Page 3 of Jael

Gregory did a quick study of the bottle. “You are a wonder, Mattia. Thank you.”

After the waiter poured the drinks, he left with their order, and the conversation dimmed into the same bland small talk they always had and which would last throughout the lunch. Herdad would tell her about issues he’d had at work and would ask her opinion but then not listen to the answer. If she bothered mentioning a detail about the foundation, his face would slacken until he came up with a suitable change of subject.

“You haven’t told me your thoughts on Christopher’s appointment,” he said, wiping his mouth once he’d taken the first bite of his meal.

“Yes, I have. I told you he’ll do a fine job.” Which was mostly a lie.

She’d known the Siseras most of her life. Not well, but enough to know that, while her own dad had steered away from crime in the later years of his life, Artus Sisera, Christopher’s father, had dug deeper into it. And gotten better at it. They already had Jabin Enterprises, and now, with Christopher taking over the reins of her dad’s company, they’d rule over Heber Industries as well. Probably using it to advance their illegal activities.

But she’d already processed this move and left it behind her. She’d never had an interest in the business beyond how it could fund Vita Nova. Once her dad had promised the funding would continue after his departure, she didn’t care who was in charge. She’d grown up surrounded by questionable activities and had learned, finally, how to distance herself from it.

“I’d like you to expand on that,” her dad said. “If you don’t mind.”

“What do you want me to say? I’ve never worked with him before. I hear his work ethic is solid, and I assume he knows how to do the role, but beyond that, it’s not really any of my business.”

“What are your thoughts about Christopher beyond his role as CEO?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“As a man.”

“Like I said, I don’t know him well enough to comment. You’d know better than I would.”

“Then you trust my judgement about him?”

“Sure. But I don’t see why it matters. You’ve never cared about my opinion in the past.”

“That’s harsh.” He smiled. “But true. You don’t have the experience to offer. Christopher’s a good man. Dependable.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll be working closely with him. He’ll be around more.”

“Then I’m glad you like him.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to take an interest.”

“Why?”

“You don’t want to better understand the man who will be responsible for your future?”

“You mean the foundation?”

The smile he gave her said more than words, but it could have simply been a way to keep her off balance. She knew her dad well, but sometimes it felt as if she didn’t know him at all.

“He’s different from me and Artus,” Gregory continued. “He sees the world as it should be. You’d like him if you got to know him.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“You can be thick sometimes, my dear. He’s going to be running my business. I’d appreciate it if it mattered to you more.”

“Fine.”

“Wonderful. In which case, I should inform you that I’m organizing a dinner for Saturday.”

“This Saturday?”

“The one and only.”

---