over me. I’m as controlled and disciplined as they come, and I will not allow her to change that.
“Also, sir, your father’s assistant just called and he’s on his way down to see you.”
I grip the glass and place it down before it shatters. “Fine.”
She disconnects the line, no doubt having picked up on my true feelings for my father since she started working for me.
So, the old man is coming down from his perch in his ivory tower, is he? Must be important. Rarely does he make an effort to come see me, instead preferring to summon me to the top floor of the building to visit him. He’s like a lion, welcoming people to his den.
I only cooperate about half the time. I’d never cooperate if he didn’t have something to hold over my head. Clearly, he’s not willing to take the chance that I’ll ignore his request today.
Taking a seat behind my desk, I’ve just hit refresh on my email when he slithers in like the snake he is, shutting the door behind him.
“To what do I owe this great honor?” I push my chair away from my desk, propping my ankle up on my knee.
His shrewd gaze tracks the half-drunk glass of scotch on the corner of my desk. “Drinking before noon. How vice presidential of you.”
I ignore his shot and narrow my eyes. “What do you want?”
“Can’t a father just come to visit his son?” He steps up to the opposite edge of my desk but doesn’t take a seat. No, that would put us as equals, and there’s nothing my father likes to remind me of more than the fact that he’s my superior.
I lean back into my seat as if unaffected, placing my elbows on the armrests and lacing my hands together in a casual pose. I perfected my don’t-give-a-shit attitude from a young age when it comes to my father.
“Want to go catch a ball game or play catch out in the parking lot?” I ask.
His face sours.
“Don’t act like our relationship isn’t what it is. You want something. Now tell me what it is so I can get on with my day.”
He chuckles like he enjoys my humor, and I clench my jaw.
“How right you are.” He knocks his knuckles on top of my desk. “I’ve been thinking over Isla Flores’s reappearance since last week.”
Isla? The one game changer, so I try not to show the surprise on my face, but I doubt I’m successful.
“What’s your relationship like with her?” he asks.
“I don’t have a relationship with her. She’s been gone for the past decade after she got caught fucking Asher on video. You heard about it, so I imagine everyone else in this town did too.”
Nothing much happens in high society that those in the upper echelons of power aren’t aware of. Much to my own detriment.
“I don’t care about any of that. What I asked was what your relationship was like with her. She was your classmate at Forest View Academy, correct?”
“She was.” I try to leave the bitterness out of my voice. I have no idea what my father is up to, but I won’t willingly give him any kind of advantage over me. And if he knew of my distaste for Isla and the reasons why, he’d only get pleasure out of it. Something that I’m determined to keep from him. I want him to be as miserable as he made me after my mom died when I was nine.
“Did the two of you get along, or did you treat her with the same disrespect you treat all women?”
He’s one to talk.
“Are you trying to find out if you have a shot at her?”
“I’m not attracted to her, if that’s what you’re suggesting. Which reminds me—you pull that stunt last night again, walking away from me in a public place, and I will knock you down so fast you’ll be begging to be the fry guy at McDonald’s.”
I blow out a breath. “She was never my girlfriend if that’s what you’re asking. Like I said, we don’t have a relationship. I haven’t seen her since high school. Hell, I haven’t even thought about her since then.”
If I was a chick, I’d cross my fingers under my desk.
“Well, I want you to reacquaint yourself with her. Get into her good graces. You two had a moment on the dance floor.”
Not likely.
“For what purpose?” I ask. There’s always a purpose when it comes to my father.
“You don’t need to