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"Ahem."
Shit. I forgot about the hand.
As my gaze creeps upward, I mentally tally who could've caught me zoning-out, before confronting the worst possible scenario.
Great. That's just great.
My father only sighs—the anthem of disappointment. Rounding to the front of my desk, I watch as his eyes crawl across my paperwork, covered in doodles. I wait, folding my arms across my chest, anticipating his deprecating remark.
Except, it never comes.
Clad in his signature gray suit, he relaxes on the balls of his heels. "I spoke with Elias yesterday."
My heart clenches.
Maybe Elias blabbed about our fight. Conveniently leaving out the cocaine part, of course. While opening up about his struggles with work is wholly out of character for my dearest brother, it's not impossible. Although, it's much more likely that he spun the tale, painting me as an aggressor—meanwhile, my ears sustained some damage. Perhaps he's trying to get me fired, growing tired of seeing me outside his sparkling office.
I would lean toward this theory, but... even though we haven't spoken a word to each other in the past week, we lock gazes, every so often, on his way to and from his office. And his eyes, they swirl with... something. Shame? Anger—directed at me or himself? I'm not sure, but I do know one thing.
They're red, cloudy, and glassy as ever.
And I worry broaching the subject again will only make things worse.
Meeting my father's stare, sweat beads on my hairline. "What'd you two talk about?"
"He presented me with his top picks for DreamScape."
Air whooshes from my lungs, only for adrenaline to surge through my veins. DreamScape is next week. If I'd had heard about his decision a month ago, I would've rolled my eyes and scoffed that she cared so much about a silly game. But now... Now I find myself fearing for Juliana's sake—a profound, gut-wrenching fear—for the decision I know could change the trajectory of her future.
Absentmindedly, I twirl a pen between my fingers, failing to calm my nerves. "Oh, yeah? How'd that go?"
"Why didn't you tell me Juliana's game was up for consideration? Granted, I didn't know she was a game dev, myself, but you must've. She is your girlfriend." He smiles, and it appears surprisingly genuine.
"Oh, uh..." I scratch the back of my neck. "I wanted your decision to be impartial.
"Hmmm, that's clever of you."
My brain does a double take. Did he just compliment me?
My reaction must be written all over my face because he gives me a knowing look, then pulls a chair over, sits in front of my desk, and releases another sigh. Not one I'm used to hearing. Just... a plain old sigh, seemingly not even directed at me.
"It must be strange for you," he says, avoiding my gaze, "with all that went down between me and Amber. Now here you are, dating her daughter. I know you two grew up together and all, but still... it must've been difficult, coming to the race and putting on a straight face, especially for Juliana."
I blink, tempted to look behind me. Is anyone else hearing this?
"Look"—he meets my stare head-on—"I know we rarely see eye-to-eye about anything, least of all who you're dating, but... she's good for you—and I mean that."
My breath hitches—wait, no. That's not possible, when I'm not even breathing. As always when my father is near, my defenses rise high, but the longer I study him, replaying the sincerity in his tone in my mind, they gradually lower, inch by inch. His words hang heavy in the air as I struggle to find my own, until a lump forms in my throat, and I say the only ones that make sense.
"She is."
Silence spreads between us, in the wake of perhaps the first understanding we've ever shared. Although this was the whole intention of our fake dating agreement, part of me still believed I'd never gain a sliver of my father's approval, even with her at my side. And I hate to say that...
It feels good.
In light of the conversation I had with Juliana, I still planned to stay at this dull job, despite how much I'd love to leave. The harsh reality is, he has total control over my trust fund, and I can't risk the consequences of quitting, at least until my public image is no longer on his radar. But this… this right here… maybe it's a good sign of what lies ahead for us.
"She'll need to record some clips of gameplay, so we can have someone from the tech department put together a trailer for the showcase."
