Cecelia.

Chapter 1: Coming Undone

I can't do this anymore, I decided. I need to get away.

And I did.

It was monday evening when it happened. My spanish tutor had just left when my mother called me to her room.

"What's up, mommy-o?" I asked in a childish manner.

"Stop with the foolishness, girl. You are the heiress to our empire, you should act like it."

What's got her panties in a twist? I thought with a grimace.

"Woah there, you're my mother, not my personal trainer."

"I am your personal trainer. You know your father is sick, and soon you'll have to get married and take over what with your brother being too young."

"Mom, I'm only eighteen and this is twenty-first century for Godsake!" I exclaimed. "I haven't even finished highschool yet."

"Richard told me this was not going to be difficult, but he does not know just how much of a disgrace you are!"

My face was burning with anger; in the background I heard our help, Martha, gasp. That was all I needed to explode.

"I am so done with you, mother! Or wait, you're not my mother, now are you? You're Mrs. Dominico, the queen of France! I'm done having this conversation. I'm done being condoned for not being perfect enough!"

I turned on my feet, and headed up to my room shutting the door with a bang, followed by the click of the lock. Since mother thinks I'm old enough to handle the entire business and get married, I think it was time for me to show her just how grown-up I actually was. I whipped out my phone and dialed the last person I wanted to talk to.

"Hey William, this is Cecelia. You are not busy, are you? I need your help."

William Lancaster; son of oil tycoon and my father's business partner, Mr. Loongi Lancaster. Do not even ask me about his name, please. William and I? Ex-best friends. We had become friends a few years ago, when his father joined his oil business to ours; yes, we were bigshot out here. My father had superior ownership, of course, that is how I became the sole heiress. Both Will and I hated our families way of living, and that is how we eventually became best friends, the whole texting 24/7 and walking each other to classes deal. Then he asked me to our freshman year homecoming dance.

I said yes, naturally. Everyone expected us to go together anyway. Everyone expected us to end up together; everyone expected too much from me. He ditched me. He stood me up. No matter how many different ways I put it, I cannot make sense of it. Although I only had platonic feelings for Will, we were bestfriends and I had not expected him to do what he did.

That was 2 years ago and we never talked after that. Especially after Will started hanging out with Lilly Meaghon at school; my sworn enemy back then. Rumour had it Will ditched poor little me for Lilly because she needed a shoulder to cry on. What a wuss.

Anyway, let us get back to the present now.

"I'm good, thanks for asking, love," Will drawled sarcastically. "How are you?"

"Shut up, William," I paused to take in a shaky breath. "I'm not in the mood."

"Are you all right?" Will asked, suddenly alert. Guess that extinguishes my hopes of him not having heard my shaky intake of breath.

"Look. Can you meet me outside my house in 30 minutes? Bring your car."

"Um, C... it's 1 a.m., you do realise that, don't you? Oh, and you're talking to William Lancaster. You hate him, remember?"