The DNA test has declared them father and daughter. That does not imply that they are family.
Family means somewhere warm, and cosy after a long winter. Erika's heart has turned into ice long before that. Maybe when her mother died, or even before. When her mother was suffering and Erika could not do much due to being poor.
"Promise me," her mother said before closing her eyes for the last time, "promise me that you will be a doctor. You will save me one day, promise me."
"But mother," Erika cried, "mother, do not go then! I will be alone mother! I will be alone!"
"Don't worry," her mother smiled feebly, "I will be there for you. I will wait for you. One day you will be a doctor. One day you will save me." Then she closed her eyes. For this life, she closed her eyes.
"Mother!"
"We are here, miss."
She jolts back to the present when the chauffeur calls her out. Normally, she is good at English, at least academically. But when she must speak to an American, like her "father's" chauffeur, she finds herself tongue-tied and petrified with embarrassment. So, as a reply, she can only nod.
The chauffeur, or David, one of her father's closest aids smiles awkwardly before opening the door for her. She gets down from the car and bows respectfully. "Thank you," she said in Japanese, before remembering to switch to English. She thanks him again with a bow.
It feels weird not to show respect to a person of your father's age. America is a very forward country.
To David, it feels weird to be bowed repeatedly, like he is a messiah or something. Even nowadays, people do not shake hands anymore. "Uh… let me take you to the boss first, miss."
"My bag?" she cannot ask in a full sentence, because she just cannot remember the right words at this moment. Ah, how embarrassing is that! It is like she is not educated or something!
David looks at her. At this point, everyone knows who she is. Hell, even the paparazzi have gotten the whiff of the news. Billionaire Dominico Barzini of the Barzini group of multinational industries has a secret love child. Everybody is cooing over her appearance.
Which has been kept silent with a tight fist. Alessio is ruthless in terms of the PR business. But even he is in for a ride if he ever gets to see what his sister really looks like.
Despite she is sixteen, she looks no more than thirteen or fourteen. Shoulder-length hair with big fringes and dark coffee colour, the Barzini colour it is. She has Asiatic features, hooded eyes, a small nose, a pointy chin, and a delicate bone structure, but her eyes have that Barzini look sometimes, at a right angle or in the right lighting.
Otherwise, the robust large-boned features of all Barzini kids failed to reach her. She is a runt alright. "Rest assured, miss. Your luggage will reach your room in due time." Her luggage consists of a large duffel bag filled with her life's belongings. She is only carrying a handbag for documents and a photograph adorned with black ribbons.
David's daughter has more possessions than her. And she is only thirteen, for real. Besides, he does not think Erika would be able to carry that bag of hers to the third floor of the mansion. She is too small for that. He cannot understand the reason, but he has this surge of fierce protectiveness for her. It is an innate process, but he just cannot shake it off. She looks too pale, too skinny, and too small for the kind of lifestyle they have.
The mourning appearance… black knee-length, full bishop-sleeve dress, black stockings and pumps are giving her a more delicate look. Her eyes look lost and cold, not the way Alessio looks when he finishes someone. But the way someone is finished internally and only a shell of that human is left. David sighs internally and takes her to Alessio first.
Erika does not want to bother anyone. After her mother's death, she has only one purpose left in her life. To be a doctor like her mother said before she died. It matters not what Erika thinks about that. Her dream of being a playschool teacher can wait for the next life.
Her entire life, she tried to be dependent on no one. It is bad enough that they have lost all the respect in the eyes of society when it became apparent that she is a child out of wedlock. On top of that, Erika has never wanted people to think that she is taking advantage of them, or that she is indebted to them.
So, both the mother and daughter lived until now standing on their own two legs, and not depending on anyone. It is in our nature as human beings to be indebted to society, but they made sure to pay back in favours, or at least in humility.
Some debts cannot be repaid though, like the mourning dress she is wearing right now or the duffel bag she is carrying with her. The landlady grandmother has given her those things as a parting gift. "Eri-chan, you will buy the grandmother new things after you become a doctor, yes?" she said while crying.
Erika agreed to pay her back with teary eyes before bowing down to her for the last time. "Please, take care of yourself, grandmother." Do not forget me.
She is intending to resume her motto in America as well, not to be indebted to anyone. She has come here to study and nothing else. Even though the child protection service in Japan has informed her that she will get a green card easily because of her father, Erika intends to return to Japan after her study. America may be a good country, but her soul lies in Japan. Her mother is in Japan, she cannot leave her tomb unattended.
The Barzini family is rich alright. They have a clandestine mansion, made of rich woods, costly stones and glasses, the structure resembling heritage buildings of the Civil War era. Polished, vintage furniture, artful and picturesque decoration of all the rooms. Erika does not know much about American history, but she can recognize a good piece of wood when she sees one. About fifty of her apartments back in Japan can fit into this mansion.
It is unnecessarily big. From what she knows, only three men live here along with a healthy set of staff. But is it not wasteful? Why cannot they live in a moderate two-storied house? Why waste so much space and resources?
Heh, who is she to lecture them about wasting money? She is a guest here, a guest for two years. After her schooling, she is going to move out like every other American teenager. And then she will work while studying at university. Now that she is here, might as well think about admitting into a good one. Will Ivy League accept her? Does she have the potential to apply for Ivy League?
She must work hard. Concentrate, Eri-chan! She mentally slaps her cheeks to bring herself to focus. Nothing fails if one works hard enough.
David takes her into the office where Don Barzini and Alessio are already seated going through their daily set of itineraries. They are also keeping an eye on the CCTV footage of the mansion where they can see Erika walking up to the office in small hesitant steps. Her small stature and cowering figure have them wondering. "She is…" Dominico starts to comment, only to be interrupted.
*Knock* *knock*. "Can we come in sir?" David's muffled voice can be heard from the door. Alessio allows them to come in after giving his father a brief look. They will have a discussion later.
Up close, she looks even more vulnerable. In front of David, she was trying to muster up some fraction of courage before, but now, looking at her supposed "father" and "elder brother" she cannot come up with anything. They literally witness her being deflated before a shuttered look comes on her face.
God, they are so fearsome! Large men, the younger one being larger than the older one, with deep coffee-coloured rich, wavy hair like that of her, chiselled face, and sculpted physique with an unreadable intimidating expression on his face. The older man looks more lithe-figured but no less fearsome than his son, with an equally chiselled face and sculpted physique.
The only indication of him being old is the hint of whites in his hair and trimmed beard, along with a few wrinkles on his olive-toned skin. Despite looking civil in expensive business suits, they look so rough-hewn and cold that Erika feels chills rising on her spine.
She bows to them, making an exact 90-degree angle from the hip, as she has been taught by her mother multiple times in her childhood. "Thank you for… allowing me to stay here, …Otoh-sama." She is careful to use that word. Will Dominico Barzini accept her as his daughter? But she cannot exactly call him by his name, right? That will be too rude and disrespectful. And calling your biological father 'uncle' or 'mister' seems fishy.
She then looks at her 'brother' and acknowledges him with difficulty, "Nii-sama." He is watching her like a hawk. He is even looking like one. Poised, about to sweep down to engulf her. Erika feels tremors in her stomach.
Alessio observes her. She may look like a trapped fawn, but her intelligence can be seen through her eyes. Eyes, that resemble him and his father. To some extent, even her brave masquerade resembles Alessio's calculating look.
Oh, she is a Barzini alright! Alessio can feel pride blooming in his heart. He thought about maintaining a basic level of civility with his stepsister before, for the sake of living together. But now he knows that he will have no problem including her in this family. He will have to be careful though. A leader does not wear his heart on his sleeves.
Dominico, on the other hand, feels a surge of protectiveness for his long-lost daughter. Daughter, the one thing he had desired throughout his fatherhood but never got. There was no love left between him and his late wife to try for another kid. And he never thought about adopting one, for the type of lifestyle they have. It is no use in giving one a family only to snatch it from her.
But having a biological daughter is different. He cannot term her as a 'mistake' for he was responsible for what happened sixteen years prior. Had he known of her existence, he would have made sure that she and her late mother could have a good life, even proper medical assistance for Suzuna's ailment. But that did not happen, and now God is giving him a second chance to make everything right.
He will be damned to let it slip through his fingers. As a ruthless man, there is one thing he is the proudest of, which is not punishing an innocent. No, he has never done that.
He clears his throat, as suddenly it feels clogged, "Ah… welcome home, Erika. I… we are sorry for your loss. I wish you could have connected us sooner. But now that did not happen, we must look forward to the future."
For a moment, the father-son duo thinks she will cry, as her face crumbles, but right then she rights herself. The amount of effort it takes can be seen by everyone present in this room. Erika becomes as white as a ghost. She nods hesitantly, agreeing with her father.
There is no we in the future, Otoh-sama, she thinks, I appreciate that you have graciously accepted me as a part of your family, but I cannot take advantage of that. I am lonely, as I have always been, never being a part of a family. I will not superimpose myself on you. I will not be a daughter to you.
~
(To be continued)
© Felicia Lockhart