[Excerpt]:
"Does it bother you?" He asked, after an incisive moment of silence.
"Does...what bother me?" I immediately returned, unable to decipher the objective behind the closed-ended question.
"The way I stare. At you." He pondered, as his dark...
But then again, I was reasonable enough to understand the decision to sell the billion dollar corporation was already drafted long before my relationship with him even developed. Also, Kendall and I had never actually spoken about my thoughts on the whole ordeal. Perhaps in the beginning, but it was possible that he didn't know that I was still bothered by it.
On the other hand, my uncle was too much of an uncontrollable and impulsive variable, and I truly didn't have the slightest clue about what he was thinking on most days. Have it his way, and I wouldn't be surprised if he named some random corporate IV League graduate as his next successor. For him, business was business.
Which was why I had yet to tell him about Caleb.
On one end, my uncle seemed to finally be moving on with his life and I didn't want to risk catapulting him back into the shadowed grief that had hovered over my family for years. Yet, I selfishly couldn't shake off this underlying feeling that my uncle would somehow find a way to blame me for Caleb's actions. Like, I should have somehow been able to telepathically know the man was hiding such a dire secret. That he was the one responsible for killing my aunt.
Better yet, if I was truly being honest with myself, I feared what my uncle would do out of retaliation with the newly provided information. Though he could be jolly on the surface, even I knew he was a dangerous man who was incapable of discretion. The mountains he'd move and buildings he'd demolish to see to Caleb's demise was simply a tragedy I wasn't quite ready for.
Perhaps, a small part of me truly did want to protect Caleb.
"Sasha, are you there?" Coco snapped, waving her hands sporadically in front of me to get my attention. "You completely zoned out."
"Oh yes, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind these days." I returned, adjusting my navy blue polka dot dress and pulling it lower along the frame of my body, so that it stretched past mid-thigh.
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"Well, I said the trip was good, actually. My family loved Ahmad, so that took a lot of stress off my plate. In fact, by the end of it, my dad and Ahmad actually exchanged numbers." She remarked, still appearing surprised at the mention of her boyfriend getting along with her father. Likely, due to her former predilection for bad boys.
"Wow, your dad must have really liked him. I don't even have his number and I've known you for years." I mocked, slightly impressed by her father's actions. Let's just say he was a lot of things, but characteristically kind was not one of them.
"Apparently, the next time we're in town, he wants to take Ahmad out for poker. Which, as you know, is totally like my dad's special thing. He doesn't just invite anyone to that." She mused, taking a moment to reflect on some of the pleasant moments from the trip.
"That's amazing. Your dad has never liked any of your other boyfriends. So, I'm sure this is a good sign." I pointed out, excited by the idea that Ahmad might be endgame for her.
