KIMBERLY

to say that I woke up gracefully—with sunshine beaming through my white curtains—as I stretched out in a movie-like scene.

Instead, I was greeted by my screeching father while dealing with a massive hangover.

I really hated past me.

"Are you kidding me, Kimberly? You managed to come out of another club—looking like a mess—with dozens of paparazzi taking pictures of you. I begged you to lay low for a while, for goodness sake," Dad yelled out.

Even though he was in the living room of my apartment, his voice radiated louder than the bass at a club.

I lifted the duvet to cover my face, attempting to drown him out, but if there's one thing that defined the Astor family, it was our ability to make ourselves heard.

Literally.

I groaned and reached towards my nightstand to find my trusty bottle of Advil and water. Trudging out of bed, I grabbed my robe before making my way down the stairs to the living room.

"Good morning to you too," I mumbled sarcastically.

That was a big mistake on my part, I realized after looking up to see the fuming face of my father. Another characteristic of the Astor's - our seemingly supernatural hearing. I took in the room, avoiding the laser-like gaze that Dad was shooting at me.

The noon sun was shining through our floor-to-ceiling windows, almost showing the individual sunbeams as they shone on every square inch of the place. Our two-story penthouse was the epitome of luxury and class with beautiful modern, industrial hints.

It was large—more than enough for the two of us—but we did our best to make it cozy.

On the large white sectional, Vivian was clearly prepared for the argument that was about to transpire. Minding her own business while reading a book with earbuds in, she sat while our cat Momo—named after one of the best animated shows in history—rested on her lap as Vivi mindlessly stroked her.

Mom was in the kitchen, shaking her head at the lack of food choices in our fridge. She was used to my inability to cook, but she liked acting as if it surprised her.

However, in the middle of my comfort place, stood the intimidating man who I had the blessing to call my father.

"It's two in the afternoon, dammit," Dad yelled again.

I mentally groaned at Dad's inability to take a joke. But, knowing me, that wouldn't stop another sarcastic remark from slipping past my lips.

"Well, it's currently morning for me. So, please keep your voice at an acceptable level, for our neighbors' sake and mine." I added the last comment, knowing our family's image was always his top priority.

A priority that he deemed I was a threat to with my... habits.

Mom rolled her eyes half-heartedly at my comment, shaking her head. In our family, we needed her level-headedness to keep me and Dad in check.

With Dad's stubborn and dominant personality, he was always used to getting what he wanted, until I came along. Now, our family was just so lucky to have two alpha personalities who never seemed to get along.

I guess it was revenge on him for being obnoxiously hard-headed.

"You live in a penthouse. You don't have neighbors," Dad gritted through his teeth.

I gave him a sickeningly sweet smile that I knew would irritate the shit out of him. "I know, I was talking about the people on the floors beneath us. You're not exactly quiet, Dad. You're practically shaking up this building with your complaints."

At that remark, Vivi snorted, letting us know that no matter how hard she concentrated on the book or Momo, we were her source of entertainment.

"Kim, honey, come here and eat some food. I made pancakes with chocolate chips, just the way you like it." Mom made her way over to me, coaxing me to stop provoking Dad and have some breakfast.

Theoretically, it was lunch now.

Dad started pacing around our apartment, attempting to calm himself from his aggravating—his words, not mine—daughter. After Mom left me at the table, she went to Dad's side, trying to soothe him.

How my sweet, sweet mother fell in love with my father is a mystery to me.

However, looking at them and seeing how compatible they were, dug an even deeper knife into the void in my heart. With a few short words and loving strokes, she was able to calm his temper. Something that most people—knowing Dad—deemed impossible.

I had that once. That unconditional love that made one feel nothing but pure bliss.

But it's gone.

Instead, it was replaced with a feeling of emptiness. A blackhole that can never be filled. Because the one person who can fill it is gone.

The one person who always made everything better was gone.

To avoid the tears that were currently making their way to my eyes, I stuffed my face with Mom's delicious homemade pancakes.

Growing up rich meant that I was spoiled with five-star restaurants and Michelin star chefs, but as great as their food tastes, there was something special about eating the food made by someone you love.

It was a warm feeling and temporarily sated the constant void I felt.

"Anyway"—I mentally groaned as my dad's voice ruined the sensational taste of the pancakes—"we're here for a different reason."

Oh really, berating me about last night, like you always do, was not the only purpose of this visit. How shocking. I rolled my eyes, before turning to face him with my signature fake smile.

"The board members are rightfully worried about the future of our company"—he looked directly into my eyes during that statement—"and they decided to call a meeting today at five. I expect you to arrive promptly at the meeting and not publicly embarrass yourself in the next three hours. Does this seem possible?"

"Of course, Dad."

♕♕♕

Even though there were several things my dad and I disagreed on, the future of Astor & Co. was mutually important to the two of us. Astor & Co. is a conglomerate that has been in our family for a few generations. Our family company was our pride and joy and I wouldn't let anything ruin it.

I looked into the mirror, pleased to see the sophisticated heiress staring back at me.

Reminiscing on how fucked up I looked last night, this was definitely an upgrade. The short and black silk slip dress was traded for a simple white blouse paired with a light blush matching suit and pant set. My signature red bottoms were replaced by a pair of smaller white heels.

The unflattering runny mascara and the dark eyebags from a complete and utter lack of sleep were covered with a light makeup look, finished with my iconic red lip.

In other words, no one would be able to look at me and tell me that I spent all of yesterday drinking and crying.

Just how I like it.

I took one last glance in the mirror to make sure that I looked fully presentable, wanting nothing more to keep up the façade I've worn for so long.

My eyes flitted down to the necklace that hasn't left my neck for the last decade. Subconsciously, my fingers lifted to the necklace and started tracing the word that was held up by the chain.

Angel...

The action was pure muscle memory at this point, bearing in mind how often I did it to soothe my nerves. I shook my head in a feeble attempt to keep the memories away. The image of my fucked up mascara from last night was enough motivation to stop the tears.

I grabbed my handbag and looked at my phone to see that I had enough time to drive to Astor & Co. I walked into the living room to see Vivian working on her laptop. I stopped in front of her and did a dramatic twirl with my arms out.

"What do you think?" I asked, ending my twirl with a little pose.

She looked up from her screen, raising her eyebrows. Her eyes trailed down my body before her face settled with a look of acceptance. "I think that you have an amazing ability to clean yourself up. It's impressive, but also concerning considering how often you do it."

"Would it kill you to compliment me?" I questioned, folding my arms on my hips.

"Yes," Vivi replied nonchalantly.

I rolled my eyes with a small smile on my face. Vivian has been my best friend since practically birth. She's the only person who can talk to me like this and get away with it. With everyone else, I always have a snarky remark ready. Oftentimes, it's ready before they even say anything. But I owe everything to Vivi, so I let it slide... occasionally.

"Seriously though, how do I look?"

I could see her eyes softening, indicating that she was giving into my antics. "Ready to charm the pants off the board members. But not really. I wouldn't want to see any of those old men without pants."

"Hey, there are a few women on the board," I remarked jokingly.

One of the things that always bothered me about old, rich businesses is the fact that men think they're superior to women when it comes to decision-making. They refuse to see how profitable the business has been ever since more women have been in power.

"Correction: I don't wanna see any of the board members half-naked," she shuddered.

"Sounds better." I smiled brightly at the look of discomfort on her face.

"Hold on a second." Vivi looked back on her computer and started typing.

I took this time to admire my best friend. Her long, silky black hair stood out against her slightly tan skin. She had a relatively small face, adorned with sharp eyes and a cold gaze that will make you freeze on the spot. She had this don't-fucking-look-at-me expression on at all times, but I found it endearing after being friends with her for so long.

It worked excellently when people tried bothering us on the streets, so you would never find me complaining about it.

She continued, "I have to join a call soon. Do you think that you can drive yourself to the meeting?"

Like her parents, Vivian worked as a corporate lawyer at her family's business law firm. It's actually how our families met and how Vivi and I have been friends for the longest time.

For what felt like the millionth time that day, I rolled my eyes. "I am perfectly capable of driving myself, thank you very much." Even though I drank my life out last night, I am perfectly sober now and my hangover passed the second Dad started complaining about me.

A wonderfully natural remedy.

"Well, then you better get going. Tell me how it goes," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "If I don't hear from you, I'm going to assume Liam launched you from the top floor for saying something out-of-pocket. Then again, if this is the case, I'll see it in the news first."

I rolled my eyes. "Ah yes, my second round of being judged in one day must end with dead bodies. How could I not be excited?" I remarked sarcastically, grabbing my keys and heading towards the door.

"With your natural ability of pissing people off, you should be used to it by now," she called out. "Plus, I'm your best friend. Judgment is in our blood oath."

From the way she said it so seriously, you'd actually think we had a blood oath. But this is why I loved her. "Bye, bitch." I saluted her with my middle finger.

"I love you. Drive safely, asshole."

♕♕♕

The Astor & Co. Headquarters were a sight for sore eyes.

Located right in the business district of New York City, it was hard to miss the skyscraper with our company's name placed front and center. Everything—from the font to the spacing of the letters—was iconic to everyone.

Even without knowing it, people were somehow connected to the major conglomerate that I knew inside out.

The large glass windows captured the setting sun beautifully, finally giving me some form of tranquility after the events of yesterday. I've been coming here since I was a baby, but even that didn't stop me from taking a second to admire the company building.

My company building.

Slow down, you still don't know if it's yours, yet. The annoying voice of my subconscious seeped through the block I tried placing on it. I shook my head, as if the action would remove the thought from my system before continuing into the building.

"Welcome back, Kim!" Robbie, my favorite security guard, greeted me. "Would you like me to escort you upstairs?"

I smiled at his genuinely cheerful nature, a needed precursor to the impending doom I was sure this meeting was going to be.

Robbie has been working as a security guard in this building for as long as I could remember. He was now in his early fifties, but the constant smile on his face could fool anyone otherwise. Still, that didn't stop me from noticing the small stress lines that littered his face.

"Of course," I replied, immediately linking arms with him.

Ever since I was young, he was always by my side anytime I needed something. He was one of the few guards that Dad actually trusted enough to take care of me when I ran around here as a kid.

After one of the many incidents that defined my life, our security was upped tenfold, but the constant companionship that Robbie provided was enough to put a smile on my face.

"How's Amanda doing?" I cautiously asked.

As soon as I mentioned her name, the smile on his face dropped slightly, making me regret ever asking. Amanda was Robbie's seventeen-year-old daughter. Last year, she was in a severe car crash and was currently paralyzed from the waist down.

Since I used to spend a lot of time with Robbie, I met his family on several occasions. Amanda reminds me a lot of myself from when I was her age, but she's definitely stronger than I am. Being able to deal with the unfair cards that life dealt her makes me have a tremendous amount of respect for her.

"She's adjusting. Thank you for everything you've done for her." Robbie patted my arm that was currently locked with his.

I rested my head onto his shoulder as we entered the elevators leading to the conference room floor. "Robbie, you're like family to me. You don't have to thank me for anything."

"That's where you're mistaken, sweetie," he sighed, letting out a small laugh. "I have family members who would never do what you did for me. I mean paying for her medical bills is a lot, Kim. I don't know how to ever repay you."

I raised my head and looked straight into his eyes. "As I said, you never have to repay me. In fact, it's the least I could do considering how much you've done for me. But, if you're insistent, you know which bakery has my favorite almond croissants."

"As if I could ever forget," he laughed before sincerity filled his voice. "You really have a heart of gold, Miss Astor."

"I prefer to think it's cold. Very cold," I joked.

The small chuckle that escaped my lips died down as I stepped out of the elevator and made eye contact with Dad.

I glanced at my phone to check if I was on time. There were still two minutes left until five o'clock, so the frown etched into his rigid features was a mystery to me. I approached him slowly, scared of angering the lion staring at me for the second time today.

He let out a sharp breath through his nose, before opening his mouth to speak, "Well, it's nice to see you on time."

I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes, convinced that if I kept rolling my eyes, they'd probably fall out of my face.

"You know better than anyone that I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the company," I retorted, my mood doing a complete flip from what it was earlier. The brief happiness that I felt from talking to Robbie has washed away in the blink of an eye, replaced by annoyance.

"Let's get going then."

If Dad didn't launch me out, I'd probably do it first.

***

i just realized that the first few chapters are quite short but cute.

i still hope y'all enjoy!

love, zia.