Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
He takes his seat beside me and mutters, “I just saw that bastard leave.”
I nod in response.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his gaze piercing through me.
“I am,” I reply, trying my best to work up a smile, even though I know it will be nearly impossible to convince my father that it’s genuine.
“I don’t even know where to start apologizing,” he mumbles. “I am so sorry for putting you in this position. To see me like this…to…”
“Dad.” I reach out, catching his hand, “Don’t. Don’t think that way. Please sit down, let’s talk.”
He does so, and for a moment, both of our gazes land on the check on the table.
“Is that valid?” he asks.
I stare at it as well. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe we could just cash it tomorrow and disappear forever.”
I smile dryly at him before looking away. I need time to properly map out my next steps. I have to be especially careful with my father because I know he would rather die than allow me to sell myself to the highest bidder, even if it would solve all our problems.
He places his hand on top of mine and rubs it gently. “I didn’t know you dated someone like that. When was it? In college? Why didn’t you tell me? We had a pact when you were a teenager that you would always let me meet any guy you dated, and until now, I thought you upheld that.”
“I did keep our agreement, Dad,” I try my best to assure him. “I just… I didn’t introduce him to you back then because there was no point. I knew it wasn’t going to last. It never does when a mentally ill person is part of the equation.”
At my words, my father looks even more alarmed. “He is mentally ill?”
Sighing, I shake my head. “No, Dad, he’s not mentally ill. I am… for falling in with his crazy schemes. He’s just... rich. So rich he can buy and sell anyone.”
“Well, he can buy and sell the whole world, but not you. Over my dead body.” Once again, he rises to his feet. “Let’s go,” he says. “We’ll fight him over this. I’ll contact Larry right now, and we’ll get to work on how we can void this entire deal. I’m... I’m ashamed of myself, but there is no way I stand to lose more than him. Just imagine what it would do to his reputation if the world finds out he is spending his time in illegal gambling dens. Even if we lose everything, I don’t care. I’ll—”
“Dad,” I catch his hand again and pull him back down to the seat. “There’s no need for any of that. I told you I’ll—”
“This is my problem, not yours. You’re the kid here, and I’m the adult. You didn’t have to—”
I completely lose my temper. “Dad!” The sudden yell shocks him into silence. I have never raised my voice at him like that before, but we’re out of time, and it’s not helping.
“For God’s sake, just... just sit down and listen.” It takes a few more seconds for the shock to clear, but he listens to me and drops down to the chair.
“Dad,” I tell him. “It’s not what you think. He’s actually quite a good guy at heart. When we met back in school, we were really close, but he became a bit too intense, so I pushed him away.”
“So what does he want now?” Dad rushes to interrupt me.
“He wants us to spend a little time together and see if things can work between us now that we are both older and wiser. This was what he proposed to me during the house viewing, but I was too shocked so I refused.”
“So… in order to get you to agree to spend a little time with him he went to these lengths? Tracked you down, found his way to this illegal game, and now he’s offering you everything on a platter as part of the bargain?” Dad demands incredulously.
“I did mention that he’s a bit intense, didn’t I?” I shrug. “It’s not a bad thing, Dad. It’s what has made him what he is today. He never gives up. He goes on trying until he gets what he wants.”
The skepticism and disbelief in my father’s eyes begin to fade as he stares at me, assessing every word, every expression. It’s as if he’s trying to make sense of the situation, and I can tell that he’s struggling, torn between protecting me and facing the cold reality of our circumstances.
““Dad,” I call softly, “did he play fair or not?” I need him to see the situation clearly, without the anger clouding his judgment.
My father sighs with resignation. “Yes.”
“He really wants the house, Dad. He just went through our agency because he saw it as an avenue to connect with me as well. He’ll buy the house, and in exchange—I’ll spend a little time with him and see if I missed something the last time around.” I grin impishly. “After all, he’s very easy on the eye.”