The Kiss that Sparked it All

"You know, this dinner party is basically thrown for you. I get that these shindigs aren't your cup of tea, but the last time you bailed, you missed out on meeting some great folks. Imogen mentioned that most people your age are already paired up, and here you are still flying solo. How can I not worry as your old man? I'm not pushing you to speed date or anything; just mingle a bit. You're young; making a few friends wouldn't hurt, right?”

Every time Imogen’s name came up, Regina couldn't help but lose the smile on her face.

Not speed dating? It was still nudging her to meet men, preferably those well-off ones, to marry off quickly so she wouldn't compete with her daughter for the family fortune.

Regina could see it clear as day, a bitter taste welling up inside her, but unfortunately, these thoughts couldn't be voiced in front of her dad.

“Imogen means well; having her look out for you gives me some peace of mind,” her father Francis added, no longer a spring chicken himself, which made Regina feel a pang of

sadness.

“Dad, can you not talk like that? You make it sound like you're about to leave me.”

"Young lady, how can you speak to your father in such a way? Bottom line, you're not skipping out tomorrow, got it? If you don't show up, I'm cutting off your credit card for a

month!”

"Ah!" Regina let out a pained cry, “Dad, that's just cruel.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

No matter how much she loathed the idea, she had to attend the blasted dinner party, or her dad would make good on his threat to cut her off financially.

She was only at the newspaper out of interest; without her allowance, she'd be stuck.

The interview with Ivy wasn't even in the bag yet, and she had no desire to head back to the newsroom nor the mood to dine with friends.

With a heavy heart, she made her way back to her own apartment.

After hanging up the phone, Francis chuckled and shook his head, looking at his phone. Regina, his child, had moved out on her own the day she came of age.

His feelings for her were more guilt than affection; her mother had passed away early, and all he could offer as her father was a comfortable life, but no amount of effort could replace a mother's love.

That's why he had remarried, though he hadn't anticipated the rocky relationship between her and his second wife, Imogen.

It's not that Imogen hadn't tried; she had made every effort to bond with his daughter, but

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it was always a warm approach met with cold indifference, no matter what she did.

He knew, however, that his daughter's concessions were already quite a feat, considering that now it was just the three of them left in the house.

No matter how much he tried to mend their relationship, some things could never return to how they used to be.

Noticing Francis sighing, Imogen moved closer, tenderly resting her hand on his temple and gently massaging it. “Is it that migraine acting up again? Weren't you just on the phone with Regina? What's with the heavy sighs now?”

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