Underboss, Unexpected (Book #1)[To Be PUBLISHED]

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Chelsea POV

After that terrible nightmare I knew it was useless trying to go to sleep, swinging my legs over the side of my bed I went to the window, I twisted my mouth to the side as I looked at the lights of the city, not wanting to cry, but unable to feel anything but numb. Looking down, the bustling city below me, there's emptiness inside... Dad – Jason had a way of pulling me from those moods. 

It started with his visits at the hospital, the reading to me, and then bringing me art supplies when I had my cast removed. Dad was always taking care of me, doing little things and even now after he died he was caring for me.

** - Flashback - **

Immediately after the burial service for Jason, his lawyer and friend Mikael came to me and discussed my financial standings. I guess I was naïve somewhat because I was the only one shocked among Jack, Casey, and Helen when the will was read. Apparently my father was well off, which I knew, but I didn't know just how affluent he was, and how prosperous I had become because of his death.

As a result, however, I could do what I liked for the rest of my life, whether it is dancing for one lifetime, then painting for the next one, or teaching dance for another, I had endless possibilities. Although I knew that eventually when I stopped aging because I was a werewolf, I would have to live a much quieter life. But I already did that. I danced because it brought me pure joy, using my limbs to create beauty was beautiful to me. It didn't matter that I would eventually have to stop dancing publicly on a stage, I had spent six years dancing only in the home studio Jason had built for me. So it wasn't about the fanfare for me, it was about how I found myself while dancing, centered my soul.

I was dancing. I am a dancer. I danced to erase what my memory could not. I danced to shut the pain out. I danced for so many reasons and I would continue to do so.

What also brought me joy was that I would be able to keep Jack, Casey and Helen with me. I had been worrying that I would not be able to continue to compensate them but learning about my financial standing gave me great relief.

When Mikael left, leaving only Jack, Casey, and Helen, I asked them to talk with me and hear my plans. Dad had often said he couldn't read minds so the best thing to do was to just talk out loud instead of having others guessing and getting things wrong. So after some thinking I came up with a plan. I'm not sure if I was running, trying to hide from Leo, or if this was really something I wanted in my heart, or just my way of fulfilling the last promise I had made to my dad – that I would venture out into the world. Attend university. Not just online classes or private instructors as we had been doing since I went home with him.

Jack, Casey and Helen sat around me, letting me speak, "I was really worried that I would not be able to have you guys stay with me," I said. We had been staying at our penthouse apartment, they came with me, and it had been bothering me what was going to happen to me, would they stay with me or go back to their families?

"Oh dear," Helen said.

"Hang on a minute and let me finish please," I continued, "As I was saying, I was really worried that I would not be able to have you guys stay with me, not knowing what my next step would be. But I do have some ideas that I would like to run by you guys and I understand if you won't be able to agree, but let's all just talk honestly," I twisted and untwisted my fingers, the nerves getting to me.

"We've been staying here at the hotel because I still can't bear to go back to that house. I know that it's my home, but after what happened I really don't want to stay there, or here, for that matter. Before Dad died he had said t-that he would get changed to a werewolf if I lived in the real world," I say trying not to cry. "So I had applied to different schools-a few in Europe, a few here... I have received several acceptance letters, including one for the University of Southern California..." I stop there, watching their reactions, but they didn't give anything away, so I carried on.