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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.”
My father glares at me, his eyes darkening. He doesn’t say a word, but the intensity in his gaze speaks volumes. I wonder what’s going through his head because what’s going through mine is the hope I can convince him quickly so he can go home and I can meet the deadline that Ivan Ivanovich has given me.
“I’m thinking,” Dad says slowly, “that I don’t want you involved with someone like this. Even if it’s only for a few days.”
“Dad, please be realistic. As we stand here now, you don’t even have a roof over your head, the agency is gone, and I’m essentially unemployed. He will return everything you’ve lost in the game—the agency, your house, your car, your debt… We gain everything back while he gains nothing of physical value.”
“I didn’t know,” my dad says, his voice heavy with disbelief. “I didn’t know that anybody in their right mind would let go ofa hundred and twenty million dollars simply to be able to see a woman for a few days.”
“Dad, let me tell you how he thinks. He once told me that at a certain level of wealth, money becomes worthless and therefore everything he acquires is basically free.”
He stares at me once again, and then he sighs, a deep, weary sound that fills the room. “If you’re sure about this, then fine. You do what you need to. But you need to keep me in the loop. I don’t want him to take advantage of you in any way.”
“Yes, Dad,” I reply meekly. “I have it all under control.”
As he continues to stare at me, his lips begin to tremble, and his eyes fill with tears. Instantly, I lean forward, wrapping my arms around him tightly, pulling him into a hug.
“I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, his voice cracking. “I am so sorry I put you in this position, sweetheart.”
I shut my eyes tightly and hold on to him. “It’s not your fault, Dad,” I say softly, but he cuts me off.
“Yes, it is. It’s all my fault. I am so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I reply, my voice steady. “We’re lucky I know him. It will all be over soon, and everything will go back to normal.”
Chapter Twenty-One
IVAN