Chapter 474

My eyes go wide. "But I don't want that!"

"You should," dad says, and I whip my head back to see him studying me with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't raise my children to simply hand out millions of dollars without knowing precisely where it went, Ariel."

"It's going to Luca, dad," I say, narrowing my eyes at him and holding out my palm towards my mate. "Whom I trust."

"Actually, it wouldn't be," Luca says, and I spin my head to face him, my eyes even wider. He gives an apologetic shrug. "I have very little to do with the day-to-day running of the gym and the support of all the kids who are enrolled as charity pupils, Ariel. I mean, obviously I'm here, not there. The money would be going directly to my uncle if you simply wrote a check. And, considering..." he hesitates now, letting me fill in the blanks, knowing how I feel about his uncle at the current moment.noveldrama

I scowl, leaning back against the chair and taking a deep breath, feeling underprepared for all of this.

"We're here to help you, Ariel," mom says, reaching out and running a hand up and down my arm, comforting. "Why don't you and Luca take a few days to talk? Figure out precisely how you want the money allocated and where you want it to go. Then, once you've made some decisions, Ariel, we'll hire someone who does this professionally - who can oversee the donation and really ensure that it's doing what you want it to."

"That doesn't feel fair," I say with a sigh, looking only at my mom now because she feels like the one who will understand. "I just want to help - I don't want to take over."

"It's your responsibility, darling," she says gently.

"I don't want to change Luca's vision, though," I reply, getting a little upset about it.

"It perhaps needs to change anyway," Luca says, drawing my attention to him. "The gym...it's not precisely profitable at this moment, and the infrastructure we currently have is not really prepared to handle the influx of this kind of money - my uncle is a boxer and a coach, not a businessman. Honestly, the gym could use this kind of help - could use the money, but could also use someone in charge who really knows how to spend it. I think it's right, Ariel."

I sigh, squeezing Luca's hand, feeling just how much he means that down the bond.

But I glance back towards the paper on the table. "And we're sending...all of this money?"

Dad smirks a little. "You can spend it as you wish, Ariel, but I would hope that you would allocate some funds elsewhere. There are many organizations that could use it. Or, perhaps there's a project you'd like to develop yourself for which you would reserve some funds."

I frown a little, taking another deep breath. "I don't really have time for all of this," I murmur, picking up the paper and looking it over, still baffled by the insane amount of money at my fingertips.

"You will make the time, young lady," my dad says, stern.

I look up at him and put the paper down on the table again, my spine straightening the way it always does when he speaks to me with that tone, just on the edge of scolding.

Dad shakes his head at me, slow. "Your mother is right - this is a responsibility and you are ready for it. I'm aware that you have other obligations on your time at this school, but you are a Princess of this realm, Ariel. Your people deserve some of your attention as well - you can and should make time for them. If you do not, the money will simply sit in your account waiting for you when it could be out in the world doing good."

I purse my lips a little, feeling the responsibility settle on my shoulders, feeling myself adjust to accommodate it. God, is this really what I want? More responsibility, when I'm trying to juggle two mates and my work as an espionage Cadet in a nation on the brink of war?

Can...can I handle all of this at once?