Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Diago smiled. “Your father’s charity is his own.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There is no charity. Your father uses it as a cover to take the funds for himself. I’m sure you’re aware of your own father’s elaborate lifestyle?” he asked.
Vanessa stopped moving, and he paused, allowing her to get her bearings. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. Your father has been struggling for cash flow for many years, and that is not about to change. He spends more than he makes, and has for many, many, many years.”
She opened her mouth and closed it.
“You know, I knew my father wasn’t a good man, but I had no idea the lengths he would go for his own means. That is … I … wow,” she said. “And he gets away with it?”
“He uses the money to pay off those that would ask too many questions.”
They entered the main hall and as Diago expected, all the attention turned toward him. There were many in attendance who were aware of who he was and what he did. Many feared him. Those that didn’t, simply didn’t know who he was, but once they were aware, they tended to steer clear of him, which was exactly the way he liked it.
Just as he knew they would, men were looking at Vanessa, curious about her. They didn’t see a frightened, damaged woman anymore. No, they saw a woman they wanted and were never going to get. They had their chance, and they would never get another one.
Diago wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his side. The moment her father spotted them, he saw the man go visibly pale, which was exactly what he wanted. Isaac Norma was about to suffer for his sins.
He had learned some hard realities about this man, and Diago’s mission was to make the man wish he’d never been born.
Chapter Five
Vanessa had always hated parties. When Maureen had been with her, she would often ask her nanny if she could make excuses for her not to attend. Stomach bugs could only be used sparingly.
Her nanny was never allowed to attend the parties. Maureen was to never be seen by anyone, and Vanessa hated it. She couldn’t help but wonder why, especially now as she was older. She figured her parents were just snobs, but that didn’t seem right to her. Something had to be going on because other families’ nannies had been seen. Most parents wanted to shout at the nanny, punish the nanny if the child was naughty, or something along those lines.
She wondered if Diago would be able to find anything out about her nanny. The last thing she wanted to do was hire him, but when it came to Maureen, she was in the dark. She missed her nanny, fiercely. That was incorrect, she missed her friend. Maureen hadn’t just been her nanny, she was and would always be her friend.
The moment she saw her father heading toward them, she gripped Diago tighter. She didn’t want to let him go. She wasn’t afraid of her father, but knowing he was using the charity to fund his own means made her hate him a little more. Her father had given her a lot of reasons to hate him.
“Diago,” her father said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Her father kept looking at her and frowning.
“Are you not going to say hello to your daughter? She has only been gone a month, and already you’ve forgotten what she looks like?” Diago asked.
“My daughter?” Her father looked at her, and she had the oddest urge to pull a face and stick her tongue out, but she resisted. She didn’t make a fool of herself, although it would have been easy to do so.
“Hello, Father,” she said. She was amazed at how confident she sounded, because the truth was, she didn’t feel that way at all.
The man before her went red in the face. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, turning his glare back toward Diago. “You’re bad for business.”
Diago chuckled, but even to her own ears, it sounded forced. She couldn’t understand this man at her side. He confused her. “Bad for business. You mean, people are less inclined to give to a man who doesn’t have a charitable bone in his body. I wonder if they’re even aware that this money will help fund many of your parties.”
She watched her father and knew Diago spoke the truth. How had she ever imagined him being a good man? An honest man? She couldn’t even believe it herself. She hated herself for feeling this way.
“You need to leave.”
“What I need to do is take my date onto the dance floor,” Diago said, and without another word, he walked her onto it. There were only a couple of people dancing.
Vanessa was still too distracted to think about his hand on her waist or her palm placed within his. Diago was a good dancer. She didn’t know why she was so surprised. The man was an expert in every field she’d seen him in. Admittedly, that wasn’t a lot, but she was intrigued by him.