CHAPTER SEVEN

Sneaking out of the house with my father in it was something I'd never tried before, and it dawned on me how obedient I'd been, with a few loose screws here and there.

But for the most part, I'd done as told, stayed out and being a good girl.

But in the end, where did that get me?

Everyone lying to me with a straight face.

I looked at my phone the second it rang, shocking me out of my reverie as I stood at the staircase, planning my exit.

It was Micah, and I nearly flung the phone at a wall, but I didn't have a violent streak in me.

Instead, I cut the call and blocked his line, angrier than I'd been earlier.

“Carla!” I heard my father call me as I headed back upstairs since my cover had already been blown.

I sighed, turned around, and went to meet him.

“Yes, Papa,” I said to him, looking at the fireplace and not at his face; I'd be more pissed than I already was.

“Why are you ignoring your fiancé? Didn't even let him see you at the hospital, I hear. Why? You want to ruin all the plans I have made for you?”

“Papa, I..” I began but narrowed my eyes, a plan immediately springing to my head. “He, um, he wanted me to come to spend the night, and I told him you would be upset about that. He threw a tantrum so I've been ignoring him ever since,” I replied instead, doing everything to make sure he didn't see my face.

Hopefully, my shaking voice doesn't betray me.

The living room was quiet after my words; my stepmom’s humming was the only sound in the room.

Father terrified all the staff, hence, if they didn't need to be around him, they made sure to avoid his presence.

“Go,” I heard my father's voice, small, unusual. “But take Bertram with you and be back before 10 in the morning tomorrow, you hear me!” He said, and I couldn't even hide the smile on my face.

“Thank you, Papa,” I gushed, hugging him slightly before rushing off to my room.

I changed, got a bag I was going to spend the night I'd spend the night in VIvi's house with, and rushed out.

“You look… so grown,” I heard my father's voice from the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“Oh.”

“I hope she can see I tried my best.”

“Aww, Papa, you know you did your best,” I replied, even though I would have preferred to remind him how he was lying straight to my face and not caring how it affected me.

But this wasn't the right time to pick a fight.

“Tell Micah to call me tomorrow. I think it's time to push the wedding forward,” he said, and I could feel myself about to cry so I knew I needed to get out of there immediately

“Yes Papa,” I said with a fake smile, rushing towards the door.

I stepped out to see Bertram already waiting for me at the front, and I was grateful I didn't have to walk all the way to the parking lot.

“So where exactly are we going to, Princess?” He asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

“We're going to a proper club, Bertram, one where there are no kidnappers,” I said with anxious excitement.

It would be my first time in such an environment, and I did feel tense and shaky, but the adrenaline from actually successfully deceiving my father overrode all that.

We met with Vivi out front and she drove ahead of us to the club.

Before we even got to the club, I could see the name on the top of the roof, ELYSIUM written above the tall building.

I didn't see much of the world so whenever I got the chance to, architecture always caught my attention.

When we parked, Bertram told me to wait in the car.

“I need to make sure it's safe first,” he said and I nodded.

He was taking his job very seriously and I didn't blame him, I wouldn't want to get shot for some spoiled brat twice in the same week.

He met up with Vivi and they spoke, then with the guards of the large building before he came back, Vivi in tow.

“Ooohhh!” Vivi exclaimed when she saw my dress. “Someone's ready to get lit tonight!”

“You like the dress?” I asked anxiously.

“Girl you look grown! About time you stopped playing by the rules all the time. Welcome to the world Bambi,” she said with a giggle, dragging me out of the car gently.

Now that I was here, I didn't just feel clumsy, I felt stupid.

This wasn't me; I had no business being somewhere so… different.

But still, I followed her, Bertram behind me.

Vivi gave them a card at the entrance, and they let us in without a hitch, and soon enough, we were in an elevator riding upwards.

“How tall is this thing?”

“Only twenty floors,” Vivi chuckled, “and we're heading to the penthouse,” she added excitedly.

“You seem to be familiar with this place.”

“In name only. This is the most prestigious club and nightlife hub in Colombia. Everything is sophisticated and only the best of the rich come here. Things like this make me wish I was some gold digger, I would definitely beg you to sponsor me to places like this allll the time!”

I laughed at the thought of that. Vivi being able to come here on my card was a miracle in itself; the girl was terrified of needing anyone but herself.

“You won't need to beg me and you are not a gold digger by any chance because I will give them to you. All this money and I'm not even half as happy as you are,” I replied, just as the doors opened.

Immediately, we were welcomed with glasses of alcohol being passed to us as we walked in, and at first, I was hesitant to start drinking so early.

“Take it, it'll take that edge off. Besides, your hound dog is right here to protect you,” Vivi encouraged, and while sharing a laugh, we both took the shots.

I grimaced.

Moving further in, I felt the alcohol send waves of bravery into my body, a sense of sultry energy coming through my veins.

There was a DJ booth by my right and even though this place was already a VIP club, there was still a VIP section by the right.

But in the middle, that was where all the fun happened.

Being a lover of music, it wasn't hard for the DJ to lure me in with beats I danced to in my bedroom on lonely nights.

The difference was that I wasn't alone this time; a loud crowd of drunk, happy people surrounded me, everyone dancing to keep their life together, to avoid shattering.

Vivi kept the drinks coming and Bertram kept an eye on me as I had fun, coming in randomly to check if I was ready to head home.

After about forty minutes, I felt my feet start to get cranky in the heels I'd subjected myself to.

Whoever invented these need to be rewarded and beaten at the same time.

I looked for Vivi, only to see her dancing with a stranger, making me smile.

When I looked at Bertram, I saw fire in his eyes.

I wanted to ask him what was wrong but he was definitely not going to say anything.

Then I looked around for where I could sit down without drawing attention to myself.

And that was when I saw it; a door leading to a balcony that overlooked the entire city.

I headed towards it.