Easing Heimweh (Heim, #1) ✓

16: Storm

We had so little time to prepare for the night that all had been waiting for.

And I wished I was exaggerating when I said that, but it was truer than anything at the moment. The Captain's Ball was an event annually hosted by the head of the Alonzo Group. My father had been the president for over two decades now, and the baton would be passed on to me upon his retirement.

The ball had been a family tradition for several generations now. We were one of the few old money folks that still followed customs like this. It was barely a night of pure bliss. Invited families and companies only attended to build connections, flaunt their riches, and make themselves appear presentable to every Alonzo in hopes of forming alliances that could change their country's economy in a snap and tip the scales in their favor.

Again, I wished I was exaggerating, but the ball existed only for money and power.

"Zip me up?" I asked Aelius who was fixing his cufflinks beside me. We shared the full-body mirror in front of us, and in it we saw our reflections wearing formal attires for the first time. We checked in a nearby hotel and bought his suit at a boutique two blocks away. My outfit, a custom black off-shoulder gown with a slit from my mid-thigh that glittered in the light, was delivered to our room an hour ago.

Usually I prepared for my dresses on my own, but Cali bought this one for me and had it tailored to my measurements. The material hugged my body perfectly, and it shook out a bit of uneasiness I'd been feeling since our plane landed in the U.S.

I couldn't bring myself to get used to stuff like this. A stupid thing to think of, really, seeing as I attended the ball and other fancy gatherings since I learned how to walk.

"You look beautiful tonight," Aelius whispered as the cold metal of the zipper ran up my back. "Perfetta," he added. Perfect.

I turned my heels to face him, reaching for his uneven collar and fixing it. "So are you."

"Ready?" Aelius offered his arm for me to hold, and I wrapped mine around it with a smile.

"Not really."

And I figured I never would be. We were fetched by a limousine that headed straight to our manor. Golden lights shone from the ground, illuminating the grandeur of it all. The seemingly endless garden was littered with gold adornments, and I didn't see the visitors' expensive cars as everything was situated in the vast parking lot below the house. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the thought.

We were dropped off to the main entrance where a myriad of cameras panned towards us, their blinding flashes going off at shit-ton-times per second. I squinted my eyes, a good excuse to stop myself from glaring at everyone in front of us. Then I felt Aelius' hands snaking around my waist and I relaxed in an instant.

"Let's go?" he said. Taking much-needed deep breaths, I nodded.

Black and gold. Every corner was carefully decorated with the colors that showcased our wealth. It wasn't difficult to come to a conclusion.

Black and gold were the Alonzos' signature colors, after all. I'd guessed Dad found it fitting to choose those as the theme. It was a way to send a message without speaking at all. Our name—mine, in particular—had been making some noise for a while now, judging by the articles about me and Aelius that my family agreed to release.

It was a punishment. A warning of what they were capable of. A threat to make me follow the rules again.

We were greeted by the line of diamond chandeliers on the high ceiling. The curtains were open and tied with gold fabric, dried flowers sticking out from the knots. I stood by the familiar pillars that were the foundations of this vast room, and everywhere I looked, shades of gold and black accentuated almost everything—even the cloths draped over the round, wooden tables we purchased from Lebanon.

Everything just screamed...us. The Alonzos who had been been in control for the longest time. The Alonzos who had every piece of media under their feet. The Alonzos who could afford everything the world had to offer but wouldn' dare to make mistakes, because just like my dress, we were tailored to be the perfect beings. The Alonzos who rivaled gods.

"You finally showed up." A dark, monotone voice snapped me back to the room. Dad stood in front of us, one hand on his packet and the other holding a glass of champagne. My heart thrummed in a fast rhythm, and I unconsciously gripped Aelius' hand so hard I caught him wince from the corner of my eye. Dad's eyes darted to our intertwined hands, and I immediately let go.

"You agreed to release those articles about me," I began, allowing no room for pleasantries. There was nothing pleasant about this conversation.

"I did not. I made them do it."

I huffed. "Dad, please. You know that's dangerous."

"Hen you should have minded the consequences of your reckless actions," he spat, taking another step closer to us. "I'm disappointed in you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but none came out. All I processed was the pain that came from his piercing words.

"You are stripped off of your title as captain, effective immediately." He began walking away, only sparing Aelius a brief glance before leaving. "And I better not see that boy for the rest of the night. Give the media what it wants for now, but he will never be accepted by our family."

"But—"

"Do not question my orders." With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

"I..."

I didn't know what to do. I had so many things to say, so many painful realizations to confess, but there was no coherence with my words, or my thoughts, or this night. This ball was a façade, a stunt pulled by my father to bury all of our imperfections. In our damned reality, he disowned his son and had his daughter, the heiress, stripped off of her only reason for being born.

"Alon," I heard Aelius say, "look at me."

"He didn't even talk to you."

"That doesn't matter."

"It does to me!" I all but cried out, massaging my temples to ease my headache, but it did nothing to help. It still hurt. All of this still hurt. "He showed that he doesn't care about you, V. That matters to me. Don't just..."

"Alon...I'm sorry."

"Don't be one of those who think that you're beneath my family," I begged, and I could care less if my voice sounded too desperate, or that others might hear. "You matter to me, dammit. I care about you. I..."

I love you.

But I knew I shouldn't say it. Not when we were forced to endure a night such as this. Not when the storm was raging and we were so close to drowning.

Not when I couldn't be free enough.