Jessica's POV
"How was your trip, my love?" My dad greeted me.
I had just arrived from a fashion shoot in Paris for Diar.
It was a big women's underwear designer brand.
I had so many fashion shows and shoots coming up, but I decided to do a stopover cause my PA said my sister had been calling nonstop.
Last time I set foot in County was for grad, about two days prior.
"Why so friendly?" I asked, everything seemed so fucking weird. From the strange fleet of cars in our garage, to the unfamiliar murmur of men coming from the living room.
My dad chuckled nervously, and scratched his bald head with his fat ass fingers. Fingers that held my family together.
"There is something we should've told you." He said, avoiding my eyes. I was still experiencing a bit of jet lag. I'd been in the air for over twelve hours cumulative for the past two days. I even had a shoot midair. It was one of my most exciting experiences.
"What is it?" I asked him.
I didn't like the look on his face. It looked like someone had died.
I had enough guilt and hurt from Lily's death, to add whatever it was to it.
"Jessica, your mom and I are getting a divorce." He said.
I giggled. "Is that all?" I asked, looking at him in mock disbelief. "Y'all should've gotten one a long time ago. We all hated to see you mend cracks in the wall with paper glue." I put a hand on the old man's back, and rubbed it playfully like he did for me when I was worried.
"Actually, that's not really all of it." He said, looking more tense.
"Dad," I called to him, "you've really gotta calm down. No one is dying,ain't it?" I asked.
I'd been having a very happy life, and I didn't want him using his mood to taint mine.
I'd been in the happiest, most romantic places, and it was all smiles, the exact energy I wanted for my life.
"Jessica, you've got a stepbrother." He said.
I looked at him in shock.
I definitely didn't see that coming. My parents were the stellar mini-celeb couple that many couples in County loooked up to, with two pretty daughters, one being a fucking good ass model, me.
"I don't get that." I said, taking out my earbuds.
"He's in there right now actually." He looked a bit scared of my next reaction.
"What?!" I screamed. "So you're that sleek, huh?" With my dad, I was really free, really expressive. "You have a son outside?" I repeated.
"We all make mistakes, Jessica." He said, looking away. At least he didn't look so pensive anymore. "And it was a long time before you were born. Your mom and I always had issues." He sighed.
"And how old is this 'mistake'?" I asked him.
"Please don't call him that." He said. "He's twenty four, a Harvard graduate." He beamed.
"Dad, I'm never gonna get in there, even if I tried." I said, responding to the undertone his statement carried. He'd been cajoling and persuading me for the longest time to apply to a school. But I was really too comfortable with my present life. It was my heaven. I'd kissed the runway with hot male models from all over the world.
"Let's leave that for now." He said, he was obviously in a better mood.
"Is there anything else?" I asked, "my feet are killing me, I've walked so much for the past month." I added, proudly.
He reciprocated the back rub, and soon withdrew his hand.
"Uhm, your mom and I got into a fight, and I kinda caused bodily harm, and she's suing me." He said in one breath.
"Why would you?" I asked. I didn't have the best relationship with my mom, that didnt mean I'd tolerate shit towards her.
"It was a mistake, Jessica." He said.
"Well, you seem to be making too many mistakes." I was so freaking pissed with him. How could he?!
"Jessica, I have no excuses, but I need you to plead with her on my behalf." He said.
"I can't, I'm sorry dad." I replied. "What's she suing you for?" I asked him.
"The house." He said. My eyes flew open. As much as I didn't like what he did, I also didn't want my mom keeping the house. I was quite attached to it and heaven knows I couldn't live under it with another man but my father.
"That's impossible." I blurted, the look on my face mirroring his.
"Well it's happened already." A voice replied from behind me. It sounded much like my dad, but it had a youthful zingy feel to it. I turned back to the most sexy man I'd come across, but on and off the runway.
I pinched myself back to reality, reminding myself that the stranger, who I guessed to be my dad's 'mistake' had just interrupted a private conversation very rudely.
"We are waiting for you both to sign." He said. "I tried my best, Dad." Him being in my house, meddling in my parents divorce was injury enough, calling my dad, 'Dad', was too much fucking salt on it, it was just hard to bear.
"You must be in the wrong home." I snipped at him.
"I think I am." He replied with a very menacing, and embarrassingly sexy smile. I dug my freshly manicured nails into my inner palm.
"Get the fuck out." I said and brushed past him.
I heard the devil giggle, but it only gave me more morale to school the lawyer on how negotiations are made.
I dropped my stuff I was carrying in my hand on the seat I hoped the 'Mistake' was sat.
"Can I talk to you, mom? I asked, taking her hand into mine.
She had her dark shades on, but I could see through it from where I stood.
"Make it brief." A little woman next to her demanded.
I wasn't bothered enough to spare her a glance till she spoke.
She looked really cute, and evil, with her glasses delicately tapered on the edge of her nose. Such precision came with experience.
"Watch your mouth." I was pissed enough from all other interactions, I didn't want to add hers to it, for her sake.
"Come on dear." My mum said quietly.
She took her glasses off as soon as we got into the hallway, revealing what I'd look like in about twenty five years. My mom looked quite young, and strong too.
"He's really sorry about it, mom." I begged. I knew it was no excuse, matter of fact, it was worse being an apologist of domestic violence than being a perpetrator. "Mom, you can't be demanding that of him. It's a family heirloom." I cried.
"If you were in my shoes, and I told you that same thing, how would you react?" She asked calmly.
"I'd walk away on my own if I was fucking my husbands elder brother!" I shouted. As much as I hated to say it, my dad wasn't really the bad guy, he's just the unfortunate one who gets receipts of his escapade, a child.
"I'm your mother." She said, lowering her voice, and begging me with her eyes to reduce mine. "You're a girl, you should be on my side." She said,
"It could only end in two ways." I said, I hated myself for it, but hated both of them even more for ever putting us through it, "you take every other thing, but the house," I started.
"Or what?!" She asked, daring me.
"Or we meet in court." I said, and ran upstairs to the pool. Away from all the bullshit.
My life had been so dreamy for a while, it felt strange being iin the shoes of that girl who only months ago was subject to everyone's whims and caprises.
I took off my clothes. I had a complementary underwear set from a brand I worked with on me, so I leaped into the pool that nearly took my life only months ago.
This time around, the water was cool, soothing.
It was peaceful up there, I didn't get to see all the black suits, and pensive looks.
The breeze was light, and cool.
"Thank you." I think I heard a voice say.
I submerged myself, closed my eyes and let the water feel my body.
I was pissed at the intrusion, by the intruder made me even madder.
"What the fuck are you doing up here?" I yelled when I saw him, struggling to make it to one edge of the pool and hide my body which was so provocatively exposed, and visible from where he stood.
"Came to thank you." He replied calmly.
I wondered where all the feisty had gone.
"Whatever." I replied, looking away.
"That's understandable." He said to himself and turned back.
I hadn't seen a swirl so swavy, so sexy, not even on the runway.
I tried so hard not to look at him, or, to look at him without getting caught.
"See you later." He said, and smiled.
I bluffed at the absolute arrogance. He was really the child of my father.