Órion Fantone
I put my phone away, smiling. A thirty-nine-year-old man, holding the position of governor with a reputation to uphold, shouldn't be chasing after a young woman young enough to be his daughter—but golden curls haunt my thoughts, make my heart race, and my hands sweat just thinking about her. Maybe it's just a repressed desire, precisely because it's so impossible and wrong.
I stood up from the chair in front of my computer. I was in my office, and since I got home from the university, my daughter had locked herself in her room, furious. I needed to fix things between us, but something held me back. It wasn’t easy to look at her and not think of her mother’s death—of how much it was my fault. I walked out of the office, checking my watch. Three hours left until dinner with Abigail, and Katarina was already pulling strings to book a nice, private restaurant for our date. Even if reluctant, my assistant hadn’t dared go against my wish—she knew I wouldn’t find peace until I got what I wanted.
"Can I come in?" I said after knocking a few times on Melissa’s door.
"Sure," she shouted. As I entered, I noticed her red eyes—she had been crying. That broke my heart and reminded me again of how terrible a father I’ve been.
"What do you want?" she asked, smiling bitterly. I didn’t even know what I was doing in that room, but the truths Abigail had spoken stuck in my head. She was right about everything she said about my daughter—everything Melissa does is just to get my attention.
"Sweetheart, why did you fight with Abigail?" I sat next to her on her bed. "She’s a good girl." She laughed mockingly. She was sitting up against the headboard, a pillow in her lap.
"You don’t know her. If you came to defend that starving girl, you can turn around and leave."
"Don’t talk about her like that. In fact, you shouldn’t talk like that about anyone. She may not have been as lucky as you, but she worked hard to pass the exam and earn her scholarship."
"Spoken like the great governor you are. I don’t need your lectures. You’re never on my side."
I tried to hold her hand, but Melissa pulled away quickly, distancing herself. I sighed and glanced at the clock again—I still had to get ready for dinner with golden curls.
"I’m not speaking as the governor, I’m speaking as your father. You need to start respecting people. Otherwise, forget about the luxuries I pay for." I stood up from the bed. "Your mother would be ashamed of who you've become." I turned my back to her and walked to the door. With my daughter, there’s no reasoning. Even when I want to get close, nothing makes her less arrogant.
"My mother? Where is she now?" she shouted, making me stop with my hand on the doorknob. "Oh, right, she’s dead. Because of you."
"Melissa, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?" I closed my eyes, still with my back to her. "I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I would give anything for that bullet to have pierced my chest instead of Mary’s."
"Close the door when you leave."
I did as she asked and walked to my room. I no longer knew what to do with my daughter—how to rebuild our friendship and earn her forgiveness. It's been four years since her mother’s death, and every day I’ve felt guilty. But no matter how many times I apologize to Melissa, nothing erases her belief that her mother died because of me. A man applauded by many outside the house, and inside it, a frustrated father who can’t even get a hug from his daughter.
"Órion." I turned around to see Katarina holding a small red velvet box. "I got what you asked for. The restaurant is ready and here’s the bracelet."
Smiling, I walked over to her and took the red box from her hands. When I opened it, I saw the beautiful piece of jewelry I had bought for Abigail. Maybe I was going overboard, but it had been so long since I’d felt interested in a woman that I didn’t even remember how to flirt properly.
"Let’s hope this adventure ends quickly. That girl is a real problem for your campaign."
"Don’t worry, Katarina, I know what I’m doing. And as you said yourself, it’s just an adventure." I closed the box and continued walking to my room. But before I entered, I turned back to look at my assistant again.
"There’s one more thing I need you to do for me." She crossed her arms, staring at me.
"Talk to Melissa. That girl needs to come to her senses."
"Yes, Governor."
I returned to my room and headed to the closet. For the first time in a long time, I had butterflies in my stomach—and that made me smile. Not even when a crowd was waiting for me to give a speech did I feel this nervous. I looked over my clothes, choosing something more casual. I wanted to give Abigail a different impression, for her to see me not as the governor, but as Órion, a regular man taking her to dinner under a starry night.
God! I felt like a silly teenager going on his first date. I picked out my clothes and went to take a quick shower. My hands were sweaty, and my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest.
"Sir, shall we go?" my head of security asked as soon as he saw me coming down the stairs.
"Yes. I want fewer guards this time. I don’t need an army just to go to dinner."
"But, Governor..." I raised my hand, silencing Alder.
"Forget I’m the governor today. I’m just Órion Fantone." I smiled, walking past him. I adjusted my outfit just before one of the security guards opened the car door for me. Even I didn’t know what I was doing. It was just a casual date, but I felt anxious—so different from any time I’d gone out with a woman before. Maybe it was because Abigail was forbidden, and that made me even more aroused.
When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess came to greet us with a bright smile. Like all the others, she started sucking up with the usual phrases everyone says: “It’s an honor to have you here.” “Your Excellency, it’s a privilege to welcome you to our establishment,” and blah blah blah. I was tired of people treating me well just because of my title at the Capitol. It made me feel like everything in my life was fake, lacking real connection.
I sat at one of the best tables in the place. The restaurant was closed—just me and golden curls tonight. The guards and all the staff had signed confidentiality agreements. I didn’t want anyone to know about this casual date—not just because of the campaign, but for Abigail’s safety too. She didn’t deserve to be dragged into a scandal because of me.
"Wine?" I nodded, letting the waiter pour the dark red liquid into my glass. I checked my watch—she was late. That only made my heart pound harder.
"Mr. Órion," the head of security leaned in, calling my attention. "She’s not coming. The driver just arrived and gave me this to hand to you."
I stared, stunned, at the paper in his hand, feeling like a complete fool. Abigail had simply stood me up. She made me build a perfect little circus—and I was the clown of the evening. I opened the note and read her short message.
Your Excellency, I’m sorry, but I can’t come tonight. Unlike the other girls who obey you blindly, I won’t bow down to your title or your money. Learn that no means no. Forget me.
I crumpled the note in my hand before hurling my wine glass to the floor with force. I had never been told no—not even before I was governor—and now Abigail was making a fool out of me. And every time she rejected me, my obsession grew. I stood up from the table, fixing my clothes before storming out of the restaurant. Everyone watched, confused by what had just happened, but I didn’t care. Furious, I got into the car and left. If she wanted to play hard to get, I’d show her I’m not the kind of man who gives up easily when he wants something. And I wanted her—with every part of me.