POV: Venice Angela Johnson

“Venice, dear, I have very good news for you.” Her mother, Vera Johnson, excitedly announced as they were having their sumptuous breakfast that morning.

She held her gaze up to where her mother was sitting – which was just across the table – and just gave her a questioning look. She didn’t even bother asking what because she would tell her, anyway, given the anticipation that was already visible in her voice.

Venice knew her mother too well. In her twenty-two years of existence, she already knew them like the back of her hand.

Especially right now that she uses those words at her and with that tone of voice. Her insides were now starting to get chaotic – for every single time she heard her mother say that it always turned out as bad news for her.

Venice mentally let out a deep sigh. She certainly wanted to brace herself for that.

“Ready yourself, my dear, because later this evening you will finally meet your fiancé.” Vera couldn’t hide the eagerness in her voice as she stared at them with her bright amber eyes – like hers.

She could feel her entire system sink upon hearing what she had just stated.

“That was really good news, dear.” His father, Angelo Johnson, joined her mother’s enthusiastic façade while she was left dumbfounded.

“You will get married soon! I had already planned and talked to someone, and it was already set.” Her mother joyously declared and sipped her coffee and looked at his father, who was now smiling from ear to ear.

“So, make sure to be home at four. You need to get ready and impress your soon-to-be husband, alright, dear?” Vera couldn’t stop her exhilaration and took a glance at her – just waiting for her abrupt reaction.

Venice let out a deep sigh and nodded her head.

“Yes, Mom.” She lowly answered and pasted a forced smile – one thing that she had already mastered to wear after all these years.

As if she had any other choice – Venice mentally thought, and just shrugged her shoulders.

She took another bite of her bacon and eggs as if nothing had happened, but it became bland on her tongue. Her mind was drifting towards her fixed engagement to someone she didn’t even know who.

For sure, he was a young billionaire who passed her parents’ standards. Venice wanted to sulk for a moment to relive the sadness that was slowly creeping inside her.

This setup wasn’t new to her.

Besides, since she was still young, her parents had already trained her to be a good and submissive wife to her future husband. Well, of course, being part of the elite family, her parents were planning to match her with a wealthy prominent man.

“Don’t forget to go home early, Venice. You need to prepare for the dinner tonight.” Her mother, for the nth time, reminded her as she prepared herself in going to their company to work with her father.

She stopped for a minute before looking at her from head to foot and disappointedly shook her head. But maybe she was just too glad now that she didn’t criticize her way of dressing at work – which was like she always does.

Venice was wearing no make-up at all – only face powder. Her sun-kissed brown hair was tied up into a messy bun. She wore a simple plain black sando shirt with a dark blue denim jacket that was folded until her elbows. She paired it with dark blue denim pants and white high cut rubber shoes. She was wearing her casual clothes – something that she was comfortable wearing and something that her mother wasn’t in favor of, too.

She just shrugged it off. Her mind was preoccupied with her news a while ago that she lost her care of what she thinks of her, now.

In fact, she was just waiting for them to go now before she went on to her own restaurant too, for work. One thing, that she was itching to do because she wanted something to think about rather than being crazily asking herself about who she would marry.

“By the way, where’s Vince?” Angelo, in his dashing coat and tie, seriously asked her.

Venice swallowed the lump in her throat.

This was not good, she thought.

She could have overseen her parents’ reaction by now.

“Uh, he said that he went into a mountain t-trekking, D-Dad.” She nervously answered.

Gone was the smile pasted on his lips anymore – only the bright red that reflected his fury was visible. He clenched his jaw and pressed both his lips together.

“That jerky man! I didn’t send him abroad to do such things now! He must be training to be ready to take over the company soon!” His father angrily snapped – making her mother heave a deep sigh and move towards where they were.

“Shhhh, stop it, dear. You know that isn’t good for you, now.” Her mother tenderly consoled him.

“I know, I know. But he is too much. This is too much! And I want you to talk to your son. I’m losing my patience now. He should set his priorities straight or else, I will certainly disown him.” Angelo furiously stated – making her flinch a bit.

That was a heavy threat to her older brother. Maybe, she might call him up later, once she was in the restaurant. She heaved a deep sigh.

Her mother tried to soothe her raging father with her tapping his back and shoulders.

“Don’t worry about it, darling. I’ll surely talk to him.” She seriously uttered and got his father in the car while still calming his intense ferocity.

Venice let out a deep breathy sigh when her parents were out of her vision. At last, she was now alone at the house. She needed to get her things, too, so she could also go to work now.

This was her everyday routine.

And every single day with her parents was really suffocating her. Both of her parents were strict and too controlling. The reason why his brother, Vince Angelo Johnson, was rebelling. He wouldn’t follow their orders no matter what.

Vince despised being caged in the four corners of their office – well, even at their house… at times. He loathed piles of paper works. He would be bored to death – that was his harsh description once she had already asked him why.

He loved adventure and mind-blowing activities. He was highly spirited, that he couldn’t stay in one place. He wanted to live life to the fullest. He hated plans and wanted spontaneous moments. He reviled rules and restrictions.

Those were the main reasons why he and their parents always had an argument.

And she, was his total opposite, if she might add.

Venice Angela Johnson was a plain submissive woman who just wanted to please their parents. She was ‘the lamb’ in the family. She was plain and proper. She followed rules obediently and she always applied proper and right etiquette.

Well, she built a restaurant from her own savings while she was still attending school. She took up business management but still pursued her passion for cooking through taking up crash courses, something that her parents never knew. Maybe, a part of her that was the same with his brother.

But she made sure that she wouldn’t do anything that would make her parents displeased. She was certainly a compliant one – even if it meant giving them her right to choose her soon-to-be husband.

She was plainly boring and a fake, a harsh description coming from her older brother – but the truest word that labels her because she definitely knew that she indeed was.

She was boring, that she was an ‘always yes’ person to their parents.

Vince would always pursue her to do things with that spur-of-the-moment vibe, but she always declined him. She knew that she wanted it. She had a fair share of doing it – a little less than his brother, though – but she was just so cautious of how their might react. Or most probably, she was just so scared of losing them in the process that she might have ended up being a disappointment to them.

She was also faking and covering her real self. She was trying so hard to fit in the shoe that her parents had made for her – making Vince more rebellious for her. Since, she was young, she had already been trained by her mother what to do and not to do.

In any other way, Venice was slightly jealous of her brother, though. She hoped that she could inherit some of his guts to contradict her parents for once. She hoped that she could find the strength inside her to show her true self. She just wished that she could choose whom to marry when the time came.

But that would be futile – especially right now.

Well, she was just so thankful that her mother and father allowed her to put up a restaurant. In fact, only a few knew that she owned it and that she was a chef. It was a discreet thing. Her parents just made it look like her past time or something, so they didn’t even announce it publicly.

Venice felt a tinge of pain, but she just shrugged it all off anyway. She didn’t want to think about it. All she thought was that as long as she was doing her passion, not a single word could ever put her down.

The kitchen was the biggest part of her…

A part of her that was still genuine and that was reflecting her truest self.

Her restaurant became more of her home rather than their house, actually. It is the reason why she put up a small office and a minute room in it.

Whenever, her parents were out of the country, she preferred staying there and not at the Johnson Manor. She loved to experiment with new lists of menus and put up a new recipe on every occasion. She also had grown to love baking. In fact, she was a certified pastry chef, too.

Venice didn’t inform her parents, anyway about it. They wouldn’t surely be glad at her accomplishments on such things. It was making her sad a few times, but she learned to appreciate the good memories rather than the negative ones.

“Good morning, Miss.” Her employees greeted her with their sweet smile.

She just nodded and gave them a small smile as she walked towards where her small office was with her natural graceful moves – leaving them astonished yet puzzled about her indifference.

She was still pissed and sad about her mother’s announcement during their breakfast, and no matter what happy thoughts she thinks of – it still lingers in her mind which was making her more frustrated.

Venice placed her bag on her small wooden table and looked at the body-length mirror in the corner of her office. She languidly removed her denim jacket and hang it. Then, she got her chef’s apron and just placed it above her casual clothes and tied it absentmindedly.

She looked at herself reflected in the mirror as she was tying her long sun-kissed brown wavy hair with a hairnet. She was surely downhearted at the moment, but it would certainly affect her cooking.

Venice let out a deep sigh and slightly slapped her both cheeks using her soft palms.

“Stop thinking about it, Venice. Just focus on your work today. You can do it!” She encouragingly told herself like a mantra to fight the negativities that were gradually consuming her.

She took a final look at herself before walking to the kitchen that was connected to her office. She stopped and went towards the kitchen door to check whether customers were flocking in – and like every single day, all seats on the ground floor were occupied.

That made her smile and uplifted her spirit.

She was about to move to work when a familiar man caught up her gaze.

Her heart beat quickened, and her knees wobbled. Her stomach fluttered that she surely wanted to jump and scream with so much joy.

Ethan Xyrus Harris was again at her restaurant!

Her childhood friend and long-time secret love was patronizing her very own restaurant.

She bit her lower lip and was inspired to work now. She walked towards her station and gave every one of her chefs a sweet smile.

Gone were her problems like bubbles that vanished into the subtle air.

Her happy pill was already there.