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Excitement buzzes through the room, and I watch as a girl seated closer to Lex leans in, her lashes fluttering. I can’t hear what she asks him, but the way he smiles at her makes me look away, my heart clenching painfully.
“Fuck,” Adam says, his voice soft. “I hate to admit it, but that’s an incredible opportunity.” I sigh and lean against him. Adam glances at me and turns to wrap his arm around my shoulders. “You okay?” he asks, squeezing.
“Yeah,” I murmur, my gaze drifting back to Lex and the girl he’s still talking to. “You’re right, and we shouldn’t let it go to waste,” I force myself to say, knowing that it’s true. “If anyone can snag up those internships, it’s us.”
“Is that what you want? I’d be happy to intern at your dad’s firm with you, if you prefer that, but I can’t deny that this is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity.”
Lex’s eyes meet mine for a moment, and he smiles in a polite, friendly way, like he truly is nothing but my professor. I tear my eyes away and take a deep breath. “Yes,” I tell Adam, my heart clenching. “Let’s try our best and see what happens. I’ll end upworking for my dad eventually, but I’m not silly enough to pass up on priceless work experience.” With only a few months to go until graduation, this opportunity seems more invaluable than ever.
He pulls back a little to look at me, his gaze searching. “All right,” he says, the edges of his lips turned up into the slightest smile. “Let’s do this then. If anyone can design a product worthy of Lexington Windsor’s praise, it’s you.”
Eleven
Raya
My mind is still on Lexington Windsor as I pull up in front of my parents’ house for dinner. I thought he’d stop me after class, but other than the way he looked at me when he walked in, we didn’t even interact. It was almost like the night we shared was a lucid dream echoing in my reality, but not his. It’s exactly what I should’ve expected fromLexington Windsor,but it isn't what I expected from the guy I’ve come to think of asjust Lex.I’m annoyed with myself for being even a little disappointed, when I should know better.
A soft ballad plays through the house as I walk in, and I smile to myself when I hear my father’s horrendous singing from the kitchen. I don’t even have to step into the room to know what I’ll find — Mom and Dad dancing together in the midst of cooking, probably with food stains all over them.
I pause in the doorway when I hear Mom’s laughter, taking a moment to just watch them. Seeing them together makes me understand why Dad insists that I create memories and live mylife to the fullest. It’s what my parents do together each and every day.
Dad twirls Mom around, her red dress swaying as she smiles from ear to ear, her nose crinkling in the cutest way as she looks into his eyes. Similarly, Dad’s full attention is on Mom, and he still looks at her the way he did a decade ago. This is why I walked away from Lex, because I’m after this kind of love. Seeing him again today only reinforced my decision, so why am I filled with a touch of bitterness and a heavy dose of disappointment?
The song comes to an end, and Mom leans back in Dad’s arms, her smile fading away as they look at each other. “We have to tell Raya what’s going on with the company today,” she says, her tone suddenly filled with torment. “You know that, right?”
Dad pulls her closer and hugs her tightly. “I can’t,” he whispers. “I’m not ready, Meera. Everything I built was meant to be hers someday, and now…”
Mom rises to her tiptoes and gently cups Dad’s face. “I don’t want to, but perhaps we should think about the merger offer. If nothing else, we should discuss it with Raya.”
Dad’s expression hardens, and he steps away from Mom abruptly. “How could you even entertain the idea of… of—” He turns away from Mom with something that can only be described as a mixture of horror and disgust written all over his face, only to freeze when he notices me standing in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” I ask, my voice calmer than I expected it to be. I’ve known the company is in trouble for months now, and I’d wondered how long it’d take them to tell me. A merger, though? That’s news to me.
Dad’s face falls when I walk into the room, and I pause, caught off-guard by his somber expression. My father is a formidable man, his presence intimidating to everyone but Mom and me. I’ve never seen him look the way he does right now — pained,lost.
“Raya,” Mom says, her voice breaking. “Why don’t you sit?” She gestures toward the breakfast bar and sighs. “There’s something we need to tell you.”
I nod hesitantly, suddenly nervous. Every instinct is telling me to proceed with caution, that the words that are about to spill from my parents’ lips are ones I’ll wish they never uttered. For so long, I’ve existed in a state of denial — almost like our financial woes weren’t real so long as my parents never formally told me about them.
“Raya,” Dad says softly as I sit down, his blue eyes filled with something I’ve never seen before — trepidation, resignation, and worst of all… guilt. “I can’t hide this from you much longer.”
His eyes fall closed, and the shaky breath Dad draws makes my own breath hitch. “Hide what?” My voice is soft, placating. I’m tempted to tell them thatI know, to relieve them of the burden of having to tell me, but it’d just hurt them more to find out I’ve been aware of the situation all along.
Dad looks away, almost as though he can’t quite face me. “The company isn’t doing very well, Raya.” He pauses, giving me a moment to let the words sink in.
Mom nods. “With the way the economy is moving, we’re not far from bankruptcy,” she adds. “We’ve done all we could, exhausted all our contacts. The only solution is a merger, but it’s an unconventional one.”
“Unconventional in what way?” I ask, my usual steadfast voice noticeably shaking. There’s something she’s not telling me, and that is entirely at odds with my mother’s no-nonsense personality. Even when I was little, Mom never sugarcoated things for me.
Dad throws her a look I can’t quite decipher and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter, angel,” he tells me. “It’s not something I’m willing to consider. I’ve started the process of filing for bankruptcy. I’m so sorry, Raya.” Dad’s voice breaks and he looksaway, but not before I catch a glimpse of the pain in his eyes. “This isn’t the legacy I wanted to hand down to you. I always thought you’d succeed me, that we’d work together until I’m gray and old, and even then, you’d indulge me and let me help in whatever way my creaky old bones could. This company… it was meant to be yours someday, but I… I failed, Raya. I failed both you and your mother, and words cannot convey how sorry I am.” He looks up, his eyes filled with heartbreak. “I should’ve told you sooner, but I suppose part of me hoped that I’d find a solution after all, that I could save us.”
Dad hangs his head, and I reach over to grab his hand, holding on tightly. “The merger,” I say, my voice tinged with caution. “Would it save us from bankruptcy?”
Dad’s eyes widen, hesitancy and a hint of disgust clouding his deep blue irises. “The merger comes with a price I’m not willing to pay.” He pulls his hand out of mine and crosses his arms, his expression hardening.
“That’s not an answer,” I retort, throwing the same words my parents have used throughout the years right back at them. They deeply value honesty, and they’ve never once let me get away with non-answers or attempts to talk myself out of situations. In return, they’ve always done me the same courtesy — until now.
Dad stares at me for a moment in that way he does sometimes, like he’s proud of me, even though I haven’t done anything to make me deserving of his pride. “You are far too sharp for your own good,” he says, his voice soft, filled with sorrow.
