𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 [𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 1] 𝘠/𝘕 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘬

-13-

I continued to spend time with Aiden, enjoying our conversations that often included flirtatious remarks that never failed to catch me off guard. Sometimes, I'd laugh or blush, unable to hide my reaction to his charming lines. After one of our hangouts, I returned home to find Obie playing the piano.

"Hey, Obie!" I greeted him with a smile as I entered the room.

"Hey, kid," he replied casually, his fingers dancing over the piano keys. I noticed a pizza box from one of my favourite shops in New York.

"Did it go that bad?" I teased, grabbing a slice of pizza and making myself comfortable on the couch.

"Just because I bring pizza from New York doesn't mean it went that bad," he responded with a slight shake of his head, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"Sure, whatever you say," I joked, taking another bite of pizza. Mom emerged from the workshop and smiled at the sight of me. "How was your day with Aiden?" she inquired, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead before settling down beside me with her work.

"It went great! We went to a dog park and then got some coffee while walking around..." I began to recount my day, and Mom listened attentively, her smile never fading. Dad soon joined us upstairs. "How'd it go?" he asked, noticing Obie at the piano while Mom worked on her laptop.

Obie seemed about to speak but hesitated, choosing instead to continue playing. Dad's eyes landed on the pizza box, and he couldn't help but tease, "It went that bad, huh?" I exchanged a glance with Obie before turning to Dad. "Exactly what I said!" I exclaimed with a playful grin.

"Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad," Obie reiterated with a chuckle. "Uh-huh, sure doesn't. Oh, boy," Dad remarked, opening the pizza box to grab a slice.

"It would have gone better if you were there," Obie commented as he got up from the piano. I scooted closer to Mom and laid my head on her shoulder, observing what she was doing.

"Uh-uh. You told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all..." Dad replied between bites of pizza. "Hey, come on. In public. The press," Obie reasoned as he moved to sit next to Dad. "This was a board of directors meeting," he continued.

"This was a board of directors meeting?" Dad questioned, clearly surprised. "The board is claiming you and Y/N have post-traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction," Obie revealed, causing both Dad and me to look at him in shock. "A what?" we asked in unison.

"They want to lock you out," Obie informed Dad. "Why? 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was gonna happen," Dad retorted. "Fifty-six and a half," Mom corrected him. "It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company," Dad snapped a little, ignoring the concerned look I shot him.

"Tony, the board has rights, too. They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest." Obie tells Dad. "I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me and for the company. I mean, me on the company's behalf being responsible for the way that... This is great," Dad exclaimed, standing up and taking the pizza box with him. Obie followed suit, leaving Mom and me behind in the room.

I ignored their chatter and dozed off next to my mom. I felt her kiss my forehead as I drifted to sleep.

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SHORT CHAPTER AGAIN GUYS!1 I'M SO SORRY!! I'LL UPDATE AGAIN TODAY OR TOMORROW <3