A Bad Father

It was almost midnight when everything changed for Gia. She was in the kitchen, a cup of tea in her hands, trying to process another difficult day at her mother's hospital bedside. She was startled when her father came slamming the door.

"Gia!" Her father's shout made her jump. "Get over here right now!"

She didn't need to see him to know he'd been drinking. The smell of whiskey reached the kitchen before him. Her stepmother Regina appeared behind her, with that smile that always foretold trouble, and of course, Alina, her stepsister, wouldn't miss this spectacle for anything in the world.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Gia asked, leaving the cup on the counter.

"What's wrong?" Her father let out a bitter laugh. "I'm just fed up. Fed up! Do you know how much the hospital cost me today? Do you have any idea how much money I've spent on your mother over the years?"

"But Dad..." Gia felt her voice tremble. "Mom needs us, the doctors say she could wake up at any moment..."

"The doctors have been saying that for eleven years!" Her father slammed the table so hard that the silverware clinked. "Eleven years, Gia! And you... you're still here, living off my money, doing nothing..."

"That's not fair!" Tears began to flow. "You know I've been looking for work, but with the hospital's schedule..."

Regina, her stepmother, let out a scornful giggle. "Oh, poor thing. Is it so hard to be a kept woman?"

"You don't get involved," Gia turned to her. "My mother is in that hospital because of you, if you hadn't provoked her that day on the stairs..."

"Shut up!" Regina advanced on her with a disfigured face. "Don't you dare accuse me! Your mother was drunk that day!"

"Lie!" Gia stepped forward, but her father stepped between them.

"Enough!" he roared. "Regina is right, your mother was at fault for her accident, and I have borne the consequences all these years. But it's over."

Regina headed into the hallway and came back dragging a small suitcase, and tossed it at Gia's feet.

"There are some clothes, it's more than you deserve."

Gia looked at the suitcase and then at her father, unable to process what was happening.

"You can't be serious..."

"I've never been more serious," his voice sounded cold, distant. "You have ten minutes to pick up whatever you want to take, after that, I don't want to see you in this house anymore, today is your birthday, you don't need me anymore."

"Wow, finally." Alina clapped her hands. "It's about time the little drama princess left."

"Dad, please..." Gia reached out to him, trying to take his hand, but he pushed it away as if her touch burned him. "You can't do this to me. What's going to happen to Mom?"

"It's not my problem anymore," he replied, turning his back on her. "Not mine or this family's, if you're so worried, get a job and pay for it yourself."

Tears ran freely down Gia's face as she climbed the stairs to her room, her hands shaking so much she could barely fit her things into her suitcase. Pictures, some clothes, her papers... How could she sum up an entire life in ten minutes?

When she came down, Regina was waiting by the door, holding her coat with a triumphant smile.

"Don't forget to lock it on your way out, darling, oh, and give my regards to your mother... if she's still alive by the time you manage to pay for the hospital."

Gia stopped in front of her father, who was looking out the window with his back to her. "Dad... please. I'm your daughter."

He didn't turn around, Gia got silence as a response.

The night was cold, but Gia barely noticed as she walked through the dark streets, dragging her suitcase. Tears blurred her vision as she dialed Sondra's number on her phone.

"Gia? What's wrong? It's the middle of the night..."

"Sondra..." her voice broke. "I got kicked out of the house, I... I have nowhere to go."

"What?! Wait, where are you? I'm coming to find you right now."

Half an hour later, Gia was sitting in Sondra's small apartment, a hot cup of tea in her hands, telling her everything that had happened.

"I can't believe your father did this, especially on your birthday," Sondra shook her head, indignant. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Gia wiped away her tears. "I need to find a job, the hospital... Mom needs the treatment, if I don't pay, they'll pull the plug."

"Wait," Sondra suddenly straightened up. "I think I can help you, there's a catering event tomorrow on the most luxurious yacht in town, the Atenea. It's the opening party before they sell it to an Arab businessman, they pay very well, and they need extra staff."

"A yacht?" Gia blinked. "But I've never worked on anything like this..."

"It's easy," Sondra waved it off. "Just serve drinks and smile. The yacht belongs to Greco Enterprises, you know, the top shipbuilding company in the country, Juno Greco himself will be there."

"Juno Greco? The billionaire?"

"Himself, they say he's a tough guy, but hey, as long as you don't spill a drink on him..." Sondra laughed at how unlikely that seemed.

The next morning came too early, Gia had barely slept, but she forced herself to get up early. Sondra helped her get ready, lending her a black uniform and teaching her the basics of service.

"Remember," she said as they boarded the Athena yacht, "keep the tray steady, smile, and don't take anything the smug rich people say personally."

The yacht was stunning. Gia had never seen anything like it, every corner screamed luxury and exclusivity. The other catering girls looked at her curiously as Sondra introduced her, but there was no time for more chatter, the guests began to arrive.

The guests on the Atenea were exactly what Gia had imagined the rich to be like: dressed in clothes that probably cost more than all of her years of life combined. The women looked like magazine models, and the men… well, several of them weren't half bad.

"Look at those studs," Sondra whispered as she passed by her with a tray of champagne. "They look like they're straight out of a magazine."

Gia blushed, but couldn't help a small smile as she poured drinks, everything was going well until she noticed a blonde model who kept staring at her with disdain. Every time Gia passed by, the woman would whisper something to her companions and they would laugh.

"Ignore them," Sondra advised during a brief break. "That's Odalis Sterling, she's in all the magazines and they say she's obsessed with Juno Greco."

"The owner of the yacht? Where is he? I haven't seen him."

"That's him over there." Sondra discreetly pointed to a group of men near the bow. “The one in the navy suit who looks like he could buy the world and still have change left over.”

Gia glanced in that direction and her heart skipped a beat. Juno Greco was… impressive. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a face that looked like it was carved from marble and an air of authority that made everyone around him seem to orbit around him. He must have been in his early thirties, but his presence was that of someone who was born to command.

“He’s handsome,” Gia admitted, “but he seems…”

“Arrogant? Intimidating? Best to stay away from him.”

But fate had other plans, as Gia moved through the guests with her tray of drinks, she noticed Vanessa Sterling following her with her eyes.

As she passed by a particularly large group, Gia had to take a step back to avoid colliding with anyone. It was then that she felt Vanessa’s foot get in her way.

It all happened in slow motion. Gia tripped, the tray tipped, and she fell straight into someone. The sound of glasses breaking was followed by gasps of surprise and laughter, and when Gia looked up, she found herself face to face with grey eyes that glared at her.