Blatant (Book 2 to Shameless)

Chapter 3: The hauntings of a ghost of the past

Bianca  had smelled this from a mile away, yet she'd never anticipated that her Uncle Jason visiting would be such a pain. The man seemed to exist just for the main purpose of getting on her nerves - he hadn't even breathed the Miami air for more  than a few hours, yet she  had already had to refrain from slapping him and coupling that with a string of fustigating obscenities, more than a dozen times. Her father also was not pleased with Jason making himself an unwanted guest in his home, they didn't get along, his entire lifestyle was against his moral principles, he disliked almost everything about him -yet he still encouraged her to endure him until he left, which he'd hoped to be soon.

Jason was Michael's younger brother, younger  by just five years, but immature by thirty -her aunt having passed five years ago, he was her father's only remaining sibling, her estranged   uncle, the proud, incorrigible black sheep  of the family. Appearance wise, like all the men from her father's side of the family, he was well..appeasing to the eyes..considerably handsome, with all the distinct Lewis genes. His  blue eyes nearly resembled her father's, except for the tiny specks of green that made them more of blueish-green, the sculpture of his facial features of course gave away that they were related- they had plenty of similarities, but there were nuances also -and as she and many others saw it,  her father was the better looking one, the one with more s*x appeal and a more sexier, bulkier build, compared to Jason who was more on the lean side, yet he had the advantage of height at 6ft4", he also wasn't well groomed and had a rather distasteful shabby, rugged, punk style, owed to his Rockstar status. His distinguishing character traits could vex even those exactly like him -he had the maturity of an eight year old, refused accountability for his actions like a toddler and was a devotee to making bad decisions. Personality wise, Jason and her father were polar opposites.

Bianca hadn't seen him in three years, and when he left, they weren't on good terms, and she had been thankful when the years rolled by without any show of him. Except for his innate ability to irk her, Bianca was also threatened by his presence, he knew something about her that she didn't want anyone else to know, especially not her father -on her side, he was more than the irritating druggie uncle that had a perchance to stumping on her toes -he was a loose end that needed tying and every minute he spent here, increased the chances of him slipping up and exposing her, and she couldn't let that happen, her father couldn't find out, he'd never forgive her - she had to get rid of him, as soon as possible, before everything blew up in her face.

But getting him to leave, wasn't going to be at all easy, when she didn't even know his reasons for showing up on her front door after three years, to begin with. "My France tour has just ended and in a month I'll be flying to Australia, so I thought in the meantime i should just pop by and see me fam, my favourite niece and celebrate her birthday with her." He'd told her, and she didn't buy his story one bit, and she almost slammed the door in his face. if she had to guess, she'd say he was either  in trouble and needed a place to lie low for some time, or he'd  blown up all his money on whores and drugs and was now looking for a free roof over his head and free meals.

Bianca had never known a Sunday quite as unpleasant as this one, not even Victor was this annoying!

Her father having left to meet up with Rick to discuss the Prague arrangements, Bianca  was left  to deal with her ill-mannered uncle all by herself. His presence was a great inconvenience, she had to go back to sleeping in her bedroom, she could no longer strut around the house half-naked, or grope and feel her daddy up as she pleased -it was worse than the days when Stephanie and her brat were here. After making hers and Michael's beds, and doing the laundry, Bianca had came up with a strategy -to see as little of Jason as possible, the best way of dealing with unrelenting pricks ,was to ignore and starve them of attention. With Jason still asleep in the guest bedroom, she seized the opportunity and prepared her pre-workout shake, changed into some yoga pants and a sports-bra and headed to the basement gym. Nothing mollified her aggravation quite like a good, intense, workout.

After the hour long workout, another hour she was blessed with without having to deal with that irksome man, who somehow, after all these years, thought he deserved special treatment from her, she took a brief breather to drink some water and hydrate her body. She wasn't as productive as she'd hoped, perhaps it was due to the long duration spent deviating from her exercise routine, but she thought her lack of stamina most owed to Jason inhabiting her thoughts, making her mind stew.  He was so reckless and favored blundering so much, she couldn't bare him being in the same room with her father.

Why did she keep torturing herself like this? It was beneath her to keep making the same mistakes, it was an insult to her intelligence, yet like a curse, bad decisions adhered to her, enticed her with deceiving benefits of now, and made her forget about the greater consequences.

Honestly, she couldn't get accustomed to this, why couldn't life just give her a break! She'd only been free from Victor's hell for a week,  She'd only been discharged a day ago and just three days ago, she'd reverted to a cripple and couldn't even stand on her own, and now she had to deal with this- being haunted by a rather petulant ghost of the past! This sure was becoming the norm for her, it seemed like one by one her decisions, her impulsive actions, were coming back to bite her. If there was anything she regretted most, tying herself to Jason would be it.

What was I thinking! What the f*****g hell were you thinking Bianca! Bianca growled inwardly, swinging her fist at the punching bag in frustration.

"Oh how I'm I going to get out of this!" She slumped down on the floor, despondency creeping up on her. It was too soon, Jason had only been back for seven hours, and could possibly invade her space for weeks to come-  it was too soon for her to be feeling like the walls are closing in on her. She was being pessimistic, and pessimism wasn't in any way going to help her devise a way forward. The feeling of doom couldn't be helped, the secret was the most enormous she'd ever kept, and if it be revealed, she stood to lose everything.

"Calm down Bianca, you can do this, don't let him get to you." Rising from the floor, she whispered the calming words to herself. She'd survived plenty, this was just another hurdle to overcome and she'd be damned if she allowed Jason to steer her life into discord.

Musing over the matter, sweat emanated from her pores, trickling down her face, chest and back, cooling her down. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally -she'd planned on going out with Chey and staying as far away from her 'darling' uncle, as possible, for as long as possible, but now she opted more for staying in and resting. The medication as well sucked the vigor out of her, on top of other factors her body hadn't recovered enough to accommodate -like the wholesome pounding she'd received just hours ago. Which she didn't regret, despite the long-term ramifications that were a possibility, she didn't regret. Her father, as promised, had came back twenty minutes later, the disdainful look on his face unmissable as he walked in and found Jason on his couch, his luggage right next to him. His peeved expression only became more prominent when he had to secretly hand her the pills -he'd taken to furtive behaviour, in his own house and he sure wasn't pleased with that. At least he wanted him out of their lives as much as she did and a little convincing that it's best 'jack hits the road' will be all he needs.

Until then, she just had to tolerate him and hopefully not add another count of murder to her name.

It was odd, as well as terrifying that she'd heard nothing so far indicating that investigations were underway for Victor's murder. His death seemed eerily low tuned, a well-established businessman, who's Audit firm audits the biggest companies  in the world, all around the world, being found dead in his home -should've have made news headlines and newspaper front pages. But she hadn't caught a single glimpse of him on the news or any other media outlet. And that had her intestines wringing in knots. She didn't want to be presented with the nasty surprise of an unexpected arrest.

But that, was a worry for another day.

Hoping Jason had  still conked out, and will be for a few hours, Bianca left the basement for the lounge, toxic nicotine immediately infiltrating her nostrils the minute she stepped into the room. Her nose scrunched up in disgust, her hands fanning away the toxic smoke, the triggering smell that not only had her lungs wailing, but reminded her of Victor, the sight before her had her seething, fraught with rage. The smoke had her squeamish, that lingering scent that always wafted around Victor's room- even though he never would smoke in her presence. But being reminded of Victor, of the man she detested the most, couldn't compare to the anger the sight of her uncle, evoked in her- it was inimitable.

 Oh why was she being tested so early in the morning!

There he was, Jason, a heaped mess on the couch, his long legs extending and crossing on the the coffee table, his black boots,  doted with mud stains, resting on its glass surface,  the very same surface she'd wiped and sprayed with glass polish before her workout, the very same coffee table her father had purchased just days ago. The man showed no regard whatsoever for property that wasn't his, he didn't respect his rank as a guest in their home -even his demeanor, his relaxed, laidback position, would've led to a stranger concluding he's the owner of the house. With his cell to his ear, Jason  entertained whoever the hell it was on the other end of the line with exaggerated remarks, the cigarette frequenting his mouth -and that wasn't all - the floor she'd left clean and without a trace of litter, now spotted with plates with hlaf-eaten food and plastic wrappers.

"Aye I see mate, you must be mugged off, Cheryl is one fine bird but she's mental." And then there was that annoying voice, that annoying half-baked Geordie accent he forced upon himself, it pained her ears, tortured her mind, excited her muscles to react.

"Get your filthy feet off the coffee table!" Bianca roughly nudged him on the shoulder, seizing his attention, but not  getting the desired response from him -he couldn't have caught her at a worse mood.

Removing his feet from the table and rather diverting his legs to the couch's armrest, Jason ended the call and turned to face her, "Aye what side of the bed did you woke up on? That's no way to greet your uncle. You know I've missed ya over the last three years, we have some catching up to do."

Bianca couldn't tell which of his actions pissed her more off - the fact that he didn't care to snub out the cigarette as he spoke to her, yet her dislike of smokers was of his knowledge, or his ignorance, deliberate or not, his failure to note just how livid she was, which made him carry on like everything was A-okay, like she just wasn't about to hurl out a bulky load of  insults at him. He was utterly disrespectful. Had she been a cartoon character, her steaming, red head would've reached maximum simmering point and shattered to pieces, realistically though, her level of rage compressed at her chest, marking her breathing beside normal.

"Would you just put that thing out!" Bianca snarled as the gush of blown smoke shot up to her face,making her cough, "uncle Jason, you just can't come in here and- you found this room squeaky clean, and you won't leave it a mess, clean up all this garbage now!"

As much as she'd risen up her voice, it was to no avail, as Jason continued to well...be Jason. "Still as bossy as ever I see." The smoking bud continued to puff smoke. A smirk rested on his face. He was doing it on purpose. He realised just how much he was getting under her skin. It was common of him to amuse himself with her short-tempered nature, to amuse himself with her blowing a fuse. Erupt, then end up in tears, like she used to as a child. Just like she poked at other people's anger, he poked at hers.

With a swipe to get his dark shoulder length hair out of his face, Jason reached for one of the three plates and handed it to her, "Cupcake, go make me a sandwich, you know my favorite."

Bianca eyed the plate, one she recognized to be from her grandmother's China set, the one she gave to her father when he decided to leave the nest, the pieces were sentimental to him, he'd be enraged if one of them broke, especially due to Jason's carelessness, when he was already one mistake away from disowning him. Scowling profusely at him, Bianca sneered derisively, "Do I look like a maid to you? Who are you f*****g expecting to clean up after your ass? You actually have no shame, I generously decide to accommodate you in my house and you do this?! Maybe you've actually forgotten what you are in this house, so let me jog your lousy druggie memory- you're nothing but a guest, an unwanted one at that - so don't get too comfortable, you're nothing special and please stop smoking that m*******a, it's damaging your head -you are not the owner of this house, you're not the owner of anything, you don't even have a lawnmower to your name! You maybe hallucinating and seeing you as a somebody, as fulfilled and important, but when I look at you, when everyone else looks at you, all they see is a sad, sad image of a thirty eight year old man who doesn't know what he's doing with his life, I see a pathetic failure who's always burdening others with picking up after his s**t! So please, before deciding to annoy me, do a little self-evaluation and use that idiotic brain for once. I have no expectations from you, I'm not even expecting you to pick up your trash after I leave, because I know you're incapable, you've always been incapable, how can I possibly expect you to succeed at throwing plastic wrappers in the bin and washing three plates, yet you were incapable of making something of yourself, even though everything was handed over to you on a silver platter?! You'll forever be the scum that everyone complains about, you'll forever be a burden, a disappointment to your parents, you'll forever be in my father's shadow, you'll forever be a failure."

Bianca hit him at the most sensitive area, where she knew it'd hurt the most. He was everything she'd stated, he'd done nothing with his life and most avoided pointing it out, not wishing to 'hurt his feelings' or damage his morale further- but she wasn't most people, and he didn't disturb most people's peace, like he did hers. It was in her nature, perhaps a trait she'd  inherited from her dead mother -she didn't sugarcoat, she was offensively blunt and insolent in speech, she didn't mind reviling an individual, regardless of their sensitivity to verbal abuse. She said it like it is, and prompted by anger, her vituperation was aimed at crashing spirits. Unlike the uninitiated child her, he used to get a kick out of harassing- she now had a perpetual supply of sharp retorts, and a washed out, wannabe rockstar like him, was easy prey for her.

Rubbing the bud of the cigarette on an ash tray, Jason flung his feet to the ground and stared her down, his eyes darkening with rage- she'd struck all the necessary cords needed to get him singing a tune delightful to her, "You know nothing about me Bianca, nothing." Jason hissed lowly, the stale cigarette breath diffusing from his thin lips.

"There's no need, what's in front of me, tells me enough, get out of my face, your breath stinks." Bianca's face squinched in disgust, shooting him a debasing glare before walking past him and sauntering upstairs.

It was back to Plan A, she was taking a shower, then going over at Chey's, before she popped a vein.

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Checking over his shoulder to make sure that no one is trailing him, Michael inserted the security code and opened the door. Soon he'd get fed up with living like a fugitive in the city he so passionately served. Thankfully, in a matter of ten days, him and Bianca will be heading for Prague, then a week later, to Bali for a month long vacation. Gurérro would've been convicted before they come back, and he wouldn't have to be a dead man walking,always having to disguise himself and rely on the state's vehicles to carry him where he needed to go.

"I told you to stop smoking inside my house." Michael addressed his brother sternly, frowning deeply as Jason rolled his eyes like a cheeky scolded child. "You better not be exposing my little girl to your toxic fumes, I didn't allow you to stay here just so you can turn my babygirl into an involuntary smoker."

Jason took one last puff before snubbing out the cigarette on an ash tray filled with the poisonous sticks. "Why are you always so serious big bro? You need to learn how to take a chill and relax."

"When are you going to clean up your act and get a job like everyone else?" Michael didn't know why he bothered, Jason wasn't going to change, he didn't want to. It was sad just how much he'd let his life spiral out of control, when their parents had done all they could to give him a good foundation to start on. While he was enlisted in the army so their father could live out his dream through him, when Jason finished high school, he was offered land and a massive cash injection to execute the business plan he'd been fervidly selling to their parents and begging them to invest in since the beginning of his sophomore year. Their father made the investment with the terms that it'd be in his name and he'll get it off the ground and run it while Jason furthered his education and equipped himself with sufficient knowledge on how to run a company. Jason ended up getting a Law degree, immediately requesting their father to hand over the ropes to him in all his disdainfully haughty attitude. Too proud to admit fault, greedy and always looking for short-term rewards,over long-term ones that demand more effort and being a fan of cutting corners and making bad decisions, Jason failed to keep the company afloat and in two years he'd filled for bankruptcy, and after liquidation,  walked out with nothing but shame. Their parents lost their land and money, but Jason lost his mind. And after a series of ups and downs, bouncing from one job to the next, Jason hit an all time low, started believing he was a rockstar and made for the stage and started abusing a variety of narcotics as well. As much as Michael wished he could just play the role of spectator and watch him waste his life away, give up on him like everyone, including their parents had -he couldn't, despite his faults, his irritating, irritating faults, Jason was still his little brother and he still cared about him and still had hope he'd turn his life around and crawl out of the trench he'd fallen into. He wanted to help him, but like he'd always been, he was obstinate and refused to be guided.

As much as he wanted to be his lifeline, if his presence was going to anyhow endanger Bianca, he was going to kick him to the curb without any hesitation whatsoever. His babygirl took top priority.

"What you talking about? I do have a job -to make music for the soul." Jason remained proud in his responses.

Michael scoffed, "And what are those backstreet performances of yours earning you?  Jason you have a law degree-"

"So what? I should be just like you and tie myself to a mundane, monotonous office job? I am just fine where I am."

"You're fine where you are?" Michael questioned as though he'd just said something beyond the borders of absurd. "Don't ever ask me for money again, from now on, you'll bail yourself out," Michael turned to the direction of the staircase, securing the zip bag and box in his arms, "don't make me have to tell you not to smoke in my house again, are we clear?" Not waiting for a response, Michael ascended the flight of stairs and got into Bianca's room, finding her lying on the bed while speaking on the phone.

"Don't say that Bianca, people have feelings nwee nwee nwee." Bianca irritably rolled her eyes, her lips curving up to a small smile as he advanced closer, "Chey i have to go..yep code D...you'd never..you seriously wouldn't dare..fine by me, bye my munchkin." Bianca ended the call, rolling off the bed and wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, you're back already, how did your meeting go?" Bianca muttered against his chest, revelling in his delightful strong scent.

"I think you're forgetting something." Michael said firmly, as though she'd forgotten to do something of great importance. Which was far from it, from how she viewed it

"And you call me the needy one." Bianca smirked smugly, standing on her toes, tilting her head up and giving him his "welcome home" kiss -or at least a portion of it, rather than the lengthy lip tango, she gave him an unsatisfying  peck. Purposely.

"Okay, what did i do?" Michael asked, knowing her tactics far too well.

"Nothing," Bianca told him, feeling the need to tease him, "I'm just feeling a bit stingy, that's all, once again, how did the meeting go? I'm eager to find out when I'll be leaving this house and getting far, far away from your annoying brother."

Instead of providing her with an answer, her father just stared at her, as though his mind had wandered away and his eyes were left concentrated on her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why don't you want to kiss me?"

"Why do you want to be kissed so much?"

"Fine." Michael placed the items on the bed, he knew what she wanted, for him to beg, and as much as he yearned for her kisses, he wasn't going to give in. "I cancelled, I had something more important to do." He told her- he couldn't wait to see her reaction, when she saw the surprise he had in-store for her.

"What could possibly be more important than us finally going to Prague?" Bianca questioned, the items finally sparking her curiosity, "what do you have there daddybear?"

Michael didn't reply until she'd unzipped the bag and a black evening dress on a hanger came to view, "Put these on, I'm taking you out."

Bianca opened the box, taking out the black red-bottoms, her father had fine, expensive taste, so did she. Throwing herself in his arms, Bianca encased him in a compressive hug, "Thanks daddy, I've been in a bad mood all day, this is just what I needed, you're the best." She pulled him in for a kiss, letting herself melt into his arms and indulge his soft lips -some months ago she only dreamt of him holding her like this, kissing her so passionately, calling her his, in the moments she got to think of just how far they'd  come, she was still unbelieving that she was the one who got kiss him, sleep in his arms, she was the one he looked at with that adoration and fire in his eyes. She couldn't have been more happier she'd surpassed the rejection stage and he now reciprocated and gave her his unrestrained love.

"I knew it'd only be a matter of time." Her father whispered gruffly, his hands resting on her waist.

"Till what?" Bianca asked, her fingers pulling at the small strands of hair making his beard.

"Your stingy-ness, became a thing of a past."

"Is it so bad that I want you to want me so bad that it drives you insane?"

"You should stop being so evil babygirl, I'm too old for these games."

Bianca was just about to speak when the sound of glass crashing into a hard floor came from downstairs, interrupting her.

"I'd forgotten about him." Bianca crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes bitterly.

Michael exhaled deeply, already dreading the talk he needed to have with Jason about his childlike tendencies. "Get dressed, we're leaving in twenty." Her father was out of the room before she could ask where he was taking her.

Thankful she'd just taken a shower, Bianca slipped into the beautiful black, figure-hugging black dress that reached just slightly below her mid-thigh and wore the reflective black stilettos that elongated her toned legs. Allowing her hair to fall freely from her shoulders, she wore her favorite penchant -the one he'd  bought her while he was in Egypt two years ago, sprayed some perfume on her neck and wrists. And with a minute to spare, she strutted out of her room and found her father, in an all black suit, already waiting for her. Not only did he look breathtakingly handsome, he smelled heavenly too.

"You look breathtaking." Michael commented, a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Hey I was about to say that. " As she hooked her arm inside his, Bianca couldn't help but wonder if she'd missed anything- she thought only a special occasion to be deserving of such effort, but she could not think of one that fell exactly to this day. Her birthday was this coming Saturday and his months away ..perhaps he wanted to spoil her with an early birthday treat? Or maybe there was no special occasion and he just wanted to show her how much he appreciated her. She leaned more towards the latter.

Outside a black sedan awaited them, 'state resource' as her father had explained. Bianca and Michael stepped into the back and Bianca finally gave in to the urge to know and inquired about their destination. "Where are we going?"

"You'll know soon enough." Was all her father offered as they drove through the city. Permitting her dabbling mind respite, Bianca ceased with trying to figure out where he might be taking her and decided to just let herself be surprised.

Thirty minutes into the drive, the driver turned to a dirt track, inciting intrigue within Bianca yet again. Looking through the window, she wasn't given much due to the dark night. Curiosity was killing her, she just needed to know already -there was certainly no restaurant situated in this woody area, or any place of leisure activities for that matter.

Just as she was about to coax him to revealing their location, a soft strap of material overlayed her eyes, her father tying it behind her head. "Why are you blindfolding me?" Bianca asked, the night becoming more and more odd as it progressed.

"I'll remove it once we've arrived and you're ready to see your surprise." Her father told her, and she could just imagine the smile he had on.

"Okay." Bianca muttered lowly, impatiently waiting for the car to come to a halt so she could be put out of her misery.

"Why do you sound worried? Don't you trust me sweetheart?"

"I do trust you daddy..it's just..the curiosity is killing me." Finally the car stopped, her father telling her to remain put before he got out and opened her door, took her hand and guided her out of the car.

"Is this how it feels to be blind! I hope I never ever lose my sight, I wouldn't survive." Bianca expressed exaggeratively, clutching on tightly to her father's hand as she struggled briefly to balance on her feet. "Daddy did you take my purse?"

"Yes sweetheart," Michael motioned her forward, "I probably shouldn't have bought such high stilettos."

"Don't worry about me daddy, I'm a pro, you have to be a good leader and don't let me fall."

"I won't, you also have to be an attentive follower as well." Michael led her to the second part of her surprise, taking off the blindfold, he studied her reaction.

"A helicopter?" Her brows creased in confusion. So he decided to finally tell her why they'd driven out to this deserted part of the city and why they stood in the middle of a plain field with a helicopter in front of them.

"This isn't exactly the surprise, we still have to fly over to it," Michael took both her hands, kissing them, "since we couldn't celebrate Valentine's day because you were still in hospital, I thought I should surprise you and we pretend it's the 14th of February today."

Bianca's heart swelled with joy, with everything that's been happening, she'd completely forgotten there was such a thing as Valentine's day, so she was utterly surprised by her father's heartwarming romantic initiative. This will be the first Valentine's they celebrated as lovers, the realisation made Bianca's beatific mood expand, almost bringing her to tears. "I'd forgotten how just how romantic you can be." Bianca kissed him, staining his lips with her red lips. "Did you say we're going to be flying?" Bianca asked almost in shock, the words only fully registering.

"Yes and I'll be steering this bird."

"You know how to fly a chopper?!" Bianca eyed him incredulously, was there anything this man couldn't do? Well..except resisting her charm.

"There's a lot you don't know about me sweetheart. I used to be in the Air force,have even  been part of the Thunderbirds, I can fly a copter and an aircraft, this bad boy right here actually belongs to a good friend of mine I met while i was in the Air Force...now come on, let's get going."

Michael helped her climb inside the chopper, telling her to put on the headset,closing the door,  before he hopped in himself, placed on his headset. Bianca beamed, being in a helicopter was a first time experience her, one she knew was going to be thrilling and enjoyable. She had planned to watch intently, capture how the chopper was started and operated, wanting this to be a learning experience as well, but she missed a few steps while she admired how sexy her knowledgeable  father looked manning such a big machine. Turning on a few switches and rotating the campus..or at least what she thought to be a campus, the helicopter roared to life, the propellers spinning and rapidly gaining momentum, seconds later, it was off the ground and Bianca's insides churned with excitement. The sounds of the powerful machine were exhilarating and alluring, she found herself shivering as chilly tingles traveled up her spine and goosebumps erupted on her skin -the familiar rush of adrenaline took her back to when she was thirteen and her father took her for a ride on his beast of a motorcycle, she'd felt so powerful, like a great conqueror.

As they flew over the sea, she was awed by the beauty of the lit city, this was definently one of the best days of her life, despite how it started out. "This is the best day of my life." Bianca gushed, retrieving her phone from her purse and taking snaps of the magnificent view.

"Well it's about to get better." Her father told her and soon a helipad came to view, and her father landed the helicopter on top of a building. Michael taking her hand and helping her climb down, Bianca gasped when she saw the table and two chairs in the middle of  the roof top. "When did you plan all this?"

"While I was in Prague, I'd missed you terribly, you were constantly on my mind, I was losing the plot a bit, planning how we'd spent each day once you're with me," Michael pulled out the chair for her, planting a kiss on her cold shoulder before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her, "So you see, you already drive me insane."

Bianca was at a loss for words, had she been an emotional person, tears of joy would have streamed down her face, but unfortunately, she was just like her father- she had difficulty expressing joy and gratitude but was explosive when angered.

"Why are you so quiet sweetheart? Is anything wrong?" Michael was beginning to get concerned, sure he wasn't expecting her to exult around like a kid or for her cheeks to become pink due to sobbing -but he was expecting more out of  her than a blank stare.

"I'm just so happy, the feeling is rare, so my mind is a bit clueless on how to react." Bianca smiled warmly, wishing she didn't have to lie to him. But how could she not feel guilty when she'd betrayed him in the worst way?

What is wrong with you Bianca! Why do you always mess things up!

"Sweetheart," Her father spoke up, breaking her out of the daze she didn't realize she was in, " are you sure you're okay? Should we go home?"

"No, I'm fine daddy, really." Bianca hoped she at least sounded convincing, this was no time for guilt to be plaguing her, for her sins to be prickling her, her father had went out of his way to make this night special for her and instead of showing her gratitude she was zoning out and leaving her poor father to presume he's done something wrong, when she's the wrongdoing one here. It had to stop. She had to suppress those constricting emotions and enjoy herself. It was unlike her to be so panicky and pessimistic.  "Seriously though daddy, i haven't been this happy in a long time, thank you." She lovingly squeezed his hand. "I'm going to dedicate each and every single day to making you as happy as you make me." She made a promise both to him and herself, unbeknownst to her the challenges ahead.

"Should I call the waiter?"

"Waiter?" Bianca was shocked to know that such a service will be available, considering the setting, until her father pressed a button she hadn't even noticed on the table and five minutes later, a woman emerged from a door at the far corner of the rooftop, with a tray in her hand. The woman placed a plate of food in front of them, before addressing her father with a familiarity Bianca didn't appreciate.

"Well you're becoming a regular, Jessica isn't in today."

Jessica? Sounds like a b***h.

"Well I hope everything's okay."

Bianca didn't like feeling like a background character, but how was she to intervene, when she didn't even know what on earth they were talking about? Or why they were so casually familiar with each other?

"Jess is fine, she just got held up at varsity that's all." The young woman answered. "Let me go get the bottle."

Bianca didn't even wait for her to cover much distance before she asking, " Who's Jessica?" The hostility in her tone was amusing her father, she was far too jealous and possessive when it comes to him. The glare she was giving Lisa, was explanatory of the saying "if looks could kill!"

"No one important, she's just the waiter that usually serves me." Michael chose not to mention that she was also Ashley's younger sister.

"If you say so, She better not be trying her luck with you if she knows what's good for her." Bianca cut into the tender steak, the juicy meat delighting her tastebuds. "Mhmmm..this is so delicious."

"Here you go," the woman placed a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne on the table, "enjoy." Bianca was thankful she didn't squeeze in conversation like last time.

"Come here."

"But daddy, I'm still eating." Bianca grumbled, putting the knife and fork down and standing up. Michael drew her closer, sitting her on his lap.

"The food can wait." Bianca bit onto to her bottom lip as her father's hands reached for the jacket she was wearing and he pulled out a small box from the inside pocket, her eyes twinkled with excitement, the anticipation hyping up her heartbeat. "I don't like falling in love," her father began, trailing off as he opened the box, took out a beautiful silver bracelet, took her hand and clasped it around her wrist, "because when I fall, I fall too hard, I give it my all..I become needy,overbearing and possessive, I love with all I am.."  he locked eyes with her, his intense blue eyes piercing into her with so much vehemence that she became weak at the knees. "It's unhealthy, I didn't want to expose you to that," ever so subtly, his cold fingers traced her smooth cheek, his thumb parting her lips, "I never thought I'd ever be this in love with anyone, especially not my daughter, my little girl." 

Bianca exhaled deeply, her heart brimming with joy, she was fully accomplished, she lacked nothing, she had the man she loved the most with her, professing his love for her. "I never thought I'd ever love anyone the way I love you daddy. It scares me sometimes, that one day you might wake up and not love me anymore, that you might get tired of me, I know I can be a b***h and I'm not easy to handle most times- but you're going to have to deal with me for the rest of your life, because I'm not going anywhere, I'm never leaving you, I'm never allowing any tramp to take you away from me, you're stuck with me forever and ever."

"You'd be the one to leave me, not the other way round."

"Never!" Bianca affirmed, examining the stunning, custom made piece of jewelry on her hand. Тата је драгоцена девојчица, све сам.." she tried reading out the strange  inscription. "What does it mean?"

"Daddy's precious babygirl, my everything."

After he  translated the words, Bianca loved it even more, pulling her father in for a kiss. "I love it, I'm never taking it off." She beamed. "Marry me." Without thought she blurted out.

Her father chuckled, c*****g an inquisitive brow, "Is this you proposing?"

"Yes, I mean I don't have a ring and I can't exactly go on one knee because I don't want to get dirty..so what do you say?"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm more serious than a heart attack, stroke and stage four leukemia combined."

"Sweetheart, You know that can never happen." Michael reminded her of the unavoidable restrictions of their illicit relationship.

"I know," Bianca huffed disdainfully, wishing the world wasn't what it was, " If I wasn't your daughter, would you have said yes?"

"If you weren't my daughter, I'd have asked you to marry me a long time ago." Bianca blushed, glad to know that even though she didn't fit as "wife material", her father saw her worthy of being his life partner.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Hmm?"

"There was something you wanted us to talk about."

Cheat! Cheat!  Cheat! Cheat!

Did her kissing Chey really make her a cheat?

Why wouldn't it, because she's a girl? Are you stupid Bianca! She scolded herself mentally.

"Oh..It's about Chey, but that's a topic for another day, not tonight." She disclosed partially a suggestion she knew he'd rather not hear tonight..or ever.

He wasn't as open-minded as she was. His jealousy boarded the extremes just like her.

How would she take it if she were in his shoes?

If he came home one day and told her, "Babygirl, how would you feel if Rick joined our relationship? You don't have to do anything with him if you don't want to, you can just watch us fuck."

The thought made her cringe.

She knew exactly what she would say, a sharp, non-negotiable "NO!!!!"

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

Bianca was awoken by the storm brewing in her stomach, she couldn't quite a humbled, settled digestive tract these days, perhaps the medication she'd been given to take for two weeks to aid the recovery of her organs, was to blame for her frequent nausea.

1:45am. She hadn't even slept for two hours, but then again, she really couldn't complain when she thought back to the enjoyable night she had, that dragged on to almost midnight...well she did have one complain - Jason being an obstacle to her giving her daddy some good loving.

Scuffing to the bathroom to empty her bladder, Bianca stumbled upon a nasty surprise, the monthly visitor that tormented every girl. "Come when I have on my favorite pair of undies why don't you," she murmured grumpily, "at least I'm not pregnant, yaay." Wiping herself with a damp towel, rinsing it in the sink, changing into suitable underwear and putting on a night pad, She staggered to her father's bathroom to tackle the source of her abdominal discomfort  - period pains.

Opening the medicine cabinet, she took out some Ibuprofen and went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water and gulped down the painkiller.  As much as they were deemed the constructive aches of a woman, Bianca was still envious of girls like Chey who didn't experience period cramps. Such injustice. Such discrimination.

Well this would explain why she was a mess over the week, why the microwave beeping chewed on her nerves, why the tiniest thing got to her so much, why she lashed out at Jason like a maniac at every instance.  At least her agony would only last for three days. Placing the glass in the sink, she felt a presence behind her, before arms snaked around her waist.

Only one person wore a rancid perfume of tobacco in this house- Jason.

Swatting his hands away and wiggling free from his hold, Bianca hissed, "What do you f*****g think you're doing huh?"

Her uncle only gave her a smirk, his repulsive gaze traveling up her body, she wasn't modestly covered in black pyjama shorts and a tight spaghetti strap vest, with  fabric sheer enough to be see-through. He knew what he was doing, he wasn't under any sort of narcotic influence, he was fully aware of his actions, and fully enjoying the reaction he was getting out of her.

Because her pig-headed uncle just didn't want to get it!

"You sure like playing hard to get cupcake bu-"

"Don't call me cupcake." Bianca spat.

Nevertheless, man continued with his madness. "But your body will always react to my  touch, because I'll always be your first."

Bianca didn't know what had gotten into her, how she'd allowed this to happen.

But if that night could be summarized, it would go like- she was drunk and heartbroken, they were in same room, it was dark, he shifted, she shifted- and that's how her uncle Jason, took her virginity.

Her father could never, ever, ever, everrrr find out, he'd never forgive her.

Which is why, she had to get rid of Jason, for good this time.

 Author's note

I know there has been a lot of confusion regarding the status of the book and why it has to be paid for now  and i am sorry that i am only addressing this now, but i had taken  2 week break to mourn the death of a close friend, who I lost to depression, so i did not check up on my stories. I only realised at the beginning of this week that they had placed the story under the Pay-To-Read programme and there is nothing i can do about it, because Blatant is a signed story and it is up to them absolutely whether  the chapters are charged or not. I really did not want you guys to have to pay so much coins to read this story yet it is not even completed, but the least i can do now is to write shorter chapters to make this darn book more affordable.

UPDATE AS 9TH JUNE 2020- Great News!  I have been given a coin redemption code you can use to get free coins to read this story. Now this code will only be valid for a week! Please use this! HERE IS THE CODE- 2F9BY8O6