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I let the infantilizing name slide because this was delicate. Shrugging, I tried to come off as nonchalant, but deep down, there was anger directed at him for being so blind to his daughter's plight.
"When was the last time you asked her how she was doing?" I asked.
He glared at me furiously, like he wanted to reach across the table and strangle me. I should have stopped, but the words are pouring out viciously.
"Have you ever visited her for a check-up? Find out how she's faring? If she's struggling?" I pressed.
If stares were arrows, I would've been dead by now.
"No,” I said. “How about when was the last time you told her you love her?"
I saw his throat work as he swallowed. Stephen Wiley was not an affectionate man, but I saw that he did care at that moment. He just had a terrible way of showing it.
"Now, look here—" he started.
I got to my feet. "The only reason that cunt was able to mess with her the way he did was because of you. Because you weren't there to protect her. And when you did show up, it was to throw her mistakes back in her face like they weren't already glaringly obvious."
He looked up at me, his gaze stormy. "You have no idea what happened between me and my daughter."
I nodded. "True. I don't. But what I do know is she loves you, and expects more from you. She has a father who is able to give her everything but the one thing she wants: love."
I sucked in a breath to keep my emotions at bay. I did not come here to point out his mistakes. I only wanted to make my intentions known and possibly get him to make the right decision by exposing the source of the leak.
But Felicity had always been able to throw me off course. And she was right. All the men in her life had fucked her over one way or another, even me, and it was time to put a stop to that.
I dragged my attention back to Stephen in time to see him shift uncomfortably in his seat. He tugged at the tie around his neck, undoing it and flinging it on his desk. Then he released a troubled sigh and ran a frustrated hand down his face.
"Oh, my little girl," I heard him whisper. "I know I’ve made mistakes."
Obviously, he had his demons to fight, and I wasn't going to be here for it. "Help her save her job. It's the only thing that makes her truly happy."
Fuck. It hurt to say those words. I had no idea where I stood with her, and though it seemed like I'd made headway two nights ago, I couldn't say for sure that she thought of me as anything more than…a friend. It was disgusting, but I supposed I should be happy I even made the friendship cut. Only Maddy had managed to do that.
"She belongs here with me," Stephen said sternly. And when he lifted his gaze to me, it was hard with an internal torment. "At Blizzard Games."
I shook my head. "What if that's not what she wants?"
"It has to be. She's a brilliant designer, and it kills me that she's working for the competition."
"I agree with you. But at the end of the day, you must recognize that she's a grown woman who can make her own decisions. You can't force your company on her."
With one final glance at Stephen, I turned around and headed for the door. Everything was banking on him. I hoped whatever self-reflection he was doing would play in her favor. Otherwise, I'd just wasted my time coming here.
Because the truth was, until Felicity resolved her issues with her father, with whom she began her distrust of men, there would be no us.
twenty-three
Felicity
I went to work the following Monday, not because I wanted to, but because of how guilty I would look if I didn't.
As expected, the stares followed me from the second I walked through the front door to the fourth floor, where my desk was.
Maddy was at my desk, swiveling around in my chair. She stopped and looked up at me when I neared her, her eyes warming.
"Hey, babes,” she greeted gently, “How are you?"
I actually had no idea. Between dealing with being branded a narc and Aaron's persistence, I'd seen better days.
