Playing with Fire

Chapter 33 - Adrianna

The three of us stood together on the platform with bright smiles on our faces. With me in the middle, between my parents, we are able to portray the "perfect family" that we are. We thank the many compliments we receive from the press and await for the ribbon cutting ceremony to begin.

My family had just opened up a new chain of hotels going from LA to overseas, The Lunaire Estate. The Bel Air neighborhood is where the main hotel will be located, it's the startup point. What made the hotel so significant was not only the high luxury, but that 8% of its proceeds made would go to charity. The portion about charity is what my mother was not happy about the other day when she called me. After the design had been set and the hotel was under construction my mother cleaned her hands and left the project for me to take care of. So, because of this I took it upon myself to alter some of the details. Already, at the start of the project did I know we would make millions in the first week, so why not donate some to those who actually need it? For the past two months there has been a waiting list for those wanting to book a room, its insane. And tonight over 2,000 of the wealthiest people would be staying here.

Now, we were only 20 minutes from the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"Mr. and Mrs. Luna may we take your picture for our headlines?" The photographer asked after squeezing his way through the crowd.

"Of course," my mother said through her fake smile. Before pulling us together she slightly leaned into my ear and turned so nobody would hear her whispering to me. "Gracias a Dios (thank god), I had an outfit sent over to you this morning, lord knows what atrocities you would have shown up in." Desperately, did I want to roll my eyes, but I refrained and just nodded.

This morning I awoke to my doorbell ringing in a nonstop manner. When I finally got to the door I found it was my mothers pesky assistant with an outfit for me. She threw it at me and simply said, "Where this, it's from your mother." It was an off-white floral Ralph Lauren dress with small hints of yellow on each of the flowers. I decided to pair the dress with some nude heels.

As much as I love donating to charity, I wanted nothing more than to be anywhere but here. I hate nothing more than being with my parents. Although my dad hardly ever spoke, the man was practically a dog that followed my mother. He complied to everything she said which only contributed to her nasty attitude. And to add to it all, when he wasn't working he was just drinking himself into oblivion. I'm not sure how the media lacked in paying attention to this, it's so obvious. As a kid I didn't understand why he drank so much and to this day I still don't know why, but I like to think that if I were him it would be to drown out my shitty, recurring life as well.

"1..2..3." The photographer counted down. Many flashes went off seconds later.

"How lovely, you look just like your mother Adrianna."

"Oh god, please don't ever say that," I pleaded in my head. But it was the sad truth; I looked like a younger version of my mother but with my fathers once brown hair.

I mentally cringed at our image but thanked the photographer.

"Miss. Luna this project proposal was very innovative; where did you come up with the idea of donating?"

I'm about to speak out, until my mothers pinches my arm from behind and vocalizes her point, "Well I've always been pleased with helping out the community so I figured why not help those who are unfortunate around the world. I'm so happy that my beliefs were able to be transpired onto my sweet Adrianna!"

The reporters eat up her lies and jot down everything. Can I get out of here any sooner?

"Alright, I think it's time we cut the ribbon," my father finally proclaimed after not having spoken a word the entire time. He just wants to leave because he has a bottle of Bourbon awaiting him.