Unhinged by Pamela Ann Page A

I had to ask Claire to bring me all the much needed essentials to get glammed up for the glitzy occasion.
    From what I had learned during my time in Monaco, Hugo didn’t mingle amongst folks who weren’t on par with him. He sought company with people who were on or above his status. Most wealthy people did. I supposed it was their way of shielding and protecting themselves from the less fortunate half who tended to only have money signs in their sights. It was prejudiced, but at the same time, I couldn’t fault wealthy people for that.
    Money was an addiction, an aphrodisiac to egocentric, narcissist people like my father, who based everything on his own selfish reasons.
    Speaking of which, the devil himself had tried to contact me, but I hadn’t been forthcoming with my attention. After hearing his voicemails, ordering me to call Hugo to ask for more “financial assistance” for my mother’s sake, I knew he was up to nothing good. I had sacrificed enough to save him, and for him to have the audacity to command me to do something to acquire him more gambling funds was out of the question. If it were truly for my mother, I might have considered it. However, this was Constantin Callas, a man who left trails of debts, one after the other, with no remorse for all the hurt and damage he caused. He was malevolent, purely evil through and through, without blinking twice at the prospect of selling his own daughter for his advantage.
    I had done my part. Enough was enough. I wouldn’t be a pawn for his addiction. Besides, Hugo had been generous enough to let him walk away. Consequently, if he had gotten himself in trouble once again, he had to find another way to solve his problem. Better yet, he could simply go to jail. That way, Yannis, Mama, and I could all breathe easier. Knowing my father, he would sell anything and everything before letting himself go to jail. He would exhaust every option available, to the very last breath, the last drop, before he admitted defeat.
    I hoped this time the price wasn’t too high, because his frantic calls had been consistent. To make matters worse, with each call came the threats, more menacing than the previous one. There was no denying that I was worried—of course I was—but I was simply done being his puppet, doing his bidding and paying the price for his recklessness. He was a man; therefore, he should act like one.
    The hatred I had for my father and what he had done to me and family ran deep. However, this moment wasn’t the time to ponder such unfortunate thoughts. Claire had just arrived, and we had to go to one of the private bathrooms—with the manager’s permission—to get ready.
    Pulling a few dresses out of the carryall, I could feel Claire’s gaze intently on me.
    “ If you have something to say, this is the best time to voice it out.” I encouraged her, because if I didn’t, she was going to combust with worry and intrigue.
    She made a small laugh, loving the fact that I knew her so well that she didn’t have to feel awkward about prying into my business. “Does Noah know you’re going on a date with another bloke?”
    I paused, thinking a moment before shaking my head. “Noah’s great, but he and I are casual friends…” I let the words sink in for a bit. “Yeah, casual friendship sounds about right.” Though Noah was great, there was nothing romantic or physical between us.
    “ And this new guy? How did you meet him? I hope he’s not the clingy type. You don’t need another Damen. I adore the man, but bloody hell, he’s in a bad shape, babe. You might want to reconsider when you see how gutted he’s been as of late.”
    I loved Damen, but I was in love with Hugo. Of course, since he had outright rejected my declaration of love, I was in the grieving process and trying my damnedest to move on. If I let Damen in now, I would ping pong with my feelings between two men. Damen deserved better than that.
    “ I have tried to explain as best as I could