ADELINE'S POV
Phase one of my plan with Dante has already begun. Getting everyone to believe Dante and I are through. I particularly hate this part because it entails me going over to meet my parents and apologizing to them for being a disrespectful daughter. I've always known how to trick and lie to my parents without blinking but I have no idea how I'll ever get Liam to believe me.
I've never known how to lie to him and I just know he'll see right through me if I'm not careful. Last night, while Dante and I were having crazy sex, we decided it would be bet to make everyone believe he left town. It'll make it more believable if people think Dante isn't in New York anymore, but he promised he'll always be just one call away from me.
I almost canceled this plan last night but I decided to stand my ground. I've never done anything like this before and I'm scared. So scared that something might go wrong but the real reason I'm doing this is because for once in my life, I want to break out of my shell and do something that absolutely no one expected of me.
I want to see the look on Adrian's face when he finds out that I tricked him. I want to render him utterly powerless and show him just how much of a loser I think he is. I want to completely infiltrate his mind and make him think I actually want to build a family with him.
I want to put all my years of learning human psychology to the test and trick him. I want to make him fall in love with me and then I want to break him. I've always known I had this rebellious side locked up somewhere inside me but I've always kept it hidden away in fear of what others might think of me. I needed an excuse to snap and Adrian Wellington is my scape goat.
There's a reason I've taken so many karate classes in my lifetime. There's a reason I strive for perfection. It's all a mask and a distraction from what I've always really wanted. A distraction from what Dante has made me feel since I met him. Chaos. I guess when people say therapists are the ones who need the most help, they aren't wrong, but I'm not backing down now.
This is my game and Adrian Wellington is now in the palm of my hands.
I take in a deep breath and press gently on the doorbell of my parents' guest house. I can't believe since they moved into town, I've never been here before. I guess that's what happens when you constantly fight with your parents. They become strangers to you.
After about five seconds, a door pulls open and I'm met with the surprised but angry expression on my mother's face. I decide to put up a fake sad expression of my own. If they're going to believe I'm heartbroken because Dante broke up with me and left town, then I have to act the part.
"Adeline." My mother says and immediately I hear her voice, I force a teardrop out of my eyes. If she even cares, she doesn't show it. All she does is moves aside to let me in.
"Who is it honey?" I hear my fathers thick voice coming from a corridor and soon he appears behind my mother, the look on his face warping from nonchalance to shock in mere seconds.
"Hi dad." I say with a sad look on my face. He glares at me showing just how angry and disappointed in me he is. The look on his face says he's ready to give me a scolding about how betrayed he feels and how I'm a failure as a daughter.
"I knew it wouldn't take long." My father says looking me up and down with pure disgust in his face. "How long did this one last? Two weeks?" He scoffs and shakes his head as he walks towards me. He grabs my hand and pulls inside the guest house, slamming the door behind me with so much force it almost comes off its hinges.
I fake flinch to make him think I feel embarrassed and scared but in reality I just want to get this over and done with. I want to apologize and make them think I'm the perfect daughter again. I though this would be scary but playing the role of a liar is more fun than I expected.
"Your mother and I warned you Adeline. I mean we thought you might have learned your lesson with the last one who cheated on you. Instead of making an upgrade, you downgraded. Going out with someone who has an irrelevant social status. Someone who can offer you nothing!" My father raises his voice and all my mother does is cower behind him.
She has never defended me when my father gets like this. All she does is agree with him and watches me suffer as my father shoots mean words at me. I have this urge to defend Dane because my father doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. I'm not even with Dante because he's stinking rich but if my father knew Dante is richer than him and Adrian Wellington combined, his reaction towards him would be very different.
Also, one of the things I absolutely love about Dante is how private he is. He's proof that you don't need to live a flashy life to be successful and happy.
"Now look at you. From the look on your face, I take it this one too has broken your heart and like always you've come running to your mommy and daddy because you finally realize they were right all along." My father says pointing his huge fingers right at me.
"We are very disappointed in you Adeline." My mother's stern voice finally adds to my father's words.
"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry, okay? I really thought Dante was different. I thought for once in my life that I had made the right choice. Both of you know that if I ever wanted to marry, I wanted to do it for love. And I did love Dante. I thought he loved me too but I was wrong. I was so wrong because now he's gone! He left without even saying goodbye and I don't know what to do dad." I say faking a sob as fake tears leave my eyes.
I know my parents like the palm of my hand and I know all they ever want from me is an apology to feed their ego. I've never cried like this in front of them, but my parents love being right, especially when it comes to things concerning my life. I look up to my mom and dad and watch their eyes soften as they witness me cry for the first time in a very long time.
"Oh Adeline. We tried to warn you. You know I saw right through that bastard the minute I set my eyes on him. I knew he would hurt you. I hope you know we only want the best for you and I hope this teaches you a lesson to never disappoint us again. Do you have any idea just how much you've made us look bad in front of Adrian? It's a miracle he still wants to invest with us. it's a miracle he still thinks he can marry you. This relationship you had with that good for nothing would have ruined everything for us do you know that?" My father rants and I fight the incessant urge to roll my eyes all the way to the back of my head.
I just told them that my heart got broken into pieces by someone I thought I trusted, even though it's all a lie, yet they still found a way to make it about them. They are self-centered piece of shits and silly excuses for parents and here I am breaking my back for them, trying to get them a hundred million dollars for their company.
Even though they're cruel to me, I still love them.
"I know I messed up dad. Just tell me what I can do to make it better. I'll do anything I promise." I say with a sniff.
"You can start by stopping that leaking from your eyes. You're a big girl so stop crying like a child. What's done is done. Now all you have to do is set a date with Adrian Wellington and apologize to him for your indiscretions." My father orders as I wipe the fake tears off my face. I am constantly fighting the urge to smirk. Who would have known deceiving people would be so fun?
"I know exactly what to do. We'll invite Adrian for dinner. Tomorrow. You better not be late Adeline and you better not disappoint us again." My mother says looking me up and down one last time before turning her back on me and heading towards the kitchen.
My father looks like he wants to say something but all he does is shake his head and turns his back on me too. When they do this, it usually means it's my cue to leave. Today was a huge disappointment for me because it just proved to me that my parents may sing about how they want the best for me, but I've realized all they care about is themselves.
I'll get them their money from Adrian Wellington, but after all of this is over and done with, I'm cutting them off from my life completely. I don't want anything to do with people like them. As of now, even though they don't know it, they're not my parents.