Part 9
"Have fun tonight?"
"Dad!" she exclaims, not expecting him to be sitting on the stairs waiting for her. And by the look on his face he'd been waiting there for a while- he was far from impressed.
"What time do you call this?" he seethes, just about keeping a lid on his temper. Eli was generally a very composed individual, but when he did lose his cool it wasn't a pretty sight.
Poor Liv, she didn't know how best to answer, afraid that whatever response she'll give him will not be good enough… "I'm sorry daddy, I lost track of time."
Wordlessly, he gets up from his seat on the stairs and stalks towards her. He gets close enough to smell her, which he does unnervingly. "You reek of him!" He accuses with disgust.
Realising she's been caught out, her heart begins to pound against her chest. She's so nervous, she doesn't dare to say anything else. But it seems her father has plenty to say.
Elijah was no fool, for a couple of weeks now he had been noticing a significant change in Olivia. Like the changes to her attire, still business like but yet more exposed- shorter skirts, and shirts that revealed her cleavage- then there was the make up and the perfume- Sure, she wore a little from time to time, but this was every day now, without fail. Then as circumstances would have it, all of a sudden the demands of her job had increased too, which required her to work late, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday nights he noted; where instead of six O'clock, Olivia was coming home around eight/nine O'clock- looking more like the cat who'd got the cream, than an employee exhausted from working a ten hour day. At first, he had hoped this behaviour was down to Edison. The fact that she seemed to be meeting up with him regularly these days, he just assumed that the two were connected, that maybe she was starting to fall for him and had been sneaking off to see him. However three days ago, when Elijah went over to the Davis' residence to see Edison's father, Edison also happened to be there. So of course he questioned him about Olivia, ready to have the man to man speech about making an honest woman out of her, however much to his surprise Edison revealed that he hadn't seen Olivia is over a month. A month!
"Are you sure?" He had asked him… "Because two nights ago Olivia said she was going out to see you".
"No Mr Pope, she did not, in fact I was here at home with my father that night."
"So you and Olivia are not going out this Friday night?"
Edison had shook his head from side to side… "No Sir, not that I know off…"
It was now the early hours of Saturday morning, which meant one thing, his daughter was messing around with someone else- someone that she didn't want him to know about.
"Who are you sleeping with?" He asks directly, skirting around the fact was something he was no longer prepared to do.
Olivia looks at him wide eyed. Shocked… How could he know? Was it really that obvious? Should she deny it?
She doesn't know what she should do or say, so instead she says nothing. But this only seems to enrage her father further… "Do you not understand what I've asked?! Okay fine, well let me put it this way… What man has got you raising your skirt and opening your knees; giving it away like a common whore?"
The vulgarity of his words have the desired effect, she's feels completely degraded. With just one single blow, he has managed to cheapen her special night with Fitz. Her eyes begin to sting with tears, she doesn't want to hear any more.
"I wouldn't even mind if it was Edison- but I know it's not him, just as I know you lied about going out with him tonight. So I ask again… who is he?"
"Daddy, please…" she weeps.
Seeing her tear up, he decides to take a gentler approach… "Baby girl, please just tell me who has been causing you to lie to me? Who has you all turned out, and forgetting who you are… because whoever he is he can't be good news, because you have not seen fit to introduce him to me, and that in itself speaks volumes…"
"It's not like that Daddy, he's a good guy… it's just complicated…"
"Complicated how?"
She looks away ashamed… "I can't say…"
"Can't or won't?!" He's beginning to lose his patience again… "Listen here, you're my daughter and I love you, but understand this- as long as you live under my roof you will have to abide by my rules… therefore this affair must come to an end, or alternatively you tell me who he is, so I can judge whether or not he is good enough for my daughter, otherwise you are out on your own… Your mother, god rest her soul, she and I did not make the sacrifices we did for you to blow it all away on some flighty romance, that by the sounds of it will only break your heart."
"I love him Daddy…" she confesses.
"You love him? And you see a future with him, is that it?"
"I don't know…" she answers truthfully, painfully… "I'd like one with him, but I don't know if it's possible, because it's…"
"...Complicated." Eli finishes off, "You said… So, what is this complication exactly? Is he married?"
She can barely look her father in the eye.
"Oh my God, that's it isn't it…?"
The façade that she and Fitz can make this work, the one that she's been holding on to for the past two months is starting to crumble fast before her eyes, and her father's too, as the realisation of her situation fully sinks in and breaks her.
"For goodness sake Olivia, are you stupid! A married man, what the hell was you thinking?!" He looks at her with disappointment, before adding callously… "It will never work, you know that right? Even if he leaves his wife, a cheat is always a cheat… He'll do the same to you one day too, I'm sure…"
"No, he's not like that… Neither of us planned this, it just happened… We fell in love, besides he never loved his wife…"
"Oh Liv, my sweet girl, how naive you are… don't you see that's the oldest trick in the book. Making you believe that he's in a loveless marriage, so that you can feel sorry for him, pity him even, and then that way you are justified in dropping your panties in a bid to comfort him, and reaffirm that it's okay for him to love you, and for you to love him back- with no guilt attached!"
"You're wrong, there is guilt... loads of it- but I can't ignore how I feel about him and neither can he…"
Eli shakes his head, he really believed she was smarter than this… "So give me the plan, he files for divorce and leaves his wife- is that next step?"
"He wants to, but it's not as simple as that…"
"Simple!" He laughs, "How can any of this be simple! You're screwing a married man for Christ sake! I just hope you were smart enough to use protection, because the last thing you need is an illegitimate baby to add to the mix, because believe me young lady, I for one will not be there to hold your hand through that particular tragedy-because that is what it will be- TRAGIC! Your entire future shot, raising some married man's bastard child, alone… Is that what you want?!"
"No, of course not- I don't want it to be like that, but no matter how hard I try to fight it, I can't help it- I love him."
Elijah starts to pace up and down… "God, when I get my hands on this man, I'm going to ring his bloody neck!"
"Dad!"
"He doesn't deserve you, YOU deserve better than this Liv… Who is he, tell me… I want to know, so I can tell him to leave you the hell alone! It's bad enough that he's sullied your virtue, I won't let him ruin your life as well." He suddenly stops pacing, and stands in front of her head on, placing his hands on her shoulders, demanding… "Tell me who he is!"
