3
1454 Words
Chapter 3
I press my hand to the biometric scanner at Charles’s house and the front door swings open. The house smells amazing and my stomach grumbles immediately. When was the last time I ate? Did I even have lunch? I’ve been so busy all day that I genuinely can’t recall.
“Hey, you’re here,” Alyssa says, sticking her head out into the hallway. She’s got her long hair wrapped in a messy bun and she’s in comfy house clothes. Looks like she’s wearing nothing but a loose tee and some sleep shorts. My eyes automatically drop to her breasts. I can see a hint of her n*****s through the fabric and my heart starts to race. I blink and look away. What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve known Alyssa all my life. Why am I suddenly attracted to her?
“Hungry?” she asks. My stomach grumbles again and she laughs. “That’s a yes, then. Come in.”
She disappears back into the kitchen and emerges minutes later with a large serving dish. I glance at the pasta she made longingly and she chuckles as I take a seat next to Charles.
“Alyssa and I started doing daddy-daughter dinner dates three times a week. We’re both working so much these days, and working together isn’t easy either. I kind of figured that having dinner a few times a week might help her not hate me. I’m not the easiest boss to have, and she has to live with me too. She’s already threatened to move out twice.”
I’m hit with an intense sense of longing but smile nonetheless. I’d give the world to work with my dad and to have dinner with him just one more time. Charles has done his best to treat me as his son, but it isn’t the same. It doesn’t make me miss my dad any less. If anything, it makes me miss him more.
Alyssa grabs a large serving spoon and proceeds to fill her father’s plate with pasta and salad, before moving her attention to me. I’m so startled that I don’t even have time to protest or to insist that I can do it myself.
I’ve gotten so used to the serving staff at home that Alyssa serving me instead makes me feel all flustered. How long has it been since I’ve had a meal that truly feels like a homemade one? One that isn’t made by a chef and served by staff.
“Thank you,” I whisper. She smiles at me and my stupid heart skips yet another beat.
“So you’re buying an apartment, huh?” Charles says. I nod at him as I take a bite of my food and try my best to hide my expression. The food looks amazing but it doesn’t taste quite right. Charles bites back a smile and shakes his head as I force myself to swallow down the pasta.
“Yeah,” I say. “I found one I really like, overlooking Hyde park.”
Charles nods thoughtfully. “Close to the office then. What area is it, Knightsbridge?”
I nod and he smiles approvingly. “Sounds great, son. I had a look at that Aston Martin you’ve been wanting to buy as well. Not sure about the options you picked.”
Alyssa rolls her eyes and takes a bite of her food. Her eyes widen and she grimaces as she swallows the food down, and I can’t help but smile. She grabs a large amount of parmesan and throws it all over her own food and ours, though I doubt that’ll save the dish.
“God, stop it already. All this talk about buying apartments and cars. Next I know you two will make a cost-benefit analysis.”
Charles and I look at each other and nod at the same time. “Excellent idea,” I murmur, causing Alyssa to roll her eyes.
Dinner passes peacefully and I can’t remember the last time I had such a homely meal. I love my mother to bits, but she’s always worked so hard that we’ve never really done many family dinners. We’ve done even less of them since my father died.
I follow Charles to his office and the two of us finish up our paperwork while he advises me on client issues I’ve had. I’ve missed this. The MBA I did doesn’t hold a candle to one-on-one mentoring sessions with Charles.
He seems fidgety and nervous as he reads through the proposal I crafted, and I lean back in amusement. I know there’s nothing wrong with the proposal — it was a piece of cake. Instead he’s gearing up to ask me something. Something about Alyssa, no doubt.
“So, how is my little girl doing?” he asks eventually. The edges of my lips tip up and I try my best not to smile. Charles Moriani is the most fearless and ruthless businessman I know, but he’s a softie when it comes to his daughter.
“She’s doing great, Charles. She’s eighteen and she’s already handling the workload of a graduate staffer. Even more than that, actually, considering that she’s working in the Executive Office. I’m worried it’s too much, though. I’m worried her school work and working at DM on top of that is too much.”
Charles shakes his head. “No, not for Alyssa. This is a walk in the park for her. She’s amazing.”
I sigh and bite down on my lip. Nothing I say will convince him that the only reason she’s working so hard is because of all the pressure he puts on her. Alyssa has always been scared of letting her father down.
“Don’t you think you’re a bit tough on her, though? That incident last month with the small error on the client proposal, that was a bit much.”
Charles hesitates and looks away. “That’s how I taught you, Daniel. Look how great you turned out. I want Alyssa to learn in the same way — in the way I know works.”
I finish my cup of tea and nod respectfully. I don’t agree with him but it’s not my place to argue with him either. All I can do is shield Alyssa from his tough love training as best as I can.
I rise and grab my teacup. “Want a refill?” I ask. Charles nods and hands me his cup, seemingly lost in thought. I know he’s worried about pushing Alyssa away, and he should be.
I’m surprised to find Alyssa at the kitchen table with her laptop and notepad. She’s sipping a cup of tea of her own and looks up when I enter. I glance at my watch and frown.
“It’s eleven, Alyssa. Shouldn’t you be heading to bed sometime soon? You have classes tomorrow, don’t you?”
She nods and yawns. “I know, but I have an essay due soon and I just don’t have enough time to finish it.”
I walk towards the kettle and refill it silently. “You know you don’t have to come in every single day, right? If you’re busy with classes then just reduce your working hours.”
She sighs and shakes her head, her long brown hair falling over her chest. “No, I couldn’t,” she murmurs.
I walk towards her and sit down next to her. Alyssa pushes her laptop towards me and looks up at me with her stunning hazel eyes. “What do you think?” she asks, hopeful. She’s totally giving me puppy eyes and I’m totally falling for it.
I read through her essay and highlight a few sections where she needs more references, and another few that aren’t quite clear enough. “Work on this,” I tell her, running her through my notes step by step.
She looks up at me with wide eyes, and I’ve never seen her look at me that way before. I’ve never seen her look so mesmerised. Or, well, I guess I’ve never seen her look that way at me. My cheeks heat up just slightly while my heart rate increases, and I push away from her.
“Thank you, Daniel,” she murmurs.
I smile at her and shake my head. “It’s nothing, Alyssa. I’m always here if you need help. I’m serious about work too. If you want to work less hours, let me know. I’ll talk to your dad for you.”
She considers it for a second and then shakes her head. I sigh and bite back a smile. I already know that I’ve got another workaholic on my hands.
- Writer
