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Chapter 16
Vahadr
Idislike admitting this, even just to myself, but I am beginning to think that I might be getting stressed.
It has been two days since I took Ana for dinner in the gardens, and although I’ve been unable to shake the image of that emerald dress from my mind, I’ve found little time to so much as look at her again, let alone take her on another of these dates she seemed to enjoy. Instead, I’ve been stuck at parliamentary inquiries for much longer than should be legal (perhaps something I should make punishable by death?), and when I’ve not been listening to the drone of whining politicians, I’ve been dealing with the ridiculous uprising across the globe. I did not even return home last night, and I’m hoping tonight will not be the second night in a row.
“Have you compiled the list of names I requested yet?” I ask my secretary, whose desk is stationed just outside my office.
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent.” I continue past without stopping, twitching my sleeve back to engage my wrist com. “Forward that to Miss Martin, will you?”
“Of course.”
The movement around the child-trafficking ring seems to have stalled now that the head of the Kuznezhen family has been taken care of, but unrest across the planet only appears to be growing stronger despite the vice president stationed in Chyeltsk insisting on having everything under control. In retrospect, this is likely the reason my father insisted on keeping positions of power within the family. What’s good for one Tzelik is good for all of us, and I would have fewer doubts about his loyalty and potential involvement in the uprising had he been one of mine.
Perhaps I’ll depose Ekriznik and send my cousin over in his stead. Something to think about if the situation cannot be contained.
My wrist-drone flies out from my sleeve, and after a few beats of dial-tone Ana’s face appears before me. Her dark curls are pulled into a loose braid that falls over one shoulder today, and I ignore the irrelevant desire to reach through time and space to unfasten her hair with my fingers.
“How’s your day, Ana?” I ask as I make my way to my desk.
“You don’t want me to waste time answering that,” she replies, one dark sculpted brow raising with amused skepticism as she walks through the grounds of her university. “Why don’t you just let me know how I can help you?”
I suppress a huff of amusement and sit down, rubbing briefly at my forehead. “I’ve just sent you a list of names. Please go through them and find out which ones have infants or dependents, and which ones do not.”
She’s already tapping away at her wrist com, and after a moment of scrolling, she looks back up. “These are all ministers sitting at Chyeltsk.”
“Yes.”
“Why…do you need to know which ones have children?”
“So that, should anything ever happen, arrangements for the safety and comfort of the dependents can be made.”
She stares at me. I stare back at her.
She opens her mouth to say something but then squints at me through the screen and turns her gaze downwards. “Asili, did you know that your father is a maniac?”
“I would only punish the ones that seek to take advantage of my people.”
“Papa!” Asili bounces up suddenly, trying to get in view of the drone’s camera but managing only to throw the scruff of his silver hair into the screen before I hear his shoes thud back down into a puddle. “Can we have take-out for dinner again tonight?”
Now it’s my turn to aim a slight glare. “Have you been feeding my son commoner’s trash, Analina?”
“Of course not,” she exclaims, her eyes wide and innocent as Asili shouts in the background, “Yes!”
I sigh and fire up the work station at my desk.
“I’ve got a few hours’ break before my next class now, sir,” she continues somewhat chirpily, completely unconcerned with my ire, “so I should be able to get started on this for you soon.”
“I thought I told you to call me Vahadr,” I mutter.
“I’m on the job, aren’t I?” she huffs right back. “And at this moment, you’re my boss. Besides, I’m already conspicuous enough with all the security you have constantly trailing us. I’d rather not be screaming your name out in public for everyone to hear.”
I blink. Yes, well, I would rather keep Ana screaming out my name as a private affair, myself…
“I’ll let you know once I’m done with your list, okay? Talk to you later. Here, Asili, say bye!”
