"Hmm. Have we met before? You look familiar." He eyes her for a second as if scanning her features and digging into his memory. He's probably seen her at the SVR party when she used to work for catering.
Malia glances at me as she inclines her head. "No, sir. I have just started working here."
My father looks at me, his eyes holding so many thoughts that he doesn't have to say out loud. "You may leave."
She shifts her nervous gaze to me as if asking if she did something wrong. She takes a hard swallow and I sense her overthinking things. So I slightly lift the corner of my mouth and nod to her in a way that tells her what she needs to know: You're fine, and you may go.
Malia slips out of the room quietly and as soon as we're alone again, my father puts the cup back down and leans back on the chair. "Hisao's daughter will arrive in New York soon. Maybe you can show her around."
