Mate to the Dragon Prince

Chapter Two

I sat there slowly playing with my food; rolling the small piece of chicken with my fork and sighed under the penetrating glare of Jackson. I shook my head and took a small sip from my glass of water.

The eerily silence had me begging for some kind of distraction or perhaps this dinner to end unexpectedly. Usually, your head would spin or have a sickening headache from alarming sounds or noises above many decibels, but here it was different, the mere sounds of cutlery gently clanking against the plates and soft chewing was all there to be heard, and it was aching my head.

The wait was the worst part; knowing it was going to happen, but when?

Audrey was simply eating her food; enjoying every bit of it. And it was surprising; usually, she too would join in with her husband and glare at me like someone who was standing in their way to success and glory.

Mother sat on one end of the table facing my father; she hadn't looked up from her food. I guess she was dreading this just as much as me. My father sat at the head of the table, silently eating with a deep frown. His salt and pepper hair sat messily on his head from the amount of time her had run this hand through it. Wrinkles decorated his face from the years of stress from not only his company and business, but also the family had brought.

"Are we not going to discuss anything?!" Jackson suddenly snapped. I held back the urge to roll my eyes.

And so it begins...

"Jackson!" Mother sent him a harsh glare and Audrey held onto his arm, trying to calm him down. I never understand that form of gesture; it wasn't helping. If anything, the gesture either brought a flaming stare Audrey's way or Jackson just pulled away from her hold. If the gesture wasn't going to help, why still do it? Sometimes, it just made Audrey look helpless against her husband's wrath.

The strong-willed confident woman disappeared as Jackson's anger flared in his eyes. "What? Why prolong this stupid dinner?!" He snapped, banging his hand on the table. The force made the cutlery to clank violently against the table and plates. I closed my eyes and bit onto my tongue, not wanting to pass any words that was caused by the rage boiling within my veins.

"Jackson, that's enough." My father spoke, "I'll speak with her."

"Well, go on." Jackson's patience was past its limit; there was no stopping what comes out of his mouth now.

My father sighed turning to me, but I kept my face and posture straight, silently telling him no words or promises were going to change my answer. I was no longer the little girl he could trick and get his way with. I wasn't going to fall for the false promises and agreements. They were just mere words without meaning.

"Sooyaa.." He quietly called me, "He is your brother; you must help him."

"But I warned him, father." I told him the same words I did before, "I warned him about Antonio Venturi's schemes."

"We all make mistakes, Jisoo." He brushed off my words off like dust, causing me to sigh. "It'll only be for a year or two. Until he's back on his feet."

I shook my head, tricking me into helping wasn't going to work. A year will turn into two years as he said, but then three and four, and so on until Jackson claims Sooyaa's Desires as his own, maybe even change its name- Audrey's Desires sounds about right.

"What I said still stands, father," I told him straight out.

"You're just a selfish little b*tch, Jisoo!" Jackson shouted and gritted his teeth.

Mother gasped, "Jackson, I raised you better than to.." She sighed, closing her eyes and holding her head in pain.

I stared at him, unbothered by his foul word, "Taking care of what's mine isn't selfish."