Chapter 32 Saturday Morning

Chapter 32 Saturday Morning
Alina’s POV

It’s the weekend and I slept in like a normal human being for once.

No 8 a.m. alarm. No maids knocking at the exact second the clock hit eight. No forced meditation, no gym session that felt like punishment, no reciting those stupid motivational quotes Dad had me memorize since I was twelve. 

For once in my life, this Saturday felt pretty much ordinary and I couldn’t be happier.

When the maids came in this morning, I waved them away without even opening my eyes properly. Damn the consequences. Regina’s got my back.

“Not today,” I mumbled at them, and pulled the blanket over my head. After last night’s club adventure, my body felt like it had been hit by a truck. My legs ached, my head was fuzzy, and I had zero energy for anything else.

Lying there, I actually wondered if I could keep doing this nightlife thing. It was fun as hell while it lasted, but waking up this drained? Maybe being bad had a price tag I wasn’t ready for yet.

Eventually I dragged myself out of bed and glanced at the clock on my bedside table. Past noon. Shit.

Panic hit me hard. Dad was probably already losing his mind with anger. 

I rushed into the bathroom, showered in record time, threw on a simple cream sweater and jeans, and brushed my hair until it looked decent. If he sent someone up here, I’d just lie and say I’d been meditating the whole time. 

He loved that excuse.

Minutes later I headed downstairs, still a bit groggy. Voices drifted from the living room. I almost scoffed out loud when Dorothy’s high-pitched, fake laughter rang through the space like nails on a chalkboard. 

Of course she was still here.

I approached slowly and stopped at the entrance. There they were…Dad and Dorothy sitting close on the big couch, her pretending to be totally fascinated by whatever boring story he was telling. 

I knew better. Dorothy and her “Uncle Freddy” act always made me want to roll my eyes until they got stuck. 

In the far corner, Regina sat quietly with a book. The second our eyes met, her face lit up.

“Mom,” I called out, the word slipping out easier than I expected. 

I hurried over and dropped onto the couch beside her. Regina pulled me into a warm hug without hesitation.

The entire room went dead silent.

I lifted my head and saw Dad and Dorothy staring at us with raised eyebrows, like they’d just witnessed something impossible. 

I ignored them completely and smiled at Regina. “Did you sleep well?”

Before she could answer, Dad spoke up, sounding more surprised than angry. “Didn’t you see me sitting right here, Alina? Is it only Regina that exists in this room now? What happened to your manners?”

Regina let out a soft, playful laugh and mocked him gently. “Are you upset that your daughter noticed me first? Poor Fredrick, you’re old news already. She’s mine now. Deal with it.”

Dad made this dramatic gasping sound, clutching his chest like he was wounded. It sounded so weird and strange coming from him. 

For a second, it actually felt like we were a normal, happy family joking around on a lazy Saturday.

Of course, it didn’t last.

Dorothy, my sweet, thoughtful, malicious cousin, couldn’t let the moment stay nice. 

She tilted her head with that innocent smile and asked, “Why are you down so late, Alina? Could it be that you didn’t sleep early? What could the reason be? Did you sneak out or something? Watched some illegal videos all night?”

My stomach dropped. Before I could even open my mouth to respond, Regina jumped in, voice sharp.

“Fredrick, I’ve asked you this before…why are you still keeping this girl in our house? All she does is try to make Alina look bad every chance she gets.”

Dorothy immediately switched to her fake victim mode, eyes wide and watery. “I was just asking because I care about my cousin! Why would you say that about me, Ms Regina?”

Dad sighed and rubbed his temple. “Dorothy means well, Regina. She’s here because her father traveled, and I didn’t want her staying alone in that house.”

Then he turned to me, his tone shifting back to the usual controlling one. “Alina, why exactly are you down so late today? It is so unusual. What were you up to?”

I scoffed before I could stop myself. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m really your daughter or if it’s Dorothy. How can you ask me that just because she brought it up?”

“Watch your tone with me,” Dad warned, eyes narrowing.

Regina cut in smoothly. “Didn’t I already tell you, Fredrick? I spent last night with Alina. We were getting to know each other, talking until quite late. Can’t the girl sleep in after staying up?”

Dad’s face softened a bit. He actually looked sorry. “I forgot. My apologies.”

“I don’t care if you forgot or not,” I said, the words spilling out before I could hold them back. “I’ve just accepted my fate…that I’m not really your daughter. Maybe we should switch. You take Dorothy and I’ll go stay with her father. How about that?” I stood up and started walking away toward the dining room.

“Alina, get back here,” Dad called after me.

I kept walking. Not because I planned some big rebellion. I just… couldn’t. 

How could he keep hurting me like this, over and over again, treating Dorothy like the perfect niece while I always felt like an afterthought?

I made it into the dining room, out of earshot, but I still heard Regina giving him an earful. Good. Let her handle it.

Let mom handle it.

I rang the little bell on the table. A couple of maids hurried in and quickly brought me breakfast…well, brunch…pancakes, fresh fruit, and coffee. I started eating, trying to push down the heavy feeling in my chest.

Then Dorothy catwalked in, that victorious little grin shining in her eyes like she’d already won some invisible game.

She slid into the chair across from me, crossing her legs elegantly and resting her chin on her hand. 

“Rough morning, cousin? Or should I say…rough night?”

I kept eating, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. 

One of these days, I’m going to make her regret ever crossing me.