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He sighs and there's a heavy seriousness in his face that I've rarely seen before, so I make sure to show that I'm listening.
Nathan returns from the bar and hands his father a glass of water. He takes a long sip before he says, "I'm worried about my daughter."
"Kiara?"
A chuckle. "She's the only daughter I know of!"
The joke lightens the mood.
"I'm worried about her future. She doesn't want to come work with her brother. She's made that very clear."
"I don't know why. I'm delightful," Nathan quips.
"Yes, well, whatever the reason is, it's still keeping me up at night." Dennis’s voice drops as his chin does, and he looks older in this moment than he’s ever looked.
"I can talk to her again, Dad."
The older man opens his mouth and Nathan clamps his mouth closed. Nathan might be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he’s an obedient son first.
"No. I've made my decision. If she doesn't want to work at Yin, then that's her decision."
I nod. Coming from a family company myself, I know what it’s like when someone decides that it’s not the right choice for them. When it’s time to let go and support them. "What can I do to help, sir?"
Air fills his lungs, his lips tightening against his teeth. He’s about to ask me for a favor and it’s killing him.
"Sir? Please, you were a father figure to me, gave me a home if I needed one, offered me guidance all along the way. There's nothing I can do that can ever repay you. But please let me do something to show you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me."
His shoulders slacken as he gives me a grateful smile.
My shoulders, however, tense at what he could possibly want.
"I would like… I need you to give Kiara a job."
"Dad—," Nathan gasps and is silenced with a look.
"If she’s not going to accept the security that her own family can give her then Baxter Enterprises is the next best thing. I know… I know you’d take care of her."
I open my mouth. That wasn’t what I’d been expecting. I thought he needed me to take out some business man’s daughter, or talk to the authorities about getting a permit for another warehouse. I hadn’t expected… Kiara.
"You… want me to offer her a job?"
He nods. "She’s a very clever girl, I’m sure she will be an asset to your company no matter what she does."
I blink.
Kiara.
Working with me.
If she’s going to be based in Hong Kong it would be hard to completely avoid her if she’s going to work in any of our companies. I make it a point to know everything that is going on in my organization, or at least in my region. It’s why I’d just come back from Singapore and from Vietnam two weeks before that .
But isn’t that what you want, to get to see her?a niggling voice in my head taunts.Isn’t that why… I mentally shut down the thought before turning back to the conversation.
"Sir, I have no doubt that she would excel at anything she wanted to, but… I’m not sure that working for Baxter is any better than Yin. She hates me even more than she hates him," I say, jabbing a thumb at Nathan.
Nathan grabs my thumb and twists it around, sending a sharp pain that strikes up my arm, and he only lets go when I kick him in the shin.
"See?" I say to Dennis, "Do you blame her for not wanting to work with this monster?"
