Princess

Chapter 9: The Billionaire Façade

A piercing sound coursed through the room when the sound of glass breaking cut through the air. All eyes turned to Damon. The tumbler in his hand had shattered all over the table, the amber liquid in it spilling all over his plate. But he paid no attention to the mess he made, choosing instead to stare directly at me with his jaw was set in stone. His eyes stayed on mine, anger flashing through them.

Why was he mad?

I didn't look back down this time. I met my father's eyes.

"And why wouldn't I?"

"We all lost Catherine. Not just you. What were you lacking in your home?"

Unable to help myself, I laughed. Pressing my fingertips to the table, I stood to my full height and looked down at my father. The damage was done now, might as well see it through in true Ryder fashion.

"What was I lacking? I was lacking a family, Dad. Why would I stay in a home that offered me nothing but a constant reminder that I was worthless? That I was nothing."

"That is not true," Dad started.

"Please don't lie to me. At least have enough respect for me not to do that."

"Aria, please," Christian said and I turned to him, pain swelling in his eyes as he looked at me. He visibly took six, seven, eight deep breaths.

"You wouldn't understand, Christian. You were always Mom's favorite. Everyone knew that. Everyone knows it now. And Mom was a goddess on Earth. Her love was enough for a lifetime, even though she isn't with us today."

I turned to Bella, cupping her face in my hand. "And Bella, you were always his favorite. You always will be. Because you are so like him. Everyone loves you when you walk in a room. You are the precious heart of this family–the one who holds everything together."

She smiled up at me with tears streaming down her face.

"Ariadne," my father said sternly.

It took an enormous effort to turn back to my father.

"There's no point trying to deny it, Dad," I said softly. "No one will ever believe it. The eldest and youngest Ryder siblings, forging their names in the family business and making you proud every day. But wait, there's one more sibling, isn't there? The one no one gives a fuck about."

"You know that's not true," Christian's voice was strained.

"But it is. The missing one is Ariadne Ryder. The abandoned one, stranded in a fucking chokehold by her father and hidden from the world because she isn't as impressive as her siblings. The stupid middle child that's always forgotten. The quiet girl who sulks behind everyone else but talks back whenever she wants instead of sitting quietly and taking shit. The one who didn't join her family business and went to become a doctor instead, like her dead mother. The one who doesn't command a room and turn everything he touches to gold like Christian. The one who doesn't make people fall in love with her and do whatever she says like Bella. The one who, in your eyes, can't do anything at all."

The tension in the air was at an all-time high, the facade of the perfect billionaire family cracking with every single word that left my mouth. No one said anything.

"Why wouldn't I run away, Dad? What would compel me to stay in a home that has never offered me any love? If I can't find it at home then it must be somewhere else, doesn't it? Why wouldn't I go searching for it?"

"Ariadne, that's not true," Bella sobbed. "You are so loved."

I felt like a bitch for making a scene at what should be a very happy dinner to say goodbye to my sister. More proof of why I was the least favorite person in this family.