"Miss Ivy, you have been awaited by the board of directors for a meeting on the twentieth floor, and at one o'clock you have an invitation to lunch from Metallon company, then—"
"Yes I know. Come out Anastasia."
This is my annoying and boring life. There isn't a day without meetings, lunches, parties, going to bullshit charity events, and fiddling with piles of grueling paperwork. I'm tired. Really this is actually not my passion, but I was forced to live it for my dad. For the sake of the only parent I still have today. Well blame my parents who only have me as an only child, so I really can't leave this work to other people.
"Ms. Milano, it's time—"
"I know Anastasia, and I'm preparing my files."
That woman is really annoying. It was my dad who brought her before me to be my secretary. She's a really nimble woman, but she's so talkative that sometimes I have to yell at her loudly to stop her from spewing out a series of really annoying words. Ms. Milano do this, Ms. Milano do that, Mr. Abraham Milano is waiting for you in the meeting room, and blah blah blah. Isn't that annoying?
"Anastasia, you go upstairs first. Bring all these documents for me."
"Okay. Please don't be late again. Mr. Abraham will rebuke me."
"Tsk, you don't have to deal with my dad. Leave him to me."
I smiled broadly to see my assistant finally leave my room. Huh... this is a relief. At least I can breathe easy for a moment. At the age of twenty-three, I have never really determined my own path in life. My dad always meddled in my personal matters, so I never really lived by my own instincts. I was like a dog that my dad always put on a leash around my neck.
But strangely, everyone out there sees me as a lucky lady. A rich woman who has everything. Yeah, that is if they are only money and wealth oriented. But actually I am a pathetic woman who is lonely and needs attention. Even though I grew up in a wealthy family, I really lack affection from the people I love.
My dad was the owner of the largest steel mining and steel processing company in Ohio. As a CEO, my dad is very, very busy. There wasn't a day when I could just find my dad at home and chill in front of the television watching a baseball game. It really rarely happens. Maybe only once a year or never. The two of us usually only met at the office. And it's in a formal and very stiff setting. Rarely have we spoken with a more relaxed or warmer vibe between a dad and a daughter. Heart to heart talk. As for my mother, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Very long. Until I forget how my mother's face is because my dad and mother have been divorced since I was seven years old. My mom remarried a year after divorcing my dad and has her happy family in Chicago.
"Good morning Mr. Abraham."
"Hmm... get into the elevator quickly."
I greeted my dad like we were professional colleagues. There must be no informality in the office because my dad wanted things to stay on the strict track of formality. This is also one that I hate, where I have to always respect my dad as a boss in our company.
"How is the progress of the project from Indiana, is everything smooth?"
"Very smooth, sir. Today I will have lunch with the owner of Metallon Corp to talk about the cooperation between Star Corp and Metallon Corp."
"Good, you should keep learning from that young CEO."
After my dad entered the elevator, I chose to stand far from my dad while leaning my dizzy head on the elevator wall next to me. It's tiring to live a life like this. Or maybe I'm actually not grateful for what I have? I have too much to ask of God. The things I've always wanted.
I have a dream, one day I want to go to Europe and see the unique culture there. London, Paris, Milan, Italy. They're cool countries to visit. I occasionally watch Emily In Paris when I'm not busy. It's very sweet and I feel like I want to jump into Emily's character, who is energetic and full of courage. I love seeing the architecture of the buildings in that series. Very beautiful and awesome.
I don't know why I like classic buildings in Europe so much. They seemed to jump out of the fairytale books I used to read until I was ten. Maybe I can find a prince there. Among the magnificent castles in England. Omegosh, isn't my brain like a five year old girl?
"Ivy."
"Yes, sir." I glanced lazily at my dad.
"Don't forget to prepare the presentation material well. Behave like a smart young lady in front of our investors and also our corporate clients. You—"
I chose not to listen to dad's words any further and just followed him who was walking in front of me. Dad is very exaggerated because he always treats me like a baby. In my dad's eyes, I have always been his innocent, childish, and messy little girl so that my dad never saw me as a woman who was able to live my own life independently. In fact, I often get ridicule from my friends because I rarely get permission from my dad to just go have fun with them.
One day Selena asked me to stay at her family's villa in Toledo for three days, but my dad strictly forbade me because there was no one to protect me. Then the second reason why dad forbade me was because Selena took her cousin who was three years older than us to the villa. Dad was worried that I wouldn't be able to take care of myself, and that something bad would happen between me and Selena's cousin. God, what kind of old-fashioned thinking is that? There's no way I would do weird things to Selena's cousin who obviously has a girlfriend. Besides, do I look like a hooker who likes to seduce lonely men out there? Tsk, dad is really very old-fashioned.
"Ivy, good morning."
"Good morning Harold."
I smiled kindly at Harrold Glaswood who was looking at me affectionately. That man was one of my dad's business associates that according to rumors I was going to betrothed to him. But, whatever! I don't care about those rumors, because so far nothing has ever happened between us. It was actually me who wasn't responding to any of the signals Harrold was trying to emit to attract me. I'm not at all interested in him more than a business partner. Besides that dad also never said anything about the matchmaking rumors I heard. So I didn't have to act antipathy in front of Harrold and just acted like a business partner going into business.
"Congratulations on the tender you got. I heard that you will be collaborating with the owner of Metallon Corp directly?"
"Ah yes, I will be collaborating with Axel Krueger. How about the tender you got last week? You won the auction right?"
"Bad, there are some matters that I need to deal with. And I think the problem is quite serious. The funds are stuck. That's what makes this project like piece of shit. I think I've chosen the wrong project."
"Don't give up. I know you can do it, Harrold. You're a great businessman."
"Thank you very much, Ivy. Your support really means a lot to me."
Harrold stroked my arm gently. Looks like this project is really bad for him. Harrold had never looked this down before. He's always been ambitious. Doing everything with proper planning. He is known as a young genius when it comes to the projects he has to tackle. Harrold was very different from me, who had been quite passive so far in handling the projects that came to my company.
I live my life like flowing water. If my dad asked me to do this and that, I would immediately nod and do it like a robot. I very rarely protested against my dad or became disobedient which would make it difficult for my dad. Abraham Milano is the main controller in my life. Without my dad, I probably would not have been able to reach this point.
"Don't be too sad, Harrold. There are still many opportunities to get potential tenders."
"I know. Next month there will be a new auction for the next tender. I'm going to put my company up as the prime contractor for a new theater downtown."
"Great. I'm glad to see you're excited again."
"Ivy, come to the meeting room quickly. Why are you still standing there?"
"O-oh, the boss has called. I have to get ready for the presentation. Good luck with your new tender."
"Well, you too," Harrold replied quietly, tapping me a few times on the shoulder.
Tsk, time to work Ivy! Dad really sucks. He purposely scolded me in front of Harrold like I was a naughty daddy's little girl.
"Don't disappoint me, Ivy. You're my only hope."
I didn't say anything while walking in front of my dad. It's a message I've received since I was too young to be able to understand the meaning of the word. Maybe in a year dad says that more often than asking how I'm doing. Even my dad almost never asked me how I was doing all this time.
After entering the meeting room, I rushed to prepare the presentation material that I had made last night. Almost everyone present at the meeting this time were men. It's just me and Anastasia the woman in this room. The people who are our managers and clients look at me with the awe and awe they show so blatantly.
Hmm... sometimes this can be very sickening. Just imagine, when you are presenting your company's best products and plans for the next project, you suddenly find some eyes staring at you with disgusting lewd looks. Ughhh.. I really hate them that I want to poke their eyes with a pen.
Among them, no one really dared to date me. They are all cowards. Just admiring me from a distance. Because they are afraid of my dad. Never a single man from my own office had the audacity to approach me. I suspected that dad had threatened all of them not to get too close to me. Especially dating me. That would be a major no-no while they were working here.
And my goodness! until this old I've never had a lover! Isn't that really sad? My dad only allowed me to have male friends, but not a boyfriend. In fact, to keep me away from assholes, my dad enrolled me in an all-girls school since I was in middle school. And dad even considers sex before marriage as something taboo. Omegosh. My dad is really more like a follower of eastern culture instead of western culture.
Once upon a time I tried to be closer to a man who was my friend in college, but the next day I found that man had walked away from me. Two weeks later I discovered the fact that my dad had actually threatened him to stay away from me with typical thug threats, which I thought were very old-fashioned.
My dad is the most old-fashioned and the most protective man of all time. Could it be that his attitude was formed because my dad lost my mother? I don't know, the problem is only my dad knows.
Besides having a super annoying attitude, my dad is a closed person. At the dinner table my dad rarely discussed his personal problems. Every day the topic of our conversation is about my life and about work in the office.
I mentioned once about a woman from a gala dinner who seemed interested in my dad, but after that my dad just got angry. Really angry until his whole face was red and my body shivered with fear at his anger. Since then I no longer want to tease him about women. Because I know in my dad's heart there is only my mother's name. My mother is the only woman my dad loves. But somehow, they finally decided to divorce.