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"Go ahead." I knew what came next. How I even managed to sit patiently and wait for him to talk was beyond me.
He met my gaze, his blue eyes mirroring Derick's. "I heard OceansPlay is working on a new game, and you're the lead designer."
How the hell did he even know that? The project was still under wraps, and Jeff had said nothing would go public until it was ready for the market.
I didn't have a chance to ask the question because my father continued.
"I'll pay you whatever salary you want if you come to work for Blizzard. I'll give you the biggest office available, even build you a new one if you'd like. You'll have your own personal assistant, a company car, whatever you need. Just come work for me."
It wasn’t the first time he’d said those words to me, but it was the first time they’d come with such an extravagant offer. I stared at him with a mixture of awe and confusion, wondering if my father was dense, or if he was making extra effort because it was me. Did he not see the problem?
"What is wrong with you?" I couldn't help asking. "Have you stopped to ask yourself why I'm so adamant about not working for you?"
My father's eyes glazed over and darkened to a considerable hue. "Stop being stubborn, Felicity. Even you will admit that I'm being more than generous."
I shot to my feet. "You don’t know the meaning of the word. You're only trying to control my life, like you've always done!"
"Fliss—"
I held my hand up to silence my mother. She had brought me here by lying to me. Was it a Wiley thing to always try to blindside people, or was that just a privilege solely reserved for me?
I didn't look away from my father. "I don't think you're listening; I will never work for you. Even if I have to starve."
"Don't say that, dear. Your father is only trying to help," my mother interjected.
"If he was trying to help," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper as I felt a sting behind my eyes. "He'd know that offering me a car is useless because I don't drive. And if he was a good father, he'd know why."
***
All I wanted to do was find the person who'd made my desk and ask them what they fuck they were thinking. I had no idea what it was in particular, but my arms seemed to hang in the air whenever I sketched, and I could never seem to get a good angle. It was so damned uncomfortable. More so because I’d been steadily avoiding Aaron, so I couldn't go to his office.
Maddy's desk was the most chaotic I'd ever seen, and there was no way I could get any work done there. The cafeteria was too noisy and smelled of whatever the kitchen had prepared for the day. Fuck this shit. There was only one other choice if I wanted to make any progress on the designs.
I gathered my pride and shoved it up my ass before making my way to his office. Ironic, wasn't it? After I'd left his place on Saturday, Aaron hadn’t contacted me. It shouldn't have stung as much as it did. And now I was the one seeking him out. I couldn't decide if he was giving me space or had just decided he was done. No one wanted to deal with a flight risk at the end of the day.
I rapped a knuckle against his door and waited a few moments before hearing his okay to enter.
Twisting the knob, I pushed the door open and poked my head in, my heart skipping a beat when I saw him bent over his desk, furiously typing away at his laptop.
I cleared my throat, willing the memories from Saturday night to go away so I could concentrate.
"Hey. My desk is being annoying,” I said. “Do you mind if I work here for a bit?"
"Sure." He didn't bother looking up. Okay. He had to be pissed. I mean, why else would he give me such a cold shoulder? In fact, he hadn't bothered to look at me at all today. I’d yet to catch him staring at me from his office like usual.
It made me stop and ask: Did I make a mistake leaving his place the way I did?
Squaring my shoulders, I started forward, gathering my ankle-length, wavy skirt around me as I lowered into the seat opposite him. If he didn't want to talk to me, then fine. What did I care?
Besides, we both had work to do.
Two hours later, I decided I did care. The silence in his office was deafening and nagged me at the back of my mind so much that I had not been able to make much progress.
"Why aren't you talking to me?" I asked him, leaning back against the chair and trying to look unaffected, even though my heart was hammering against my ribcage.
Aaron took his precious time tearing his gaze away from his laptop. His eyes were completely blank, and for a moment, it scared me that I’d succeeded in pushing him away.
"I'm not sure what you mean," was his cool reply as he crossed his bulging arms over his chest. Arms that had carried me to his room and held me like an egg that would break if he applied too much pressure.
