Just Ben
BEN POV
Everything else finally made sense.
I was never their granddaughter; for years, they chose to keep the truth from me.
Even if I was abandoned, where were my biological parents?
Tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
“Is that why you’ve always been harsh toward me? You never loved me because I was never your blood, and I finally understand you always treated me like an outsider.”
My grandfather sighed deeply, removing his glasses.
“No,” he muttered firmly.
Our eyes locked in a frenzy.
“You don’t get to turn the tables… Benedykta, because this family took you in, and I personally ensured that you always had the best. You went to one of the best elite private schools in the country, and I made sure that you went to Germany for college. I did everything for you, and yet you’ll always be ungrateful.”
His voice was laced with bitterness.
I sniffled softly.
“I never asked you to adopt me… I never fucking asked you for this lavish lifestyle. All I ever wanted was your love and approval, Grandpa. If you were never going to give me that, you should have left me at some orphanage.”
He scoffed, annoyed.
“Look at everything around you, Benedykta. Do you really want to throw it all away? I don’t want you to end up like the woman that abandoned you as soon as she brought you into this world.”
I glared at him.
“She might have abandoned me, but that woman will always be my flesh and blood because she is my mother, regardless of her actions.”
He remained silent, watching me.
“I made you the woman you are today, Benedykta… if it wasn’t for me, you would have been wasting your talent on the streets.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“I have always wanted to live up to your expectations, but not anymore… I am done being your puppet, so find someone else to play the role of your perfect granddaughter.”
I stood up, ready to leave.
“You would have been living the perfect life, probably married to one of the wealthiest bachelors in town, but you chose to throw it all away for what?”
I swallowed hard.
“Love?” he taunted.
I spun around, facing him.
He put on his glasses, taking a sip of his tea.
“You fell in love with a man old enough to be your own father.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I don’t need your validation to live my life because I do as I wish, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
He looked pissed off, but I didn’t give a fuck.
“It’s a long shot, Benedykta, but you can still redeem yourself for the sake of this life. Just convince Nolan to take you back so that way the company won’t have to go bankrupt.”
A gasp escaped my lips.
How long did he know the truth?
Like he read my mind, he smiled to himself.
“Did you really think you could keep things hidden in my own company? I knew about your father’s debt and how he shamelessly embezzled money from the company to feed his gambling addiction.”
I wiped away a lone tear that had rolled down my cheek.
“Your father is my son… despite his wrongdoings, I couldn’t send him to prison because if the news ever got out, the press would use it against us and ruin our reputation. So, I personally convinced your mother to talk to you about the contract marriage.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“It’s true that I was going to make you marry a man you never loved, but I was certain that one way or another, you and Nolan would fall for each other, so I clung to that hope and offered this deal to Mr. Esteban… if he wanted you for himself, he could have just told me instead of doing it behind my back.”
I felt sick to my stomach and slumped into my empty seat weakly.
“You’ve always planned to ruin my life, right? Even my own parents didn’t care about how I felt about the situation.”
I chuckled angrily, wiping my tears away.
My life felt like a joke.
That was going to change because I was done living by everybody’s rules.
“Where is she?”
He narrowed his eyes at me.
“My biological mother; I want to see her.”
He shrugged carelessly.
“I haven’t spoken to her since she left you at the hospital, but the moment I wrote her a check, she disappeared and never came back.”
I remained silent.
“Your mother was an alcoholic, Benedykta. She did the right thing by abandoning you because you were only going to suffer for the sins you never committed.”
I nodded quietly.
“I will find her.”
He smiled at me.
“Be my guest, Benedykta; you can’t keep chasing a ghost.”
I’ve had enough of being part of this manipulating family.
“Listen to me, Benedykta; the moment you choose to walk away from this family, you are going to lose everything, and I will take the liberty of freezing all cards and any assets that are in the family name.”
I ran my fingers through my hair.
“Choose wisely, granddaughter.”
I smirked, giving him the middle finger, and left for good this time.
It was time to write my own story and figure out who I am.
I was never dependent on my family’s money, and I had my own means of earning money using my writing skills.
I had published my first book a year ago under a pen name no one would ever recognize.
My book was a bestseller, even if I never made my face public to the world.
I breathed a sigh of relief because I finally felt free.
I was no longer Benedykta Rebel.
I was just Ben.
I stood at the massive gates of the mansion, giving it one final glance because this would be the last time I set foot here.
To the Rebel family, I was just a puppet they exploited to make money for the company, and I was fucking done playing along.
The Rebel family deserved a little suffering for making me go through hell, and I hope Nolan sues them.
This city wasn’t for me.
The whole town had labeled me a homewrecker and a slut all because I liked a boy?
I’ve had enough of the constant harassment, and this whole ordeal was good for my pregnancy; the best thing for m
e was to just leave everything behind and start afresh on a small farm.
What about Ambrose?
Maybe the day I finally have the courage to come clean, I’ll tell him the truth.
I placed my hand over my stomach.