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"Someday," I hear my dad saying, "I'd like to meet little Emily."
"Why someday?" says Adrian. "You can meet her any day. Just tell me the time and day!”
We come around the dining table and start digging in. As the night goes on, Adrian and my dad continue to talk and laugh, clearly warming up to each other. It's refreshing to see two people who were initially wary of each other come together and find common ground.
"So, Adrian," my dad asks, just as I serve dessert - caramel custard. "What's your full name again, son? Sorry, I forgot to ask."
"Oh yes, it's Carter Sir. Adrian Carter," says Adrian, delicately wiping the corner of his mouth with his napkin. I look at his lips and suddenly yearn for them.
But instead, to distract myself from my naughty thoughts, I turn to look at my dad.
And he doesn't look happy. I suddenly feel nervous. "Dad," I ask, "you alright?"
I know my father better than I know myself so when I say that his mind is in overdrive, I know his mind is in overdrive, and that is never a good thing.
"Carter ... Carter," my dad mutters. "Where have I heard that name?"
"Oh Dad, Adrian is -" I'm about to explain how famous and rich Adrian is, a key detail I should have mentioned but chose not to when my dad cuts me off - "What do you do again?" he asks.
"Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I was working in tech until recently," Adrian explains as my dad nods invitingly, "but I recently moved to Houston."
"What brought you here?" my dad asks.
"I'm setting up a brand new real estate development," Adrian says, smiling proudly. "I wish to create a state-of-the-art luxury condominium here unlike anything people have seen before. Towering buildings, stunning plunge pools, tennis courts, running tracks, a clubhouse, a restaurant, two 18-hole golf courses -"
At this, much to my shock, my dad bangs his hand on the table and rises in anger.
"Get the hell out of my house," he growls.
Adrian's smile fades as he stands up from his seat. "I'm sorry, Sir; I must have said something to offend you. Please allow me to clarify," he says, holding his hands up in a calming gesture.
But my dad is not having it. "I said, get the fuck out!" he yells, his face turning red with anger.
I'm frozen in my seat, unsure of what to do or say. I've never seen my dad react like this before.
"Dad, what the hell is going on?" I ask, shocked. "Stop talking to him like this. It's not acceptable." With each word, my voice is getting louder and louder as I feel anger rise to the surface.
"He ... he is forcing me out of my land," my dad says, furiously. "You rich bastards think that just because you have money, you can come and exploit hard-working people like me. People who have worked and saved every penny they can to one day retire in peace. And now, you're offering peanuts - an embarrassing offer to even consider - so you can make a stupid golf course where you'll earn more in an hour through your clients than I will earn on my land after years of holding on to it?"
I am taken aback by my father's outburst. It's not like him to lose his cool so quickly, especially not towards someone he just met. But now, I am beginning to understand. "Wait, Dad," I say, "You ... this is the land you bought? What we're acquiring?"
"Damn right," he says, now turning to me. "And you should be ashamed working for a man like this, a man who will go to no end to fulfill his greed. Your company is forcing us to bend our backs because y'all have gone and dug up financial information on all of us small land owners and they went to the most desperate ones who were in need of urgent cash to get them to sell, now devaluing our land and leaving us with little patches that will hold no value to any buyer ... except YOU!" my dad says, pointing a finger at Adrian.
"Is this true?" I ask Adrian, turning to him with a look of confusion on my face. "You looked into people's personal finances?"
"If this is true, I have no idea," says Adrian, looking equally concerned. "I promise."
I nod. "I believe you," I say. "I do. We'll figure this out, right?"
"Of course, we will," Adrian says. "I assure you, Sir, I have no intention of exploiting anyone. I have done our research, and I believe that we can create something truly special here, something that will benefit the community and the local economy. I promise I will look into what you're saying and pay the sellers what they are rightfully due as well as fire whoever has used such horrid tactics for purchase. I promise you, Sir."
"No," my dad says, now sitting down with his hands in his face. "No. I will hear no more of these lies. I want you out of my home, and Olivia, you will never see this man again. You hear me? I forbid it."
I am stunned by my father's sudden demand. But as I look at him, I see the pain and frustration etched on his face. It's clear that this land means everything to him, and he feels as though it's slipping through his fingers.
"Dad, you can't just make that demand," I say, trying to reason with him. "I work for him. I can't just cut ties like that."
"I don't care," he says, his voice firm. "I won't have my daughter working for someone who is capable of such things. I won't have her be a part of something so corrupt."
