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I spent the rest of the morning packing my things—it didn’t take long because I didn't have a lot of stuff.
My heart was heavy, and I had no idea what I would do after this. When I woke up tomorrow morning, it would really hit me that I was jobless.
There were no more tears to cry. No more regrets to have. All that was left was a dull ache and bones in my chest where hope used to lie.
My phone tinged as I was finishing up. I gave the device an absentminded glance, not in the mood for company. But a second later, it hit me differently.
My phone tinged.
Nobody texted me. Ever.
It couldn't be Maddy, or Aaron because, for some reason, he hadn't come near me at all today.
That left my brother. The last time we spoke, Derick promised me he would talk to our father to get him to see reason. It had been three days since, and I hadn't heard from him, so I'd given up on waiting for his call.
With a furious swipe, I unlocked my phone, my breath hitching when I saw who it was.
Written in bold letters. Dad.
I paused, unsure whether I was imagining it, or this was really happening. My dad had just texted me. Was the world coming to an end or something?
Holding my breath, I clicked on the message, and it filled the screen. Instantly, my blood ran cold.
Oh my God.
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. The words filled my vision, each letter hitting me with the force of a whiplash.
He'd done it. My dad had actually done it. I lifted my head to look around in case anyone could see what I was seeing. Letting out a strangled laugh, I adjusted my glasses on my face and reverted my gaze back to my phone.
“Jade Simmons. The name of the person who sent me the details of the game.
I really want to talk, Fliss. I'm sorry things have gotten so bad between us. Let me know when you can talk.
Love, Dad.”
What was this? A change of heart? I could've sworn my father didn't have one. And for the love of God, he'd called me by my nickname—a moniker that I suddenly remembered he’d actually been the one to coin.
I shook my head. I couldn't think about that right now. I needed to clear my name first.
I needed to get to Jeff. My heart hammered against my ribcage as I started for the elevator. The text from my father was odd, to say the least, but for now, I was only going to focus on the first paragraph.
And not on the stupid spark of hope building inside my chest at the thought that I might not have completely lost my father after all.
twenty-four
Felicity
In my excitement, I barged into Jeff's office, not bothering to knock.
His head snapped up, and confusion settled in his eyes for the first few seconds. Then his gaze narrowed on me, and he frowned. "I thought—"
I held out my phone to him, barely containing my enthusiasm. "You need to see this."
With a wary look, he collected the phone from me and let his eyes roam across the screen. I held my breath as I waited and allowed a small, victorious smile to spread across my face when his eyes widened.
Jeff looked up at me with a puzzled gaze. "This is from your father?"
I nodded.
