It's not easy to pick sides. Everyone has secrets, secrets they want hidden and buried. What extent would you go to hide your secrets? How far would you go for self preservation?
Like father, like daughter.
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T...
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You felt something shift in her. It seems like she didn't want to get personal, which you understood.
"It's just so hard for people like us to live like others. You've felt that too, haven't you?" You fake pouted and sighed solemnly. "The constant not fitting in, and feeling used by the people near you..."
You looked into your glass, watching how your reflection looked. You looked just as pitiful as you wanted her to see you as in the moment.
"But of course we're different. From other people with our status, wouldn't you agree?" You looked at her with a straight face.
She seemed stunned somewhat, probably not expecting this, and taking time to process it.
"I.." She was hesitating. "I don't think I know what you mean, sorry."
Honestly, you were a bit curious how she felt, if she felt the same things you did. You two were pretty similar, just minor differences. You wanted to see where she drew the line. But you had to remember not to push her away.
"I'm sorry.. I digress, that was a bit much. I can be a bit careless at times." You covered your mouth bashfully, watching how she reacted. At the very least, you gave her more to think about.
She just cleared her throat, and it seemed as if she was getting ready to make up an excuse to get away.
She didn't seem upset, just a little uncomfortable.
"Again, I'm sorry for that." You laughed awkwardly and moved around a bit. "There's a lot of pressure on me... to get our fathers in the same room, that is. I was just hoping that maybe it would be relieving to find someone who understood what it was like."
You wanted to get her sympathy, and you did.
She seemed to be having a lot of thought, although she didn't show it well.
She definitely understood all you were saying. But it was because of this that you felt both familiarity and shame for what you're doing.
"I understand [y/n].. don't worry about it." She picked up her glass and took a sip out of it, cooling herself down a bit. She seemed to get a bit more comfortable again.
"Thank you..." You smiled sweetly at her and made sure you visibly loosened up.
You felt a bit vulnerable, but you never did anything without a reason. You could tell she wasn't an easily vulnerable person, but this conversation was going to help for the next time you meet. Although you couldn't deny you felt an extent of embarrassment for saying so much.
But you were going to have to figure out a way to get out of this position if you wanted to get away from Crystal. Being close to Crystal in this way would only mean that you would have to get close to her only to use her.
You may want to stick to your priorities, but you were still human for God's sake.
"Maybe we could meet again?" You crossed your legs and looked into her eyes as she tilted her head. "We still need to talk more on your establishments here and ours overseas... and it's nice talking to you, fun really."
She smiled. If you were a guy, then she'd probably give you the cold shoulder and would have already made her move to leave, but she was probably a bit curious about you. And the way she looked at you made your heart beat a bit louder.
She was taking control again, and even though she was agreeing to what you were saying, it still felt like she was the one above you in the moment. Not in a degrading way, but in a way you can't really describe.
"Alright. I'll make some free time, just let me know when." She looked at you in a way where you couldn't figure out what she was feeling.
"You want.. me to make the arrangements this time?" You were trying to process this.
"Of course, it's only fair, right?" She was smiling at you cockily.
It seemed to you like she had a revelation of some sort. It was somewhat alarming.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it." You stood up, and so did she, neither of you ate much, as you predicted. So the only thing to pay for was the reservation itself.
The waiter, who had been patiently waiting for the two of you to finish, had come over.
You made the move to pay, taking out your wallet and then opening it. But then, you felt a hand on yours.
"I've got it. We did agree on this beforehand, no?" She was a bit confused. You normally paid for things like this, so you had automatically tried to.
"Right, but I can if you want me to -" She cut you off.
"Don't worry about it." She gave you a smile.
You didn't understand her mood change. You thought for sure that you had pushed her away somehow. So how come she was being so friendly, and it didn't seem entirely fake?
You watched as she paid and was on guard. You couldn't understand what she was thinking right now, and it bothered you.
She turned to you.
"We should get going now, shouldn't we?" Her expression hadn't changed, and her tone of voice was straightforward.
"Yes, we should."
And with that, the night ended. You two made your way put the building together and then split to your respective cars.
You did get to say a quick goodbye to both her and Gun, but that was all.
She had exceeded your expectations. Not only did she keep her composure, but she also regained control of the conversation up until the end.
Even though you got what you wanted, you also felt like you had been bested at your own game and somewhat challenged to a round two. If this is what his daughter is like, you couldn't imagine what Charles was like.
You sat in the car, looking out of the window. Through tired eyes, you watched as everything passed by you quickly.
All that was left for tomorrow was the festival.
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Started: October 5th, 2023 Finished: October 9th, 2023
