Chapter Fifteen
Vincent sat down in the nearest chair as tears fell incessantly from his eyes. He had no control over them whatsoever. "Forgive me, Anna, I have failed you," he whispered. He realised that she was gone from his life forever. He couldn't do a thing to stop her. It happened so fast that he didn't get time to grasp that it was her last goodbye.
His tears led to anger and frustration. He had to go see his mom and give her a piece of his mind. How could she do this to her own son? For her the Inner Circle was more important than him?
His dad worked like a slave all his life at his mom's company which she inherited from her own father. It was his dad who turned it into a billion dollar worth success today with his sheer hard work and dedication. His mom never set foot in the company in the last 40 years yet his dad had no say in the matters pertaining to the company.
He went out of his office and down to the parking lot. Driving angrily to his father's house, he only could see Julianna's tear stricken face and hear her last words,
I'm freeing you
He parked his car and pressed the doorbell loudly. Their housekeeper opened the door. Vincent had no time for formalities. He walked in to the living room to see that his mom was giving finishing touches to a vase that she was decorating with fresh flowers.
"Oh, hello sweetie, what a pleasant surprise, " she gushed and Vincent's blood boiled more at her drama.
His dad looked up from his laptop as he sat at the dining table. "Hello son, have dinner with us," he said with a smile.
"I haven't come here for dinner. What have you threatened Geoffrey McCoy with, mom?" He asked.
"What are you talking about?" Said her mom with a laugh, glancing towards his dad.
"Julianna and I went to my apartment yesterday to eat pizza. Your friends from the Inner Circle saw us. You went to her dad's house and threatened to malign his company and throw him out on the streets to beg? You also demanded our invested money back in a week's time? Why mom? I don't love Sienna. Your Inner Circle is so important? More than me? This isn't a war of egos. It's my life mom," he said as his voice broke and tears spilled from his eyes.
"Her dad got down on his knees and begged Julianna with folded hands to leave me. Julianna's left home mom, she came to the office and resigned and also returned the car the company gave her. She has disappeared from my life to God knows where, with no money, no job. She's just 20, she might be dead by now. Are you happy now? Go plan for your precious wedding. I'm out of this house forever. Just two years till I complete my studies. Then I'll be out of your company too forever. You can go ahead and give it to Steve," he said through tears. He simply walked out of their house without waiting for a reply.
His mom sat stupefied by his words. His dad looked at her and got up and walked out of the room. He took a drink from the bar and sat on the deck drinking and looking at the stars, searching for his parents. He was an orphan whom Christina's dad had adopted and educated. He was indebted to them. He couldn't go against them even if he wanted to.
Julianna came back to her apartment and broke down completely. Sarah comforted her as much as she could.
"Julie, you can apply in my uncle's firm. I'm doing my internship there," she said, trying to give her some hope.
"I will tomorrow," she said. They both sat quietly looking at the Austin skyline from their balcony. "I have lost everything I had today."
"I know Julie. Try to move on. I'm sure everything will fall in place in the future, " she consoled.
"Maybe. I want to start afresh," she said.
She switched on her phone to find 25 missed calls. Four calls were from Vincent, eighteen from her dad, two from her mom and one from Jake. She called Jake to talk to him. He was the only one who had cared for her since the day she was born. He always called her and visited her when she was sent away to Alabama.
"Hello, Jake, you called?" She asked, hesitantly.
"You left home, pumpkin?" He asked in a concerned voice.
"Yes, bro. Don't worry, I'm living with my college friend, Sarah." She said.
"Ok. That's good. You left your job too?" He asked in concern.
"Yeah, I will tell you when I see you. I will apply at Sarah's uncle's firm tomorrow, " she assured him.
"I'm depositing some money into your account pumpkin. Don't say no," he said, sternly.
"I don't want to inconvenience you, bro," she said.
"It's nothing pumpkin. I play for AHL matches and earn a lot. I'm loaded, don't worry. I might be shifting to Minnesota. They're offering three times the money I'm getting here," he said and Julianna gasped.
"Wow, that's great. I might go and live with you bro, " she said.
Jake chuckled. "I'd be honoured pumpkin. Just tell me when and I'll send you a ticket," he said.
Julianna squealed happily. "Promise?" She asked.
"Promise," Jake promised. "Stay safe and be happy. It's not the end of the world. I'll call again, ok?" He said and Julianna smiled.
"Yes, bye," she said. Jake hung up and she felt much better.
The next day, after college, she went with Sarah to her uncle's firm and gave in her application. Her uncle spoke to her and accepted her internship. She signed the papers and started working immediately.
She had more missed calls from her dad, mom and Vincent and one from Sienna too but she didn't call back. The next few days, she settled into her new job. She left the cooking school and the money was refunded into Vincent's account.
She learnt cooking from Sarah who was actually very good at it. So life went on. She didnt have anything to look forward to. Just college and work and home. Her heart was broken and she tried her best to live with a broken heart.
