Chapter 85 The fall
Chapter 085
RAVENNA
I could not help but chuckle as I read it. My father seems to have a flair for the dramatic.
And thinking about it now, I missed him more than I had realized, and the thought of seeing him and Theodore again tomorrow filled me with warmth and anticipation.
"Who is that from?" Samantha asked curiously, trying to peek at the note.
I folded it back up quickly and tucked it away. "Nobody you need to know about."
She looked like she wanted to press for more information, but something in my expression must have told her not to push.
We got ready for bed and eventually the exhaustion pulled me under into deep, dreamless sleep.
The following day dragged on forever. Classes felt endless, and I could barely concentrate on anything the professors were saying.
All I could think about was four o'clock approaching and finally getting to see my father again.
When the time finally came, I made my way to the eastern woods behind the school campus.
The area was secluded and quiet, far enough from the main buildings that nobody would notice a car picking me up.
I stood there waiting amongst the trees, checking my phone repeatedly.
A black car eventually pulled up exactly at four, just like the note had promised.
I climbed into the back seat and immediately complained to the driver. "You are late."
The man just stared at me through the rearview mirror without saying a single word in response.
I recognised him as one of the rogues who had been with my father before. Clearly he was not much for conversation.
The drive took about forty minutes before we pulled up to the same house I had visited previously.
I got out of the car and walked inside, immediately spotting my father and Theodore sitting at the dining table.
My father's face broke into a huge smile the moment he saw me. He stood up quickly and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Ravenna. I am so glad you could make it."
Theodore nodded at me in greeting, his version of a warm welcome. I returned the gesture and joined them at the table.
Dishes were already laid out, and we began serving ourselves whilst catching up.
My father was clearly excited about something, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
"I have good news to share," he finally announced, setting down his fork. "I managed to acquire a million-pound contract from Pike Industries this morning. Richard Pike himself signed off on it."
I jumped up from my chair and hugged him tightly. "That is incredible. Congratulations, Father. You have been working towards this for so long."
He beamed with pride. "Thank you. It is a major step forward for our pack and our business interests."
I sat back down, my mind already working through the implications. "I didn't notice anything strange about Darius. If his father lost a million dollar contract to his rival, surely he should have been moody"
My father shook his head. "I only dealt with Richard directly. And we did sign off the negotiation this morning. The announcement hadn't come in until we all gathered this morning.
No wonder.
My father's expression grew more serious. "Now that things are progressing well with business, I would like to move forward with our family situation. I want to officially announce you as my daughter. Let the whole supernatural community know that you are an Casmir and that you have my protection."
The suggestion made anxiety spike in my chest.
After a long moment of thought, I shook my head slowly. "I am not ready for that yet, Father."
He looked disappointed but waited for me to explain.
"If you and Richard Pike are business rivals, and people find out that I am your daughter, I will immediately become a target," I reasoned carefully. "I will get the attention of Richard and all of your other enemies. They will see me as a weakness they can exploit to get to you."
Theodore spoke up in agreement. "She has a point. It might be useful to keep her identity secret for now. We could use it for future dealings or leverage when the time is right. But announcing her publicly at this stage puts unnecessary attention on her."
My father looked torn between his desire to claim me publicly and the logical sense of our arguments. "I have wanted to do this for so long though. To tell everyone that I have a daughter and that I am proud of her."
I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I know, and that means everything to me. But you do not need to announce it publicly for me to know I am your daughter. I know who I am and who you are to me. That is what matters most."
He sighed but nodded slowly. "Very well. We will wait for a better time."
I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized how late it had gotten. "I need to return to the academy soon. I have practice tonight."
"Practice for what?" my father asked curiously.
"The hockey tournament," I explained. "It starts early next year, and I am competing with the Midnight Academy team."
Pride flickered across his features. "My daughter the athlete. I look forward to watching you compete."
He walked me to the door and kissed my forehead. "I will see you again soon. Stay safe, Ravenna."
"I will. I promise."
The drive back to campus felt much faster than the drive out had been.
When I arrived, I did not head straight to my dormitory like I probably should have. Instead, I found myself walking towards the ice rink, drawn there by habit and need.
I changed quickly into my training gear and stepped out onto the ice.
The rink was completely empty tonight. I looked around, half expecting to see Darius appear like he had been doing lately.
But he was nowhere to be found.
The disappointment that settled in my chest caught me off guard.
I had gotten used to having him there during these late-night training sessions.
The empty rink felt wrong without his presence.
I shook off the feeling and began my warm-up routine anyway.
I did not need Darius to train effectively. I had been doing this on my own long before he started joining me.
I pushed myself through drill after drill, working on speed and precision and endurance.
But something felt off tonight. My movements were not as sharp as usual. My balance was slightly wrong.
Then my vision suddenly blurred at the edges, the ice seeming to tilt beneath my skates.
And the grounds seems to be calling to me.
As I fell unable to control myself, the last thing I saw was Darius running towards me.
"He hadn't abandoned me as I thought."