Chapter Two Asher #3
She chews the inside of her cheek for a few seconds, and I can practically see the cogs turning in her mind.
‘My father is the kind of person who only listens to himself. He’s got financial advisors and people he’ll confide in, but they’re pretty much echo chambers these days.
They just tell him exactly what he’s already planning on doing.
’ Her lips split into a wry grin. ‘And don’t get me wrong – he is usually right. ’
‘But not now?’
Her smile drops immediately. ‘Definitely not.’
‘So, what was that back there?’ I ask with a frown. It’s good to know that Imani isn’t certifiably insane, but I still can’t figure out what her game plan is here.
‘I’m never going to change his mind by just asking him.
Not even I, his only daughter, have that privilege.
’ She says it with a shrug, but it’s impossible to miss the hint of bitterness lacing her words.
There’s a lifetime of hidden pain there.
‘But if he thinks it’s his idea…’ She trails off and the pieces of the puzzle start to come together in my mind.
‘Then he’ll call it off,’ I finish for her.
Imani leans back into her seat and gives me a nod, obviously pleased I’ve finally caught up.
‘Exactly. As soon as he realises this isn’t going to get him the positive press and good standing with the investors he thinks it will, he’ll call the whole thing off.
Anything that puts the Peregrine Airways name in jeopardy is a hard no in my father’s mind. And that includes me.’
There’s that hint of bitterness again, and I get it. I truly do. I’m no stranger to growing up with the knowledge that you’ll always be in second place – or fourth, in my case – when it comes to the family business. But I’ve made my peace with it. Imani clearly hasn’t.
She also hasn’t thought this plan through.
I shake my head. ‘Your father might change his mind after a few bad headlines, but mine won’t.’
Scandal has been following Georgios Vouvalis since before I was even born. A little more would be nothing to him – not if it will ultimately get him what he wants. And right now, that’s Peregrine Airways.
Imani shakes her head. ‘It doesn’t matter if yours won’t change his mind. We just need mine to. Trust me, Daddy will never sign anything if he think it’ll hurt the business. Not even your father could get him to change his mind once he’s decided.’
I want to tell her that she’s underestimating just how persuasive my father can be once he’s set his sights on something, but her eyes are wide and imploring and the thought of dashing all her hopes right now makes something unpleasant settle in the pit of my stomach.
She’ll get it eventually.
There’s no need for me to push it along. No reason for me to give her an actual reason to resent or hate me. My father will make sure that happens soon enough when he forces me to put a ring on her finger.
‘So,’ Imani says with a tentative grin. ‘Are you in?’
‘In?’
She nods enthusiastically. ‘With my plan? We’ll need to work out some kinks, and figure out a believable backstory of course, but I think we could pull this off.’
There’s absolutely no chance in hell that we’ll be able to pull anything off, but her smile is widening and her energy is infectious. For a moment, I allow myself the delusion that I’m not constantly under my father’s thumb and that I have any kind of say in my life at all.
‘Unless,’ Imani says suddenly, ‘you had your own plan to get out of it? Sorry, just realising I came in here hot, and I never even asked what your plan was.’
My plan?
Is it pathetic that I never even had one? Yes. No doubt about it.
What does it say about me that I was ready to say yes to marrying her, just to keep him happy? My father says jump, and I don’t even ask how high. I just do it. That’s how it’s always been.
A silence stretches between us long enough to make Imani frown. ‘Or, I mean – surely you weren’t just going to say yes? You weren’t about to accept that your father’s been planning on marrying you off to some random girl just to get a deal over the line?’
Another beat of silence.
I can practically feel the disappointment rolling off Imani in waves.
Not sure why that bothers me, but it does and before I know it, I’m forcing out a laugh. ‘Of course not.’
Imani visibly relaxes. ‘Oh, thank God. Because, you know, that would be certifiably insane.’
‘Right.’ I continue to laugh even though my cheeks are hurting with the force of it all.
‘He only told me about five minutes before you came into the room. I was still processing the madness of it all.’ The lie rolls off my tongue easily and it’s clear Imani doesn’t doubt me.
I should feel more guilty for that, but I don’t.
Over the years I’ve got used to lying and keeping things hidden and squashed down.
‘So, yes,’ I say, still forcing the same easy grin. ‘I’m in.’
She makes a delighted sound and claps her hands together. ‘Thank you. Trust me, Asher, this is going to work.’
I wish I could believe it.