Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65054 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I shake my head. “Please tell me you didn’t take money from some loan shark,” I groan in frustration. “How much is the interest on a loan like that?”
“It’s steep,” he replies. “I won’t lie to you.”
“I can’t believe you kept this from me! I’ve been busting my ass trying to help you with your debts. All this time, I thought you were getting collection notices from a bank. Or, at the very worst, some kind of payday loan. Why would you get involved in something like this?”
He looks up at me and his eyes flash with frustration. “I didn’t have a choice, carina.”
“You always have a choice,” I shoot back. “You have me! I would have helped you figure it out.”
“You’re my daughter,” he shouts back. “It shouldn’t be your job to take care of me.”
“But I am taking care of you!” I scream, reaching my breaking point. “I took this job to take care of you! I’m giving you all this money to take care of you.”
“Let’s talk about this job then, hmm?” he huffs. “I noticed Bruno and Frederico got very nervous when they saw your work badge. Exactly what kind of place are you working that’s paying so much money?”
“It’s just a hospitality company,” I groan. “You knew that when I interviewed.”
“You were interviewing for a different job than the one you got,” he points out. “I know almost nothing about the job you actually do. Who is this man you work for? What does he do?”
I stop short, because I don’t have a good answer for him. The truth is, last night has me wondering the same thing.
Dad is right. Those thugs did react weirdly when they saw my work badge. I take a deep breath and try to clear my head.
“We need to be more honest with each other, Papa,” I tell him gently. “You can’t hide stuff like this from me. And, as far as I’m aware, I’m not hiding anything from you. If that changes, I’ll tell you.”
“I don’t like it,” he says. “Something isn’t right about the place where you’re working.”
“Then I’ll find out,” I tell him, though I already know that if I find anything shady, I’m not telling him about it.
The hard truth is, the longer I work for Dominic, the more I’m willing to keep his secrets. Even from my father.
8
DOMINIC
Sofia isn’t at her desk when I show up the next morning, which is unusual for her. For a moment, I worry the bonus offended her. Silly, of course. Who gets upset about extra money?
This is Sofia, though. Too perceptive by half. She doesn’t accept things without paying attention and working out why. Even if she never says a word, the wheels in her head keep turning.
I’m in my head about it until she shows up ten minutes later, looking frazzled and distracted.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she says when she comes into my office. “I promise it won’t happen again.”
I put my hand up to stop her. “Sofia, you’re usually thirty minutes early. I’m not too concerned with you being late one time,” I tell her honestly.
She nods, lets out a breath, and turns toward the door. Her shoulders are tighter than usual. I hate how easily I notice that.
“Is everything okay?” I ask before she can leave.
She turns back with a small smile. A fake one. Just another thing I can read off her in a second. She may be perceptive, but she’s got nothing on how obsessively I’ve started watching her lately.
“Just personal stuff.” she shrugs. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Sofia,” I say softly. “Of course I’m worried. If something is wrong, you can tell me.”
She pauses for a moment. I think she’s about to spill it all, but then she just shakes her head. “You’ve got enough on your plate,” she says. “You’ve got a meeting with the Francelo Group in fifteen minutes.”
I nod and let it go, for now.
I sit through the meeting and think about her the whole time anyway. My head isn’t in the game, but thankfully no one notices. When it wraps, I find Sofia at her desk, combing her fingers through her hair, stressed.
“That’s it,” I tell her. “We’re going to lunch.”
She looks up in surprise. “It’s only 11:30,” she protests. “And you have a lunch meeting at noon.”
“Cancel it,” I tell her. “I’m taking you out and you’re going to tell me exactly what’s going on.”
She bites her lip and looks like she may argue.
“Cancel it,” I tell her again. “And grab your things.”
She reluctantly nods. Ten minutes later, we’re seated in the back booth of my favorite Italian deli. She’s got her eyes purposely glued to the menu.
“Sofia,” I say. “Talk to me.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not a big deal,” she replies. “My dad’s just gotten himself into something that I wasn’t aware of, and there was some blowback last night.”