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I couldn’t believe he was guilting me into staying. “If you really thought about it, you’d see that my father is the one who could get everything back on track faster than I can.”
“He made the mess. I don’t need him there to fix it. As I already told you before, your father is no longer an employee. And when I see him, I’ll be happy to let him know.”
I hated how cold and matter-of-fact his tone was when he spoke about my father. It hurt. But not as much as hearing my father's voice from behind me.
“Mr. Rio. You’re here in Tabiq,” he said.
Please don’t let him have overheard us talking.
He needed to know, but I would rather it came from me when we were alone. But my hope that maybe my father had gone for a walk, or was out shopping was shattered. He was about to learn his fate, and probably in a cruel way too.
Turning around I said, “Father, he’s here to speak to me.”
“Then invite him in,” he instructed.
In Tabiq, one didn’t tell their parents, no. Reluctantly, I stepped aside and asked, “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea or coffee?”
“No. I need to get back to the factory,” Niko said.
My father said, “I should gather my things and head there myself.”
I shot Niko a pleading look. He met my gaze, and I bit my lip waiting for what he was going to utter next.
“No need to, Trye. You can stay where you are.”
“Why?” my father asked.
“Ovi has informed me that you have been...ill. Stay here. I’ll be in touch.”
“What about the factory? The orders?” he asked.
Please, don’t push it. I don’t want Niko to say it, but you’re forcing him to.
“Everything is under control.” He nodded to me and said, “We will talk later. Maybe over dinner?”
I wanted to refuse. Tell him what he can do with his dinner invitation. But Niko held all the cards, and he knew it. Forcing a grin, I said, “I look forward to it.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at six.” Then he turned and headed back to his SUV.
I closed the door and turned to find my father standing with his arms crossed. “What?” I asked.
“Dinner? Is there something going on between the two of you that you haven’t told me? Oh, wait. Since I didn’t even know that he was back in Tabiq, and you did, then I guess there are alotof things I am clueless about. Maybe you and I should talk.”
He extended his hand pointing towards the living room. “How about I go and shower and get dressed first?” He shook his head.Thought not.
When we got to the couch, I sat down and waited. He stood there staring at me. Lying to my parents wasn’t something I was used to doing. At least not until recently. I had two choices, come clean now, and deal with the consequences, or continue the lies and he’ll only be angrier when the truth comes out later. I’d done everything I could to protect him.I hope you understand that when I tell you exactly what I’ve been doing.
“I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I didn’t want to,” I said.
“You and I have never kept anything from each other. Tell me what is going on,” he said.
“Niko, I mean, Mr. Rio returned to Tabiq a couple of days ago. No one knew he was coming. I had been in the office to email the reports and respond to his messages like I do each day. But he came to your office and caught me there,” I explained.
“What did you tell him?” he asked.
“That you were home ill, and I was there to retrieve your cell phone and laptop. I guess he believed me because he let me leave with them.”
“That explains why he thinks I should stay home,” he replied.
