But clearly, she needs this.
“I can show you evidence,” I nod slowly, mulling over my options.
If she’s asking a favor of me, I want something in return.
“Now?” she asks.
“Tomorrow. You can come to the warehouse with me. But I have a condition.”
Her eyes narrow and her head tilts to the side. Her lips tighten as she watches me. “What condition?” she asks, already not liking the sound of it.
“Nothing big. I want you to stop hiding in your room. Stop hiding, spend some real time with me without trying to escape. Wait, I have two conditions…”
She sighs. Clearly, the first condition wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.
“What is the second condition?” she asks.
“When I show you the evidence, you need to look at it with a clear mind. You need to stop being in denial about your father and see the truth for what it is.”
She’s biting at her lip again. Her eyes drift toward the fire, watching the flames dance. I watch it reflect in her eyes, and I wait.
“Ok,” she says without taking her eyes off the fire. “If the evidence is good evidence, then I will accept it for what it is. It’s not easy, you know… accepting that someone isn’t who you thought they were your whole life. It’s not easy seeing him as abad guy. I’m still not willing to just accept it—but if you can show me more… maybe…” she sighs, pulling her mouth to the side.
“I’ll show you more. And the other condition? You’ll stop trying to escape and maybe spend more time out of your room. Maybe you and I can try to get along.” I suggest, not pushing, but my voice is stern. The conditions have been set. She needs to acknowledge both.
Athena nods again, and her long dark hair falls over her shoulder. Absentmindedly, she threads her fingers through it, fidgeting with it. “Yes,” she says.
“Alright. We can leave early tomorrow morning. Around nine, after breakfast.”
Athena stands up.
“You don’t want to sit by the fire a little longer?” I ask.
“Maybe tomorrow,” she smiles tightly. It’s her way of making sure I understand the conditions will only be met if I can show her something convincing enough.
A soft chuckle rolls through my chest. “Maybe tomorrow then. Good night, kitten.”
Her lips flicker as a smile plays across them.
“Good night, Adrian,” she responds, her voice sweet and warm. I might still have to prove things to her, but I can already see a change in her. The slight dropping of her defenses. It makes me happy. It’s a step in the right direction.
I would love for her and me to get along.
Tomorrow, I’ll show her the video footage we have of her father stealing from me.
It will probably hurt her again. But this time I hope she sees it for what it is. Truth. Reality.
It’s the only way to stop her father from ever being able to manipulate her again.
Chapter 6 - Athena
We park outside a massive warehouse. It’s double the size of the rest of them, lined up on this strip in the industrial sector.
“My brother-in-law and I run this warehouse together. It’s one of our joint operations,” he explains as we climb out of the car.
“Who is your brother-in-law?” I ask.
“Viktor Nikolai,” Adrian replies.
