"How much longer?"
"I'll be home in three minutes."
"Hope you've got a good excuse, Dad's absolutely furious."
Click. I hung up the phone. I can't stand listening to them anymore. I'm Dominik Acheron, a billionaire who still has to hold his parents' hands. Soon, I'll break away from the family business and start my own empire.
I've been considering moving to America. There, I'll finally be independent, free. The media will be in awe of my success, wealth, and power... And you, Cinderella, I'll probably never see you again.
I held the bloodstained paper in my hand. It would be too good to be true if she'd stayed. I knew she wouldn't, but I still held onto a sliver of hope.
Her blood was intoxicating, but perhaps it was just lust clouding my senses. Maybe if I tasted it again, with a clearer mind, it wouldn't be the same... maybe...
"I wonder if humans suffer the way we vampires do."
The automatic gates of the family estate opened as I pulled up in my orange Lamborghini.
"Good evening, sir," the guard greeted me.
"Evening, Kadjar. What's the situation?"
"Sir, I think your father almost had a heart attack this time."
"Great, the usual: explanations, apologies, hand-kissing... and of course, a lecture from Mom and Dad." I chuckled.
"Dominik Acheron! Oh, uh..." Kadjar stammered.
"Relax, man. Don't freak me out before it's even started." I laughed again.
"Hey, why don't you take my place today? You can take the heat, and I'll stand out here all night if I have to."
"Sir, I would do anything for you, but… that might be too much."
"I'm kidding." I patted his shoulder. "I just needed a bit of humor before the incoming storm." I started to head inside.
"Wait, Kadjar... one more thing."
"Anything, sir."
I pulled the bloody note from my pocket and handed it to him.
"Find out who this is. And keep it quiet."
"As you command, sir."
He left, and I was alone in the hallway. No matter how many centuries I've lived, no matter how powerful, handsome, or essential I am, meeting with my family still sends a chill down my spine. And now, a lecture.
"It was worth it. Just stay cool," I winked at my reflection in the mirror before confidently stepping into the grand hall.
I opened the door and immediately approached my parents to kiss their hands. I got slapped instead. Five heads of the family stood beside my mother and father. The hall was packed with about fifty men and women.
"You disgraceful wretch!" my father roared.
"We waited for you all night, you scoundrel!" one of the elders yelled.
"Do you realize how humiliated the Haldeyes are?" another elder added.
"Humiliated? What about us?! Where were you all night?" my mother snapped.
Everyone fell silent as my father and mother continued their berating.
"On the night of your engagement, you dare not show up? Where were you? Explain yourself, now!"
"How are we going to face people after this?" my mother muttered.
"Netabah, hold on," my father interrupted. "Let him tell us where he was and what was more important than his engagement!" My father was now in my face, staring me down.
I stayed silent.
"WELL?!" he shouted.
Still silent, my eyes lowered.
"You're not going to speak? Fine, I'll speak then. Since you've disgraced us in a way no one else ever has, I've come to a decision." My father stepped back, addressing the room.
"Your father, the heads of our family, and the Haldeyes have agreed that we'll skip the engagement—let the whole family hear this—and tomorrow, you'll marry immediately!" My mother declared proudly.
"You don't care about this family, I know that. But since you were born into the Acheron family, you'll follow the orders of the head of the main branch of the family, and that head is me! Consider yourself lucky you're not my heir—your brother Benjamin is. Not that he's much use, but at least he obeys his elders without question."
I clenched my fist.
"Tomorrow, you'll marry Princess Elaina Haldey, and our families will unite. I thought you'd understand that this is for a greater cause. The centuries-long war with those vampire mongrels will end once your child—yours and the princess's—unites our families and all our businesses. We'll rule all of Europe then."
I remained silent. I couldn't argue with my father or the family heads, even though rage boiled inside me. Why am I, the third-born, who isn't even the heir, being forced into this because my brother can't produce an heir?
My older brother Benjamin married one of the Haldey daughters a few years ago. They still don't have children. My older sister Rose married into a rival family, again to maintain peace, but they don't have kids either. This family is cursed. All they care about is power and control.
That's not my goal. I already have power and influence without them. While they focus on controlling people, businesses, and resources, each ruling their own territory, I've taken a more modern approach.
I own several nightclubs, restaurants, and floating venues in the capital. I've always dreamed of buying an island to put everything I love on it. But that will have to wait until I get to America. For now, my hands are tied.
Some time passed, and I retreated to my room. I lay on the bed, gazing out at the vast sea from my spacious balcony, the crescent moon casting its glow over the water. I could still hear the family downstairs, planning for tomorrow.
"I wonder what your life is like, Cinderella. What struggles do you face?"
I replayed our intimate moment from the night before in my mind. My skin remembered every touch, every sensation, and her every breath. Her lips on mine. Her...
Why fantasize? Maybe she's gone back to the bar...
"Kadjar, get the car ready," I ordered, jumping from the balcony onto the roof below before landing on the ground.
"Sir, you got here faster than I could process what you said. The car is still out front, ready for you."