Realizing what time it was, Zaria knew that her father would be worried sick about her. Hence, she kept her phone back in her bag, picked her jacket, and headed home.
_
She pushed the front door open as gently as possible, trying not to make any noise while entering the house. She bent down and took off her shoes, then carried them as she snuck in. She was suddenly struck with a shock when she noticed the dimly lit living room, and that someone was sitting on the couch under the dim light, with a lit-up cigarette between his fingers. She patted her chest from the fright she had gotten.
"Dad? Why are you still awake?"
The man did not respond, so she assumed that he had not heard her. She walked over to him and sat on the couch beside him. He finally tilted his head to her. "You're back."
His sorrowful tone stuffed her heart with an excruciating ache. She pulled the cigarette from between his fingers and stubbed it out against the ashtray. "You are smoking again." She was helpless.
He let out a smile—one that did not reach his eyes and was fake—and patted his daughter on the head. "It's already so late. Go to sleep, okay?"
Knowing that it was impossible to talk any sense into him right now, she decided to throw in the towel and stood up to leave for her room. Besides, she had something to do before sleeping.
"Zaria." She heard him call her name just as she took her second step. She turned around with a quizzical look.
"We have lived in Imperium for years now. Don't you think it's about time we went back to Luxenville?" He suggested with a cheerful smile—a fake smile with a forced tone of cheer.
"What?!" The sneakers in her hand dropped to the floor.
"I mean, the reason why we came to Imperium in the first place is for… a reason that's no longer valid." His eyebrows scrunched up and he subconsciously reached for a cigarette, letting it go once he remembered that he was trying to quit smoking.
He looked up at his daughter who was gripping her jacket tightly. "We should go back. I have already booked the train tickets… you have one week to prepare."
"Why are we running away?" Her voice shook.
"Who's running away? We are only going back to where we belong. Don't you miss Luxenville?"
She breathed out a sigh and closed in on him. They came to Imperium City many years ago for a reason which turned out to be a failure in the end, but they had stayed for eighteen years. They were not going to go back because of some egocentric idiot who thought the whole world revolved around him. She chuckled a scoff. "Who are you trying to fool, dad? I know why you are doing this.
Aren't you the only one who keeps urging to keep trying and not give up? Why are you giving up now?"
"Zaria, I do say that you should never give up—unless you are going against Desmond Fort, that is."
"What is he? A god?" She was annoyed.
"You can say so." He was on the verge of breaking down.
"Dad, I already told you that I've found a way out of this. I'm almost there. We cannot give up now."
"You don't need to say that to make me feel better. I already know what's happening. It's all over the news."
"What news?" She reflexively took out her phone and checked the online gossip forums.
Desmond Fort had decided to sue F&P Media for libel.
She blinked and flopped back onto the couch. "Dad…"
He tousled her hair. "It will be alright as long as we leave his turf. Get ready, my dear."
He then stood up to go to his room.
She sighed as she looked at the phone screen again. She had gone all the way to use a fake identity to approach that man and find leverage so she would be able to talk him into revoking his decision to sue F&P Media. But now, all her efforts had been rendered useless.
This all happened because of one error. One mistake had led them to the predicament they were in right now.
It was only because F&P Media had published a scandal about a family no one dared to offend.
"Tch." Her lips twitched. No matter what, he was still too unreasonable! She hated people like him the most. Just because a shocking truth about his family had been exposed, he had twisted the facts and decided to sue their company?!
And to think that a moment ago, she thought that she had been unfair by lying to him.