25. Ivy
CHAPTER 25
Ivy
T he Present
Later that night, I’m tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
My heart feels like it’s been torn into shreds.
I can’t even cry anymore…my tear ducts have dried up.
I can’t think… my stream of consciousness is now lethargic and weak.
I feel like I’ve been sucked into a world full of nothing and everything all at once.
There’s silence, well, it's as silent as these paper-thin walls will allow.
Everything feels elusive, as if I just had an important dream that’s clinging at the edge of my memory, forcing me to recall it over and over again.
And to make matters worse, Grammy kept calling. For hours after I got back.
Maybe she sensed something seriously messed up was going on with me.
She’s always been so perceptive… I wonder if she knew all along that Beverly was married to Governor Hughes and that they have another daughter who happens to be my twin sister.
If they knew, why did they never tell me about my mother?
On one hand, my grandparents were so heartbroken and soul-crushed when Beverly disappeared.
For years, they were searching for her while they both raised the children she abandoned.
Meanwhile, here she was all this time, living it up as the wife of a governor in the Big Apple with a daughter she chose after discarding the other!
A sharp, unbearable pain zaps through me.
I’m crouched into a ball on the floor.
I was in a daze after Emmett’s cousin dropped me off that I don’t even remember getting in here.
Hell, it’s only now I realize that I literally don’t have any of my stuff.
I recall the enthusiasm and stupid excitement that I had hours ago when I packed my bags, thinking my biological father’s daughter wanted me to stay at their home so I could get to know my father.
But it turns out, I was part of her evasive plan! And I walked right into it!
I start chuckling again, but when the pounding in my head starts all over again, I fall silent.
“What an idiot,” I mutter to myself.
I don’t even have my migraine pills or any of my medication. No clothes. No toiletries. Just my phone and a shattered soul.
Honestly, this was nothing at all like I had imagined.
All the things that came to light mere hours after landing in the city are all too incredulous to be real.
What happened to the heart-wrenching father-daughter reunions on TikTok that make everyone cry?
Why couldn’t I get one of those reunions?
Instead, after killing Gramps, after working to atone, after all the laws I’ve broken, the time that I spent… this is what I get?
“God, why me?” I whisper in the silence.
When I was younger, I didn’t really have friends, and felt huge waves of emotions that I couldn’t express. All Grammy could advise me was to talk to God.
She said He listens. And most often than not, He responds in ways we never expect.
“Is this part of your response too?”
Hot, salty tears start streaming down my face.
The humiliation I felt tonight…all in front of strangers that had my life in their hands.
And Emmett was there too.
I don’t even want to think about him right now, but just like falling for him all those years ago, I don’t always have a choice.
It’s as if my mind, soul, and heart have their own dictator that they willingly submit to.
I need to get out of here.
As soon as possible.
When I finally sit up straight, the sun is shining bright and New York is up and active.
I need to go get my luggage from that house…after all, my IDs are there.
I really don’t want to see those people again, but it’s Friday morning. I doubt anyone would be there.
I get up and make my way to the bathroom and wash my face. Lucky for me, the mouthwash I got yesterday is still there, so I use that and then still wearing the same clothes as last night, I leave and hail down a yellow cab.
Might as well experience one New York City thing before I leave.
As we drive, I decide to search up the Hughes family.
I should’ve done this before meeting them! This should’ve been my first indication. Showing up at any new space without being prepared is just begging to be taught a lesson.
For some stupid reason, I didn’t want to have any preconceived notions built from the internet when meeting my father.
I just knew he was called Teddy Hughes. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d be this…
And never did I imagine that the woman who I spent my entire life crying for, missing, begging for, she’d been married to that same man and living lavishly all this time.
Hundreds upon hundreds of search results pop up within seconds.
All the notable achievements, bills, and policies Governor Hughes has been part of pop up.
His poll rankings in the past few years.
There are even fan sites, urging him to run for president.
Not only that, the pictures on social media are something else too.
I click on one and there he is, with a huge smile on his face and standing next to him are his wife and daughter. The perfect family that represents everything America is supposed to be.
And yet I’m the reserve daughter they kept apart to give as a blood offering in exchange for power and greed.
I feel sick to my stomach.
It’s only then that I realize I haven’t eaten since the strawberries and chocolates from the plane with Emmett yesterday.
Has it really been less than twenty-fours? Why does it feel like an eternity has passed already?
Just as I’m about to lock my phone, a link grabs my attention with one simple headline.
Governor Hughes Not So Honest About Family Values.
Immediately, I click the link with trembling fingers only to see it’s a blog with a picture of Governor Hughes, his wife, and daughter Melissa. All three have big smiles, but the article only has a few vague sentences alleging that all is not what it seems within the Hughes family.
I freeze.
What does this mean?
Is my name, face, and the fact that I’m Governor Hughes’s dirty secret child going to blow up?
I’m aware that politics is a dirty game, but so far this is the only article that hasn’t picked up any traction…simply because it’s vague.
Why is that?
I remember there were a few people last night who clearly heard what Melissa said.
Hell, there was even a spotlight on me. Everyone saw me and with the way Melissa and I look alike, it’s obvious that we are sisters, so why hasn’t the news spread yet?
I get my answer when I arrive at Governor Hughes’ huge mansion in upstate New York an hour and a half later.
After frantically surfing the web using every search word possible, nothing alluding to my existence comes up.
Even that one link disappeared when I tried refreshing it.
“Mom, look! I knew she’d be back!”
I stare at Melissa after I’m shown into the house by someone who quickly disappeared after Melissa arrived.
She folds her arms and smirks at me, dressed head to toe in designer brands.
“I’m just here to collect my stuff.”
“We got rid of it.”
I pause and stare at her.
One thing about me…I’m not good at confrontations.
In fact, when I was younger I would cry if I got angry…then at some point I’d go straight to just throwing hands, as my brother directed.
But for some reason, the malicious smile on Melissa’s face makes me pause.
“Why?”
“Because you won’t be needing any of that silly stuff anymore,” she says with a shrug. “You’re now a Hughes! You need to act the part.”
I’m now a Hughes?
Really?
Less than twenty-four hours ago, my entire life was flipped upside down and now the one thing I’ve had from the day I was abandoned to now is being taken away?
I don’t think so.
“No thanks,” I say simply, holding her gaze so she sees I’m dead serious. “Where did you have my stuff thrown away?”
Just as she opens her mouth to retort, I spot Beverly coming down the stairs.
She eyes me, then when she sees me looking at her, she looks away.
How could this woman be Grammy and Gramps’s child?
“Mom, did you hear what she said?” Melissa says. “She thinks she has a choice on whether or not she can denounce this family.”
“That’s hardly an issue seeing as I have never and will never be a part of your shit family,” I say as politely as ever, but inside, my stomach is twisting in knots. “Where are my bags?”
“Uh, Ivy, is it?” Beverly speaks, her voice soft but firm. “You must come in, we were just about to have brunch.”
“I won’t be staying.”
“But we need to discuss the details of your wedding.”
I deadpan.
Is this lady serious right now?
It’s as if everything I just said went in one ear and quickly flew out the other ear weighed down by those huge diamond earrings, I’d be surprised if she heard me.
“Mrs. Hughes,” I start, the Westbrook Blues put them in their place training kicking in. “Last night I got the opportunity to meet the man and woman who are supposedly responsible for my being here and that’s about it. I am not your child. You are not my mother and I don’t have a sister, let alone a twin. So, if you’d be amicable enough as to let me retrieve the items I forgot to collect when I left last night.”
My voice is steady and firm.
My shoulders are straight, chin up, and posture correct.
I’ve been around rich, uptight, and obnoxious people all my life, but I’ve also been around the very top of the top who taught me how to never back down.
“Well,” Beverly starts. “It seems you were raised very well.”
“Did you think I’m an uneducated, pathetic idiot?” I scoff. “Marie and Samuel Irving raised me very well.”
I watch her intently, waiting to see if she reacts to those names.
“You do remember Marie and Samuel Irving, right? Or are you too ashamed of your own parents that raised you and the children you abandoned?”
“You’re getting a bit too emotional there, dear,” Beverly says, watching me. “We wouldn’t want another episode like last night.”
It’s as if gasoline has been poured over my already burning flesh and now I’m ablaze.
“An episode?”
“Your sickness or whatever it is that’s wrong with you.” At her words, my entire world halts. “James!”
A middle-aged man suddenly appears.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Let’s schedule an appointment with Dr. Kelly for tomorrow morning to get the girl checked.”
The girl? Is she talking about me?
“Excuse me?”
Beverly looks at me. “Oh, honey, did you not hear what I just said? We need to make sure you’re ready for the wedding in four days. Who knows if the Easton Family demands a bill of health?”
Is this woman serious?
“Oh and James, is the room ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good, please show Ms. Ivy to her room,” Beverly says.
“I’m not staying here,” I snap.
“But it’s only a matter of time before the press and paparazzi get a hold of you,” Melissa says. “A small-town bumpkin like you has no idea what the limelight means.”
Small town.
I did tell her that I lived in a small town but never elaborated on which one.
Looking at Beverly, though, she obviously knows about Westbrook Blues.
“Your father is the governor of New York and a high-profile man and you don’t have any training, so you will stay here.”
My father? The hell is she on?
“Mrs. Hughes, you might have made leaps and everything you can for your husband, but I won’t be doing the same just because you say so. That man is not my father,” I state, trying not to grit my teeth. “And you are nothing to me. I don’t care about your lives. Now, if you’ll give me what I came for, I’ll be on my way.”
Beverly turns to look at me. “I don’t know how you were raised to be so rebellious and disobedient, but I will not have that.”
“Excuse you?”
“I won’t allow you to ruin Theodore’s career, so you will go to your room. Brunch will be brought up for you if you’re hungry. Then later, the garment makers will be here to get your measurements.”
It's as if I’m watching my freedom being snatched from me in front of my eyes.
“What makes you think you can tell me what to do?” I demand, crossing my arms. “I made it clear last night that I’m not your puppet! I won’t be doing any of what you think I’ll do.”
Well—” Melissa starts, but her mother cuts her off.
“Mel, my baby,” Beverly starts as she turns to look at her with a smile. “Why don’t we go to the city to shop for tonight? We can also grab lunch.”
I clench my fists at my sides.
“Oh, can we?” Mel suddenly perks up excitedly. “I have this dress I really want to wear!”
“Good, now quickly go change and let’s go.”
At that, Melissa rushes up the stairs and is gone.
Beverly turns to me, then she starts walking in my direction. Before I even realize it, she’s right in front of me.
“You said you were raised very well by Marie and Samuel Irving,” she starts, her voice now firm, hard, and void of any emotion. “Well, that means you love them.”
“I do,” I admit. “Something you’ll never know.”
“Then you are weak.”
I stare at her, stunned.
“It’s their love and care that destroyed them, did you ever realize that?”
“What?” I frown.
“I knew you were just a naive girl that sees the world through rose-colored glasses,” she says. “But I didn’t expect you to be this silly!”
“Well, I’m sorry to have disappointed you and your expectations.”
“You clearly resent me, I get that,” she goes on. “But at the very least shouldn’t you open your eyes? Have you never wondered why they never left that damned town?”
My heart kicks in my chest at her words.
“That town did nothing but trap my parents, chain them to the point where they’ve never been able to leave and guess what, little girl, they’ll never leave,” she grits out, anger alight in eyes so similar to Grammy’s. “I had to leave, and I fought tooth and nail to not fall into the same pit they did, and now here you are, crucifying me for the choices I made.”
I stare at her, not knowing what to say.
“See, I’ve worked severely hard to get to where I am today, and I will be damned if a little girl that I gave birth to destroys that,” she murmurs in a low tone. “You will do as you were created to do.”
Something about the way she’s looking at me, the way the temperature of the room drops, the way I suddenly feel like I’m being caged makes me almost take a step back.
“And if I don’t?” I counter, holding her stare.
“Then your world as you know it will cease to exist.”
And just like that my hackles rise.
The hairs at the back of my neck rise.
I stare at her, unable to believe how a person can be so malicious to her own child.
“What do you mean?”
“You love hard, huh?” she counters. “Let’s see what you’ll do when everything and everyone you love is destroyed because of you.”
A bad feeling takes root in the pit of my stomach.
I don’t like the half-smile on her face that doesn’t reach her sharp eyes.
And suddenly, it hits me square in the chest.
“How’s your grandmother and brother, by the way? Have they seen your face on the internet yet?”
My lips fall open.
This woman…
“You wouldn’t,” I gasp.
“Oh, but, sweetheart,” Beverly whispers as she steps even closer to me.. “I’m the ruthless mother that abandoned her newborn baby in the middle of the night, how can I be so weak as to be threatened by that same child now?”
I try to shake my head.
“But… she’s your mother!” I murmur, my body now trembling. “And he’s your son!”
“And you will do as you’re told if you want to keep them safe.”
She means it.
The glint in her eye is sure and determined.
This lady is not opposed to harming her own family.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation, but I need you to be clear about one thing,” she says calmly. “Melissa jumped the gun on bringing you here and then everything went to hell last night. But even that unexpected adjustment won’t stop anything.”
“Unexpected?”
“The fact that you were given power to choose the next heir of the Easton Outfit!” she grits out. “That has never happened before! The Easton family are the most ruthless, long-standing underbelly Outfit in the world, with power beyond anything ever seen and yet you, a little girl from nowhere, was given power just like that?”
She looks confused and angry. I chuckle.
“It seems you miscalculated then,” I say lazily. “Without knowing all the details you assumed your daughter dodged a bullet and now that this has happened, you are regretting it.”
The look she gives me tells me I’m spot-on.
“How do you even know them?” she demands, but I remain silent. “Well, whatever the case may be, you will do as you are told.”
“Do what?”
“Choose who we tell you to choose.”
With that, she gives me one final look and then she steps back and gestures for that man, James, and two huge security dudes to obviously take me away…like a once free and beautiful bird now being locked up in a gilded cage.