Kalli snorted. “Tell that to the millions of people who prefer parbots.”
“They are in the wrong. And in time, they will come around. You need to speak to your man, Kalli.”
“Stop calling him that. He is not my man.”
“He is. The two of you chose to get involved in a relationship. Now you need to talk and untangle your feelings.”
“There are no feelings on his part. He has already made that clear. And I don’t want to hear him say it again. It hurts too much.”
“Words are not always the best way to convey feelings. Actions speak louder than words, and from all you have told me, his actions speak of caring. Even if reluctant. Some people need more coaxing before they can express affection, Kalli.”
“He told me his father was abusive. And his mother was distant.”
“You see? Not everyone grew up in a safe home with loving parents. It’s likely he’s never had a good example of what a healthy relationship between humans should be. Give Dariux the opportunity to redeem himself. Don’t shut him out.”
“I won’t be able to avoid him forever. We have a hearing before the committee in less than a month. I will see him then.”
“Don’t wait until then,” her mother advised. “That would be an official occasion, and you two need a more intimate setting to talk things out.”
“Fine. I’ll call him tonight.”
She only hoped her mother was right, and Dariux cared. Otherwise, she was about to set herself up for a lot of pain.
CHAPTER 40
She had vanished withouta trace. He had been looking for two weeks. Two weeks of him digging into her background, data searching, and employing questionable tracking tactics. And still nothing.
She had either assumed a different identity or had stopped using all electronic devices. Not even traffic and security cameras had caught her. He had gone to the extent of paying a hacker to get into the system and do a face search. Nothing. Not a single one of the innumerable security cameras that were everywhere in the country had caught her.
Which meant she had probably gone abroad. But even that didn’t add up. Because she would have shown up in the security footage of some airport, station, or road. She had not used credit to make any purchase. None of her devices had connected to a network, either.
Even her parbot seemed to have disappeared. He had been to her house twice more, and no one had answered the door. The idea that he had gone to her, and they were right now ensconced together in a cozy retreat, far from his reach, had his teeth gnashing with frustration.
When his communication device announced he had a call from an undisclosed source, he almost didn’t take it, but some instinct made him reconsider. His impulse paid off when Kalli’s image was displayed in front of him. So lifelike and vivid it seemed as if she were right here in his office with him. Oh, if only...
“Hello, Dariux,” she greeted him.
