Sparks Fly

Chapter 10

I sighed as I looked over the documents. There were some discrepancies that weren't adding up. I had told Dakota about them, but with him going over the final details about the fundraiser I he asked that I look into them for him. I printed out the papers then highlighted the discrepancies before standing up. Just as I was about to punch the button for the elevator, it opened and I saw Maggie on the other side. "I need to speak with my brother," She told me coldly. "He isn't here right now," I told her while stepping onto the elevator. I hit the button for the third floor to go to the IT department. "And where is he," She asked me. "Out working," I told her. "Are you sure about that," She asked me, her tone full of doubt. I turned to her, "I'm positive." "I don't see how you can trust him," She said while crossing her arms.

I rolled my eyes, "Of course you don't. He used to cheat on other women. Even then I don't think it could be considered cheating since the women he had been with knew he was cheating, and didn't care. They were simply after his money." She raised an eyebrow and gestured to me, the new hair and nails, "Seems like you are too." I scoffed, "What I'm after is more precious than money." She laughed, "And what's that?" I smiled, "His time. A business man's time is much more precious than money, and he has given me plenty of his time while other women asked him for money. He gave it to them so he could go back to work. I'm the kind of girl friend that gets annoying when I want attention. I will sit on his desk, hide his laptop, and anything else I could think of to get him to spend time with me. I would actually be pretty insulted if he gave me money to get me to go away." Her eyebrows rose, "He's okay with someone so clingy?" I rolled my eyes as I face the elevator doors, "It's not clingy. And for talking to him, try using this device called a phone to talk to him instead of interrupting his work. If he doesn't answer then leave him message and he'll call you back at his next convenience."

When the doors opened I stepped off, leaving her to go to the lobby by herself. I didn't have time to deal with his family right now. Nor did I have the patience. Hell, I probably can't even deal with Chelsea if she came to me about something right now. I wanted to figure this out as soon as possible. Dakota has enough to deal with on his plate, he doesn't need this.

I got strange looks from several of the IT guys as I made my way through the server towers. I found a computer and punched in. For once I was using the hacking and computer science skills I learned in college. I signed in with ease and spent hours maneuvering through files in all of the computers. I printed anything I saw as necessary and wrote at the top of the page which computers it came from. I heard my phone vibrate and looked down and saw a text from Dakota.

Where are you?

I looked at the time and saw it was the same time we usually left.

IT floor. On my way back now.

I erased my digital footprints then signed out. The guys from IT just watched as I walked out with my stack of papers. When the elevator opened, Dakota stood there with my purse and a frappe from Starbucks. I smiled and took it from him while he continued to hold my purse, not ashamed to by holding a pink purse.

"I see we both have work to do once we get home," he said as he noted the papers in my hands. I nodded, "I need to find the source of these discrepancies. It's clear the person responsible for it didn't do it by mistake, and has been doing it for years." I held up the papers, "I spent hours in IT following paper trails, trying to find where it will lead." "You know your way around a computer," he asked curiously. I nodded, "Had I gone to college for two more years, I would have a PHD in computer science."

He looked at me shocked, "Why didn't you finish?" I sighed, "I didn't have the money. I already stacked up so high in student loans that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life paying off, I didn't want to add to it." "And if you had the funds to continue your education," he asked curiously. I looked at him and I recognized the look he had given me. It was the same one Chelsea had given me.

"You're not paying for me to continue my education," I told him, putting my foot down. "You have already spent enough on me and I refuse to let you spend a significant amount more." When the elevator opened we stepped off. "I don't see it as a significant amount," He said with a shrug. I rolled my eyes, "Of course you don't see it as so. But as for me, someone who doesn't have any money, it's more than a significant amount. That's an amount that allows me and several others to live comfortably. I'm not like you or like Chelsea, I'm not a privileged person, and I'm not gonna take advantage that my boyfriend or my bestfriend are."

"Wait, Chelsea tried paying for you to continue your education as well," he asked me. I nodded, "Yep, and I told her no." He opened the passenger door for me and handed me my purse once I was in. He shut the door and went around to get in.

"Plus I lost the drive to get my PHD when my parents sent me back my graduation tickets. I was graduating LCU with my masters and I was gonna go to Harvard for my doctorate. At least, that's what had been my dream." I told him once he had gotten in. I felt him look at me, but I was looking down at the papers. "Lydia," he called out, wanting me to look at him.

I sighed and looked at him feeling my emotions just rushing and rolling within me. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. "I might not look like it, but I built super computers, hacked into servers, can find hidden discrepancies that many aren't able to be see, I find patterns in complex coding, I can play almost every piece of music at first glance but for my parents, no matter how smart and talented I was, or how many school awards I brought home showing my brilliance, it was never enough for them. My mother just cared about my looks, and my father didn't care at all since I didn't have a penis."

I closed my eyes, my shoulders dropping. I shook my head, "I'm sorry. It's just that, I have worked my whole life to try and gain something from my parents that told me they were proud of me. When I got those tickets back with that note, it was soul crushing. So let's just say furthering my education isn't a good topic of conversation." He nodded, "And in my opinion, I think its bullshit."

I snapped my eyes to him, "Excuse me?" "I think you should go for it and become as successful as possible and rub their noses in it. When they try to claim it since you're their child, you can throw that note and those tickets in their faces for all to see," he told me. I shook my head, "That's a dick move."

He scoffed, "Like disowning you isn't?" He shook his head, "I'm sorry baby girl, but your parents..." he stopped what he was saying to give a cold laugh. "They're truly something. You should not let the pain they caused you to hold you back."

I glared, "What if your parents did shit like mine did regarding your success?" "They did," He told me. "Everything I've done, they've judged. Always trying to get a piece of it, and when they don't they bitch, trying to wrangle every penny they could from me." He snapped. "My mother doesn't approve of any woman she doesn't pick out, my sister is always calling me to bail her out of jail, my dad is always yelling at me for being selfish despite the times I have always wanted to help him, so don't try to tell me I dont know what its like to have family members who are dicks."

I sighed realizing I was an idiot, "I'm sorry Dakota." He took my hand and brought it to his lips, "I'm sorry for snapping. I just have a lot on my plate with Selena and now that." He had gestured to the stack of papers in my lap. "I'm tired of people just wanting my money."

"If it means anything, I don't want your money," I told him. When we stopped at a red light he looked at me, a smile on his lips and a glimmer in his eyes, "You will never know how much that means to me." And he was right, I would never know, but at least I knew it meant something to him.