Page 47 of He Falls First

“Absolutely,” I insist, pressing on. My heart races, caught in the thrill of defiance.

“You don’t know what love is in a situation like that,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.

Deep down, I know he might have a point, but I can’t back down now. This isn’t just about proving my family wrong. It’s about proving something to myself, too.

Marianne snorts, shaking her head. “Hypocrisy should be your middle name, Samuel.”

“Quiet, Marianne,” Dad snaps. He turns back to me, his face a deep red. “Elizabeth, you can’t be serious. This is—”

“Real. It’s real, dad.”

Dad slams his hand on the table, making the silverware jump. “You’re playing with fire, Elizabeth! This man could ruin your career!”

“Or maybe—” I start, but pause, my confidence slipping. Shaking my head, I gather the fragments of my bravado. “Or maybe he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Best thing…” Dad echoes, disbelief on his face. “I taught you better than this.”

“Did you, though?”

“Watch your tone, young lady,” he snaps, the familiar authoritarian note in his voice trying to claw back control of the situation. It’s the tone that used to make me shrink back into my seat, nodding along to whatever lesson he decided to impart. Not tonight.

“Or what?” I challenge. Somehow, my spine has found its steel.

“Elizabeth…” Marianne starts, but a sharp look from me silences her. This is between me and Dad.

“You have to know this relationship is inappropriate,” he states flatly, as if the finality in his voice can dictate my actions. “He’s your boss, for God’s sake. What would people say?”

“Since when do you care about what people say?” I shoot back.

“Since it involves my daughter making a fool of herself!” His voice booms through the dining room, ringing in my ears.

I flinch.

“Bosses don’t fall in love with their little assistants.” His words sound like acid. “They use them up, toss them aside. It’s a power play, Elizabeth. Nothing more.”

A lump forms in my throat, solid and suffocating.

“Think about it. Could he ever really see you as a woman worth loving?” Dad asks, and there’s a sharpness to his gaze that tells me he thinks he knows the answer.

It cuts deeper than I expect, slicing through layers of self-assurance.

“I don’t need your approval or your outdated opinions on my life.” My voice is shaking and I hate it. I have to get out of here, so I grab my purse and push away from the table. “I know what I’m doing.”

I wish I could be someone who timed my exit perfectly, bouncing out the door after a mic drop moment. But I’m the girl who awkwardly ambles out of here, giving my dad time for a retort.

“What you’re doing is letting that man make you a notch on his bedpost,” he says. “I’m disappointed in you, Elizabeth.”

Ack. I was almost at the door. Now I have to awkwardly amble right back.

“If you’re so worried about people walking over me, then maybe you should stop walking all over me yourself.”

I have to turn away before I let him see the hot tears in my eyes. I’m just so angry. Especially because I wish I could prove him wrong and tell him that Hendrix and I will be together forever, but I can’t.

Which means maybe he’s right. Maybe I’m just another assistant swept away by a charming executive, a cliché as old as time.

The night air hits me with a chill. But at least out here, I can breathe.

“Elizabeth!” Marianne calls after me, her footsteps quick behind mine.

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