"A fake boyfriend for Ana?" I was seriously surprised when Paul didn't automatically turn down this idea; he was such a practical man, and this seemed to be anything but. Instead however, his eyes scrolled out into nowhere as his thumb rubbed under his chin in a thoughtful manner. I can't believe he- of all people- was actually considering something like this. Eventually Paul blinked back to me with a decided look on his face. "Yeah, that could work. I could be your fake boyfriend, Ana." Paul! My eyes began to grow astonished.
"Who said anything about you?" Mr. Grey instantly cut in, positioning himself securely between me and the detective. Once again, the two were glaring daggers at each other. Gees, I don't get what their deal is, my eyes inwardly rolled. "Who else did you have in mind? Not some pompous, CEO playboy like yourself I'm sure." Wait, shouldn't this be my decision? It would be my fake relationship, after all. Hold on, I mentally had to check myself. That almost sounds like I approved of the idea- no way! I don't wanna be a fake girlfriend…. do I? "Either you succeed me or marry the man who does." Do I?
"You can't do it, Clayton! We need you here, helping us with the case," officer Doyle suddenly begged, as if he realized the implications of being a "fake boyfriend". "I can do both," Paul stated with an air of solid confidence. Mr. Grey was not impressed. "No, you can't. Whoever guards Anastasia is going to need to give their full attention." "Oh, says the head of a major cooperation. Yeah, you're the perfect guy for the job in that case," my dear friend retorted, like he had just won the argument. But Mr. Grey being Mr. Grey just happened to have a card up his sleeve. He grinned knowingly and relaxed his posture a smidgen.
"I am, in fact. Miss Steele happens to be my personal intern; I'll make it so she's by my side all day. Our ahem, personal relationship will extend to after office hours." I'm pretty sure I've said this before but man, if looks could kill…. Paul was not having it; not at all. He simply glowered over at Mr. Grey with the all bitterness and hate that one gaze could achieve. Turns out Mr. Grey wasn't the only one with an ace in his sleeve.
"You can't date Ana; that would be illegal, in case you've forgotten your contract, sir. Bosses can't date their interns under any circumstances." "Uh, well technically they can, just so long as there's no sex or physical intimacy," officer Doyle had the gull to blurt out loud. This made everyone in the room physically uncomfortable, particularly me. I turned beet red, now staring down at my hands. Sex- or hugging passionately as I liked to call it- was something I never thought about, much less sought after. I thought I'd deal with all that when I'm married, but I'm a PhD candidate; who has time for that now?
Daddy stiffened up, Paul stared downward, and Mr. Grey cleared his throat. Yep! Definitely awkward. "This does not violate Anastasia's internship contract. It would be a fake relationship, after all," Mr. Grey finally cleared up, though it was insanely uncomfortable. "Exactly; no… no any of that," Paul couldn't even look at Mr. Grey while he said this. "So…. you would just pretend to be Miss Steele's boyfriend, is that it?" Officer Jones asked Mr. Grey. "Who says he gets to do it?" Oh boy, we're back on this again. "It was my idea. Besides, Anastasia and I are already going to spend so much time together; it only makes sense." "It doesn't make sense at all! You don't even know her; and I don't trust your ability to protect her. That's two strikes," Paul held up two fingers, cause that's mature.
"Anastasia will be perfectly safe with me. I can take care of it." "Not "it", Grey; "her". And last I checked, I'm the one responsible for handling this whole fascio." "You can, detective Clayton; from the station." "Listen, you….!"
"Gentlemen," Daddy- who had been contemplating quietly this whole time- spoke for the first time in minutes. This caught everyone's attention, even the feuding pair over here. It's hard to explain but Daddy had this authoritative aura about him at all times. I was immune to it by now, but I saw it work on tons of grown, deadly men before. Daddy was your typical mob boss- he commanded respect, even without saying anything. He waited for everyone to stop talking before he continued.
"I appreciate your differing positions, but I think it's fair that this decision be mine." Both Paul and Mr. Grey seemed taken aback by this. I wasn't surprised at all, however. Daddy had this "old man" mentality; when it came to men being around his treasured baby girl, he made sure everyone involved knew who was ultimately in charge. Maybe this didn't bother me so much because I'd never really had a boyfriend before. The closest I've ever gotten to a guy is to Paul, and even then, my crush on him didn't work out in high school. Daddy didn't seem overly protective or controlling with men because there were simply no men before. I just watched him while everyone else began to squirm nervously.
"But before I decide anything, I'd like to speak with my daughter alone please." Uh oh. They all looked at one another before they all exited without another word. Officer Jones shut the door behind him. Daddy waited until we were alone; then he tested the room for microphones with this device on his watch. You'd be surprise what underground money can create for gangsters. When he was sure the room wasn't tapped, he turned to face me directly; his face much firmer this time.
"What did he say last night?" I knew who he meant right away. "He's looking for Jack Hyde; he's working for the Yellow Scarves. It seems like Jack's gone into hiding." "I had a feeling," his eyes drifted off into space for a second. "Anything else?" Daddy then asked me. "I'm apparently the last one who talked to him, back at the manor. He probably disappeared that night." "That's likely the case…."
A pause interrupted our conversation; I could tell Daddy was thinking hard about all this. Eventually his eyes moved back onto my figure. "Listen to me, Anastasia; Black's one of the more dangerous informants. If he wants information from you, he'll find a way to get it." "But I've literally told him everything I know about Jack." That's true; I did. Daddy's head just shook. "That doesn't matter, sweetheart. You're my daughter, my heir and successor; that's practically sufficient. You know that…." My eyes lowered slowly. Yeah… yeah, I did; no matter how much I tried to forget it.
"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to enter a fake relationship with that Grey fellow, and you're gonna stay in it until my men take care of Black." "Mr. Grey? W-why him?" This make me blink in shock. Mr. Grey wasn't a low-eye figure; I knew I had to trust Daddy but I wasn't sure this was the best way to keep me hidden from Black's prying eye. "Grey's perfect. He's got a clean record and is most likely clueless of the city's underworld. He won't ask the wrong questions." "You… did a background check on him, didn't you?" "You'd think I'd let you work for an ex-criminal, darling?" Ah, he had a point there.
"Yeah, but Daddy, Mr. Grey's rich; and not like "us" rich. He's open rich, and famous in the business world. I'll be very exposed if… I'm his girlfriend," that was both charming and terrifying to say. His head gave a shake once more. "You'll be exposed to the business world; not the one that matters." My eyes began to drift forward attentively….. Not the one that matters, huh?
"Still…. why does it have to be Mr. Grey?" Doesn't it make more sense for it to be….? Daddy watched me intently for a moment before digging his hands firmly in his pockets. "You really like that Clayton boy, don't you?" My head shot up alarmed. "N-no! I mean not anymore; he shot me down in high school….." Not a pleasant memory to relive. "I see the way you look at him; you never look at anyone like that." "Daddy, he's my friend. He's very precious to me, but… I don't think he likes me like that," my gaze started to unconsciously drift off again. "Are you saying Clayton's dear to you?" "Yes- yes, I am, Daddy."
Our eyes locked for a moment, then he let out an exasperated sigh. "All the more reason for Grey to be your fake boyfriend." "Daddy!" "Don't forget, Anastasia; you can't fall in love with either of them. If you already like Clayton, then it's best to keep your distance. It'll nip any heartbreak in the bud." "Why… why I can't just have this one thing?" My hands balled into tight fists. No choices….. I have no control; not anymore. "You know why, sweetheart. We both know you're gonna marry a Dollar. I've known that since the day you were born." No control, no freedom….. "You need a man who will run the gang alongside you." I don't have a say…. "It doesn't matter if you love him or not; what matters is you staying safe." "You're going to replace me, Anastasia. No matter what, you need to stay at the center." I can't fall love….. "You're my daughter. Do you have any idea the target that paints on your back?" Just like my career choice, love is a luxury I can't enjoy. Love is just one of many things that has been snatched away from me. Jumping in front of that knife was the last choice I ever made for myself….. "I'm sorry, Miss Steele; you won't be able to have children."
My very last choice.