom doesn't allow me to walk out late at night as per I wish, or move out from this house even though he knows that they treat me like shi*. I have always wondered if this was how normal family is; secretive, bossy, scared at odd times and powerful at all times. I don't know.

Well, I can't wonder more about it because I am sweating profusely. My hands are aching. But, it felt good. It felt as if this sweat is my resentment towards my family; my unspoken lament pouring out. I didn't wipe away my tears that were pouring out. A few drops stayed on my chin, wondering if they should fall or not, then eventually fell down onto my sports bra.

I wrestled with bob until my knuckles hurt, my muscles screamed and I saw bob turning red. Wow, was I beating it too strong? I stopped abruptly and bob came hitting me square on my face. I fell down on my butt. The pain numbed my emotions and I felt good. The skin on my knuckles was disturbed and my cheeks were swelling. It hit me hard, I guess. For a little while, I know I will feel good.

A phone rang. It was the codeless phone that Tom set inside my workout room. I picked it up.

"What's wrong, pumpkin?"

How did he know something... oh, right, the camera, the security code that will alert him whoever enters into this room; I am always being watched every time I am inside here. I sighed.

"Umm, nothing..."

"You are bleeding, your cheek's swelled. Bob is bloody. And you are telling me it's nothing?" there was an edge to his voice. It irritated me. I snapped.

"Well, yeah, I am bleeding. Bob is bloody and if you haven't noticed- you don't get to live with a family that wishes me dead and finds me as a fuc*ing disgrace at all times, that her father needs to shove it down her throat whenever he is angry every single time. You don't get to live with too many ignored stares and scowls and frowns thrown all the time at your way. And you definitely don't need to be with a family who throws cryptic messages and phrases at every random turn of events. You don't get to live a life that you know by heart is a fuc*ing LIE." By the time I am done, I am panting so hard that I didn't even wheeze like this when I was wrestling with bob. He was silent. Good thing this room was soundproof too.

"Are you done? Are you better now?"

"NO, I am not better and don't you talk sh*t to me now. I don't want to hear lies from you too."

"Pumpkin, I have never lied to you about anything. Something should be kept a secret and it's only for your safety, I kept it away from you. But when the time comes, I will definitely tell that to you, okay?"

"I said don't talk sh*t to me. Either you talk to me now or don't, ever!"

I paused to listen what he has to say and when he didn't say anything, I hung up. He called again, but I didn't pick up. I stormed out from the room. I changed my dress, didn't bother to take a shower. I pulled on my black jeans, black shirt, jacket and tied my hair into a high ponytail and jumped off my window to the roof and carefully walked to the other side where there is a big tree, some tree, sorry I don't know the name. Using that tree, I slowly got down, walked to my bike, wiping tears away. I pushed it away.

But, Geoffrey stopped me.

"You are in no good shape now dear. And you smell. Go home and rest."

"If you don't let me out now, I swear I will rip your balls out and shove it down your throat."

He chuckled. Oh, his nerve.

"I have heard much more intense threat than that dear. You are upset. Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "I will be careful Geo, please, I need to go out or else I will go insane in here."

He sighed. "If something happens, I will lose my job."

"I will pay you to double without father knowing if that ever happens. Please!"

Knowing my stubborn tomboy nature, he knows that if he didn't let me go, I will find some other way to go out and that will cause him, even more, trouble than now. He sighed again and punched in the code that only he and my father know. See, tight security even with his family. Bull sh*t. He hugged me and said, "Please stay safe, you are more valuable than you think."

Ok, here goes another cryptic message by my security guard. Will every security guards talk like this? Why am I thinking more about everything?

When I was a safe distance away, I rammed the engine and revved off in maximum speed. It felt good to feel the wind in my face, drying tears away. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail and shuffled it. It felt so good to be at the mercy of the road, my bike, and the wind.

No father, no secrets, no damn sh*t.

Somehow Shaun crept up into my mind. And I smiled. The first kiss, the feeling, and the heat everything felt so good, that I wanted to experience it again.

This was why I hated romance and romantic thoughts. When I was immersed in thoughts of Shaun, I gained speed and didn't realize that I was tailed by a car without headlights. And it was able to keep a safe distance from me. But, I didn't realize it soon.

I stopped my bike on the roadside to sit alone because the roads were blurring on every turn of the road.

Big mistake!

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