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That hadn’t really been intentional.
I’d just been so flustered, I’d done what was easiest.
But that emoji wasn’t like me, and Elias knew me well enough to notice that.
So maybe he’d ask about it.
I hoped.
“You’re very involved with my business. And my son is fond of you,” Armen said.
I shrugged, not sure how to respond, so I decided to say nothing.
Armen smiled, the oily expression sliding across his face. “Don’t be modest dear. I’ve seen how he looks at you, even if you have not. And Elias can be a little…overprotective.” He shrugged. “A useful trait at times, but I want you and I to get to know each other better without his interference. That is why I insisted you join me now,” he said.
“Oh-kay,” I said.
I waited a moment, steeled my nerves, and then reached for the glass of water on the table.
My throat was painfully dry, and I knew Armen could tell I was afraid.
He could probably smell it on me and was probably enjoying it.
There was nothing I could do about that, so I would try to get through this and make sure it never happened again.
“I didn’t ask if you wanted anything,” he said.
“Water is fine,” I responded.
“Tell me about your father,” he said a split second later.
The shift in the conversation was quick, and in the blink of an eye, he went from asking about breakfast, something almost like idle chatter, to lethally serious.
Dark eyes—I was again struck by how familiar yet foreign they were—bore into mine.
“I suppose there’s not too much to tell,” I said.
“Kayla, sirts, you’re a very smart girl,” he said.
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t, and given what I know of him, your father certainly would be dead by now were it not for you,” Armen said.
I tried not to let his slight against my father get to me and instead took another sip of water.
After a moment, he continued, “Answer my questions completely, forthrightly, and you’ll be fine,” he said.
He leaned back in his chair and took a sip of the coffee that Narek had placed in front of him.
Narek was still there, looming large in the small room, but I didn’t look to him.
The only way I would get out of this room was when Armen allowed me to, so I needed to keep my focus on him.
But I felt like I was on a roller coaster, and the way Armen was going from intense to relaxed and back again was throwing me off balance.
No doubt as he intended.
I reminded myself I had nothing to hide, that I had done nothing wrong.
