Edmund
The drive to the office was quiet and it was killing me, because I still had a lot to say. My father sat beside me, scrolling through his phone like nothing significant was happening. I stared out the window, watching buildings pass, my leg bouncing despite my effort to stay still.
"You'll thank me soon enough, son," he said without looking up.
I scoffed. "Yeah. Right."
He glanced at me briefly, unimpressed. "You'll see."
I didn't reply. There was nothing to say that wouldn't start another argument, and I was already tired.
The car pulled up in front of the building, it was a very tall building. Not as tall as ours but tall enough to compete. We walked in side by side, my father greeting the receptionist like he owned the place. It was a habit of his that I found really annoying.
We were led upstairs, straight to the executive floor.
The secretary smiled politely when we approached. "Mr. Asher is currently in a meeting, sir. He should be done shortly."
My father nodded. "We'll wait."
We sat. I checked my watch once, then twice. My fingers tapped against my knee. After a few minutes, the office door opened.
A man stepped out. It was Asher's father—Rio Asbourne.
"Rio," my father said, standing. "Good to see you."
"As always," the man replied, extending his hand. "Apologies for keeping you waiting."
"Not a problem at all," my father said. "We understand."
They shook hands, smiling like this wasn't about to upend my life.
"Please," Asher's father said, gesturing toward the office. "Come in."
The office was massive. Floor-to-ceiling windows. The place was sparkling clean and smelled so good, I almost hung my nose up in the air but my eyes caught sight of a nonchalant figure sitting on the office chair. It was Asher.
He sat behind the desk, leaning back slightly, one arm resting on the chair, his attention on a tablet. He looked exactly like he had the night before. Detached. Unbothered.
"I thought your secretary said you were busy," I said before I could stop myself.
Asher looked up for a second. Just a second. His eyes flicked to me, then away again. He didn't say a word.
Asher's father cleared his throat. "Please, sit."
We did. He pulled out a folder, opening it calmly. "These are the finalized documents. Take your time reviewing them."
"There's no need," my father said immediately. "We're here to sign so Edmund can begin as soon as possible."
I bit back a reply, pressing my lips together so hard my jaw hurt.
Asher's father paused, then smiled. "In that case, perhaps we should step out and give them a moment."
My father beamed. "I'm sorry?" I blurted out.
"Let the two of them talk," he said. "Get to know each other properly before Edmund resumes."
That was the first time I noticed a reaction from Asher.
He straightened slowly, his expression switching from nonchalant to slightly annoyed. He looked offended. Oh wow, at least someone feels the same way because I DO NOT WANT TO BE HERE EITHER!
"I don't think that's a good idea," I said quickly.
My father waved a hand. "Nonsense. You two should definitely get to know each other, especially after yesterday."
Asher's father nodded in agreement. "We'll give you privacy."
Before I could protest again, they were already leaving. The door closed behind them with a soft click.
The room felt too quiet. For some reason, it became extremely hard to breathe. The atmosphere was electric and I was sure I was the only person in the room feeling it, because Asher looked even more nonchalant than before.
Asher picked up his tablet again.
I cleared my throat. "Are you not going to apologize for yesterday?"
He looked up slowly this time. The expression on his face was unreadable, but his eyes flashed with something close to disbelief.
"Apologize?" he asked. "Why should I apologize to you exactly?"
I frowned. "You walked away from me when I attempted to be polite."
"Last I checked," he said calmly, "I'm your supervisor. And today is the first time I'm meeting you."
What?
I felt heat crawl up my neck. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," he replied evenly, "that I do not have prior knowledge of us meeting any time before now."
I stared at him. "You're pretending you don't remember me?"
"I don't pretend," he said. "I simply do not care enough to do that."
"That's a very bad impression for someone of your status," I snapped.
He leaned back in his chair. "You'll need to grow thicker skin if you plan to work here."
"I didn't ask to be here, and technically, I'm not working here either. I'm not your employee, I'm just getting supervised by you." I said.
"And that's precisely what being an employee means," he replied flatly.
"You could at least acknowledge what happened," I said. "It was embarrassing."
He raised a brow. "Embarrassing?"
"Yes," I said sharply. "It was a simple act of courtesy and you just walked out, leaving me feeling like an idiot."
"I dismissed an interaction I didn't feel was necessary," he said. "That's not a crime."
"No. You acted like a complete jerk."
I used to have better comebacks than this, what the hell was happening to me? I sound like a fucking child right now.
"I act according to priority," he said. "You weren't one."
I clenched my fists. "You think you're so tough, huh?"
"Tough is a stretch. Uninterested is the word, you should learn it sometime," he said flatly.
I laughed without humor. "You can't judge me for being a proper human being."
"I can," he replied. "That's literally my role now."
I stood. "You sound very insecure."
"So is your tone," he said. "Sit down or leave my office."
"No."
He sighed, like I was inconveniencing him. "Very well then. We begin next week. You'll report to my office when instructed. Now leave my office."
"You can't just tell me to walk out of your office like that," I said.
"I can," he said calmly. "And I just did."
"This isn't how supervision works."
"This is how it works with me," he replied.
I stepped closer to the desk. "Nobody gets to treat me like this."
He met my gaze, unbothered. "Leave my office."
"My team will send you a memo containing all the details you'll need," he repeated. "You're done for today."
I remained standing. Stubbornly.
"If you don't leave," he said, his voice dropping, "I'll be forced to call security. And believe me when I say that I do not give a flying fuck what happens when you're thrown out."
My stomach dropped.
"As you know," he continued, "I don't answer to anybody. That includes your father and anyone else."
He looked back at his tablet.
I stood there, frozen, feeling small and stupid.
"Fuck you, Asher," I said.
He didn't look up.
I turned and walked out, slamming the door behind me.