Chapter 56 Chapter Fifty Six
CANDY’S POV
The last time I was in Dad's office was the same day our lives took it’s first turn for the worst.
If I close my eyes now, I can’t still see Leah and I, hurdled over documents upon documents, looking for answers that didn’t want to be found, answers that did nothing but spiral my life in ways that changed its trajectory for good.
I stare around the unoccupied room, fond memories flooding my head with every familiar sight. I was so in love with this life and my dad for do long that most of my earliest memories were actually carved here.
I remember being in here for hours on end as a curious five year old, never bored by the countless papers dad had to work on even though most kids my age would have been. I’d ask questions after question, a curious light in my eyes and I’d eagerly listen while he explained even though I didn’t understand half the things he’d been saying.
My eyes stray to my favourite corner, the one I got to play in so I don’t distract his work when he gets serious and it was more special because no one else was allowed in here whenever dad had to work.
But I was.
I was his tiny brainiac and he loved me for it. He adored my curiosity, fed it and sometimes after I’d gotten older, he’d look me dead in the eye and say,
“I can’t wait to teach you all about the company before you take over. It’d be complicated and very hard work but I’ve never met a child more ready to run the world than you are.”
He’d kiss my head and tell me how lucky he is to have me as his daughter.
Turns out he could wait, enough to sell me out and lose the company to his secret side career, aka working for criminals and I guess he didn’t feel so lucky having me anymore.
He made sure I knew that.
Which is why I’m wondering what the fuck he called me here for.
Haven’t he hurt me enough? Does he want another bite out of.....
“You came.”
I turn around and a small breath gets sucked out of me in a very inexplicable way that leaves my shoulders heavy.
“You called.”
My voice is cold and quiet and that’s not even by design, it’s just that the rose coloured glasses of adoration I’ve always seen my father through have been crushed by my realization that he’s not exactly the man I always thought him to be.
“Sit.” He says, going around his table to sit in his high chair while I watch.
Not much have changed, his gait is still the same and his mannerism is still rigid but fuck, he looks a million years older. There are deeper lines on his face now and his eyes look sunken so far into their sockets it’s not hard to tell he’s not been sleeping well.
It breaks my heart to see and I genuinely wish there’s something I can do for him but he stopped needing me when he realized he had a daughter with a hard face card that could keep heads on necks.
“How have you been?”
“I know that’s not why you called, Dad.” I bite out, angry at him for cutting me out and angry at myself for taking it lying down like a coward.
Yeah, I’m still bitter and not over it.
I shouldn’t have cone.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, you’re my daughter.” He takes a deep breath.
“ You’ve been so angry at all of us and impossible to reach. You moved back into your old apartment without a word and you’ve been carefully avoiding every invitation to come home. Forgive me if I care but I’m still your father.”
Isn’t that interesting.
“It didn’t feel like it when you threw me out for Peach because she was suddenly the daughter that was benefitting you. You did the same to me with the company. You just use and toss everyone out like trash.”
“Watch your tone with me, young lady. I’m still your father whether you like it or not.”
“Of course you are, it’s why we’re in this mess.”
I hear him take a deep breath, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, hard and I’m starting to regret taking the call that got me here and coming against my better judgment.
“No matter what you believe, I’m doing what’s best for this family. I’m not the bad guy but you won’t understand it because you don’t have the bigger picture and you’re stubborn as fuck.”
“Then show me, make me understand.” This time, the words slip out in a silent plea, full of yearning for the old times when none of these mattered.
“Come back to the company.” This man deadpans out of nowhere and for a full minute, I’m shocked into utter speechlessness.
“You......you’re asking me to come back?” I ask, unsure of what I heard.
“Yes. Your previous position is still open and even better and it can be tailored to your taste, whatever you need, all you have to do is just come back to the company.”
I look at him suspiciously, waiting for the second shoe to drop.
There’s no way he’s serious, right? He’s pranking me because he knows I’ve wanted this all my freaking life.
“You’re joking.”
“No, I’m serious. I negotiated a place for you because you deserve one. I owed it to you and I failed you when I let my stubbornness and shortcomings take it away but not anymore.”
A big fat yes springs to the tip of my tongue, eager to throw the past away in this very second and clutch this offer like my fucking pearls but something heavy glues it down, watering down my excitement.
I can’t.........I can’t go back there now.
He’s there.
I let myself forget that for a moment but I can’t ignore it forever. He works there, owns it, I can’t go there no matter how much I want it.
I won’t be able to stay away.
I’ll fall back into his arms again with reckless abandon and I don’t think I have it in me to walk away from him again and that alone is the greatest recipe for disaster if I’ve ever seen one.
So instead of the big smile I want to stretch my face with and the enthusiastic answer I want to give him, I fix my face as straight as possible and say the two words I never dreamt possible as an answer from my mouth to this particular question.
“No thanks.”
“But Candy.....”
“It’s too late for that, besides, I love where I am now.”
God, the words taste sour coming out of my mouth.
“You can’t love that dump. It’s worse than the one you just left, for Christ’s sake, Candy, it’s a start up. You’re wasting your potentials there.”
“You didn’t think that when you cut me out for strangers, don’t start now, it’s beneath you.”
Hiding the pain behind my eyes, I pick up my bag and walk out of the room that still smells like him, biting back the nostalgia it’s forcing on me.
The house is still empty when I walk into it. I don’t need to ask to know that Peach is at the office trying to win the heart of her fiancé, she’s been doing it a lot and describing it to me in vivid details, or that mom is at the pretentious salon across town where they snip off half an inch off her hair every Friday and feed her the latest high society gossip.
It smells like them though, like home.
I miss everyone, the part of them that’s not dad’s puppet at least and I miss this place.
It used to be my comfort place before everything changed.
Forcing my legs to move, I make it out of the door and into my car before the tears start to come.
Fuck, I can’t wait for tonight.
I need the distractions of a club, loud music and alcohol, before I blow my own head.
For once, I’m glad I said yes to Liv and Jane.