Page 3 of Cheating Fate

But I knew the loving father, devoted husband, and selfless family man that the rest of the world didn’t see. I loved my father and aspired to be the type of mate to my Zhara that he was to my mother.

I knocked on the heavy wooden door and opened it when his muffled voice bid me come in. My pleasantly surprised smile upon seeing my mother in the room faltered when I noticed the uneasy expression on her beautiful face.

My mother was as gorgeous as my father was not. From her, I inherited my unusual amber eyes and a non-negligible part of her harmonious features. But right now, hers were guarded in a way that hinted that something unpleasant awaited me.

She was sitting on a fancy leather stool, near the minibar to the left of my father’s desk. It was an odd place for her to have settled in. Usually, if she wasn’t cuddling directly in my father’s lap, she would either sit in the red leather empire chair across from his desk, or in one of the plush and insanely comfortable seats in the sitting area on the opposite side of the room.

Coming to a stop in front of his massive, ornate mahogany desk, I cast a questioning look at my father. “Dad, you wanted to see me?”

He nodded, the intense gaze he leveled on me making me want to squirm. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this inexplicably intimidated by my father. Something felt completely off.

“William told me that you requested a frigate for your journey to the western quadrant instead of a simple chaser. Is that correct?” he asked, his tone neutral and his expression unreadable.

“Yes. Since seven other Braxians are also going to Veredia to join the Sentinels, I thought it would be wiser for us to travel together in a single ship,” I explained.

“That makes only eight of you,” my father countered. “A chaser offers ample space for such a small group.”

I nodded. “Right. But it’s not big enough to also carry my own chaser and hoverbike. Chances are that the others will also have either their personal shuttles, hovercars or hoverbikes. We’re leaving for many years. For some among us, it is a permanent relocation. A chaser is too small.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded. “But you could still fit all of your personal stuff in your own chaser with some room to spare.”

I blinked, baffled as to why he seemed to have an issue with something I perceived as extremely minor.

“You are correct. However, as I previously mentioned, the idea of the frigate was so that all of us could make the long journey together in a single ship,” I replied carefully in a reasonable voice. “Some of the others have way less means. If they travel on their own, they will be stuck on smaller and older ships. The frigate would ensure much better comfort, not to mention give all of us some bonding time. In more ways than one, the eight of us will become a makeshift clan away from home.”

My father pursed his lips, appearing far from convinced by my arguments. This made me even more confused. Something was happening that I was utterly failing to figure out.

“You have a kind heart, Gavin,” he said at last. “Your intentions are very altruistic towards those other candidates, but you are being rather cavalier with my credits.”

My mother flinched at the same time as I recoiled. Gaping, I stared at my father in complete shock and disbelief. Credits meant absolutely nothing to us. Our family’s wealth—well, technically his—had reached obscene levels. Much could be said about my father, but no one could ever call him stingy, least of all when it came to the comfort of his loved ones. In fact, we often had to chastise him so that he would stop trying to spoil us.

“Your credits will not be spent for any of this journey,” I said, the outrage I felt audible in my voice. “In case you have forgotten, I have substantial wealth of my own. I always intended on paying the crew’s wages, fuel, maintenance, and whatever other fees we might incur for the frigate to take us to Veredia and then return home.”

“Be that as it may, you should have asked me first instead of assuming you could just take my ship. What if I need it in the meantime? It’s a two-week journey each way to your destination,” my father countered sternly.

Utterly confused, I studied his features as if they could help me make sense of what clearly didn’t. My father never used the frigate the rare times he traveled. He found it too big and too impersonal. I could count on one hand the few occasions he did, which usually involved bringing half of Grappa’s clan along with us.

“I see,” I replied at last, although I absolutely didn’t. “In that case, I will rent one. It is a little last-minute for it, but I’m sure—”

“No,” my father said in a tone that brooked no argument, interrupting me.

I blinked. “No… what?”

“You will not rent a frigate,” he replied in a factual manner.

“Why the hell not?” I asked, my confusion cranking up another notch.

“Because no one will rent to you,” he said with a shrug.

“WHAT?! Why wouldn’t they?”

A nauseous feeling twisted my insides even as I asked the question. My gut told me what the answer would be, but I refused to even entertain that possibility. And yet, his next words confirmed it.

“Because I forbade it,” he said, lifting his chin ever so slightly with a hint of defiance.

My mother swallowed hard, clasped her hands on her knees, and averted her eyes with a deep air of guilt. As much as my father’s current behavior made no sense to me, realizing that she was also in on whatever this was cut me to the core.

My father heaved a sigh and gave me an apologetic look as I continued to stare at him, robbed of words.