Page 5 of Seeds of Sorrow

Don was busy telling Peyton about an moment of Hadina’s childhood when she decided to paint all over one of her father’s designer suits, Hadina blushing and trying to get him to be quiet before he embarrassed her, when a shrill ringtone broke them out of their bubble.

Hadina glanced down at her phone with disdain, her eyes running over the caller ID. Then she peered up again, her expression automatically returning to that same Ice Queen from earlier, and stood from her chair. “Sorry, I really need to take this.”

“Really? Can’t it wait until after we finish?” Don sighed.

Hadina pinned him with a glare, pursing her perfectly lined lips. “You know it can’t wait. Don’t ask me to ignore work.”

Her heels clicked off the varnished wood flooring as she left through one of the side doors, yanking it closed behind her. Peyton noticed the way it opened a sliver on a light brush of wind, Hadina’s voice carrying through the room. Muffled, but almost audible.

Swigging his bourbon, Don looked at Peyton apologetically and shrugged. “I love her work ethic, but it doesn’t mean I don’t miss uninterrupted dinners with my baby girl.”

Peyton tucked a strand of her golden-colored hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry you have to miss that, Don.”

She didn’t miss the sadness in his eyes as he took another drink. It made her chest ache; it had been so long since she felt that sort of bond with her parents. Don missed having dinners with Hadina, and yet Peyton hadn’t been home in years and still doubted her parents missed her in the slightest. Losing one part of a family was enough to detonate what was left, leaving memories and pain like rubble in its wake.

“So, tell me about your plan for going back to school. Now that you have a job and someplace to stay, it’s a possibility, right?”

Peyton smiled sheepishly and folded in on herself a little, remembering just how much of a blubbering mess she had been when Don practically saved her. A job, somewhere to stay, someone to talk to—it was more than she expected.

“I would like to. But I’m going to save up for a while and see what I need to do to survive nursing school. I don’t want to repeat history.”

Don narrowed in on her with a cutting gaze that could rival his daughter’s. “That sounds like an excuse. You’ll always have a place here. And if you’re worried about the money, I’m sure we could sort something out.”

That made Peyton choke on the piece of chicken she was swallowing. She tried not to show her apprehension, at his offer for fear of offending him. Despite his blatant kindness, Peyton couldn’t help but wonder why someone—a stranger—would give her such a proposition. It made a chill go down her back.

She battled with herself, unsure what to say. She would be naïve to believe there were no strings attached, and yet, Don seemed genuine. Perhaps she was being too mistrusting, unwilling to believe that someone would want to be kind to her.

Deciding that she was overthinking it, Peyton smiled and shook her head at Don. “That’s so sweet, but you’re already doing so much for me. I discussed a salary with Hadina and I’m really happy with it—in fact, it’s probably way too generous.”

As if summoned by the mention of her name, Hadina stormed into the dining room and grabbed her glass of wine from the table. She held her phone against her ear, closing her eyes as she gulped down the deep-red liquid before slamming the empty glass on the table and pouring herself another. Peyton watched the way the woman’s throat bobbed as she swallowed, noting the little sigh of relief as she downed another glass.

“Everything okay?” Don inquired.

Hadina shook her head and grabbed the almost-empty bottle, storming out the way she came. She was muttering something aboutfucking incompetent idiotsfrom the doorway when Peyton noticed Don watching her.

“Fucking get rid of him then. It’s not difficult to do your job, right!” Hadina yelled down the phone. She leaned against the outer doorframe, the line of her profile the only thing visible. Peyton tried not to watch as Hadina ran a hand across her face, those pointed nails like talons.

“Peyton.”

Don’s voice brought Peyton out of her weird trance, which consisted of watching his terrifying yet beautiful daughter conduct business. Goosebumps covered Peyton’s arms and she couldn’t tell if it was from the fear of ever getting on Hadina’s bad side, or the way she couldn’t look away.

“Whatever is going on in that head, ignore it. You don’t want to be dragged into chaos. I can see cogs turning behind those pretty eyes and I don’t think it’ll end in anything good.”

Ignoring the pull in her stomach, Peyton forced herself to chuckle as she smiled at Don in what she hoped would appear to be a reassuring manner. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. She just sounded very stressed is all.”

The look he gave her was knowing, almost concerned. “Just be careful. You can’t unlearn things in this world. And believe me when I say there are many things you don’t want to learn.”

Peyton struggled to let her concern and intrigue subside. If there were secrets about the Adis family, she had to unearth them. She refused to work for people she couldn’t trust.

“Things like what?” she found herself asking, unable to stop herself.

Don shook his head. “Nothing so exciting, believe me. Lawyers just have extremely high expectations and we find it hard when people let us down. Take it from me—I was the one who helped guide my daughter to where she is today.”

Peyton had surmised as much. For Don to have raised someone as strong-willed and imposing as Hadina, she guessed he would have had an edge at some point in his life. She was just glad that he seemed a far cry from who she imagined he once was, someone like Hadina. One cold, scary boss was enough for Peyton to deal with at the moment.

Excusing himself, Don left Peyton sitting at the dining room table alone. The cold food on her plate was only one reason for the way her stomach now churned as she pondered the old man’s cryptic words.

“… get rid of him then.”

---