Page 4 of Heartbeat

“Oh, none of thissirnonsense. Call me, Conrad.” My father was laying it on thick, but I couldn’t blame him. Raven mesmerized me without even looking my way. She had an elegance about her that called for your attention, like a member of royalty. How could anyone dismiss her so callously?

Once she finally looked at me, I made sure to hide my emotions. I didn’t want to seem eager; a woman like her would take advantage of that. A princess type.

“So, Lennox. You and Robin have a lot in common. She’s top of her class as well,” Bishops bragged on the brat daughter. She was sitting with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at her father.

“That’s a surprise,” I mumbled. She seemed too immature to be at the top of her medical class.

“Why is that a surprise? My sister is the smartest person I know!” Raven’s gray eyes were sharp with indignation on her sister’s behalf. Robin, however, ignored us entirely.

“You must not know very many people,” I smirked at Raven.

“How dare you! Robin is a genius!” Raven bragged, raising her button nose in the air haughtily.Princess.

“I highly doubt that. She seems more like a petulant child without manners,” I responded. I’m not sure why antagonizing Raven seemed to excite me, but I couldn’t stop myself. The back and forth was turning me on.

Her face flushed as she narrowed her bright eyes at me. I could tell she was pissed, and all of her prim and proper act was flowing down the drain. She was probably just as big of a brat as her older sister.

“Pfft. What do you know? You’re the one following my father around like some puppy dog. Sniffing around for a job. And you have the audacity to insult my sister.” Raven balled her tiny fists on the top of the table as she threw daggers in my direction.

But before I could respond, her father interrupted our tête-à-tête banging his hand on the table. “How dare you speak to our guests like that!”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I was ju…”

“Shut. Up.” Bishops cut his daughter off. “You will apologize to Dr. Nash for your behavior.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. The man said nothing to his other daughter for acting like an adolescent with a chip on her shoulder instead of a doctor. But he lost his shit when the Princess had something to say.These people are fucking crazy.

Raven squared her shoulders and looked both my father and me in the eyes, “I apologize, Mr. and Dr. Nash.”

Her gray eyes were unblinking, and the spark was gone. My frown deepened. I didn’t like the chastised child version of Raven. I liked the feisty, no-nonsense, smart mouth that I wanted to spank version.

My father nodded at her apology, I just grunted with a disgusted look on my face. Raven definitely needs to get a backbone.

I stared at Raven, unblinking until our eyes connected. She glared at me, the fire returning to her eyes, and I smiled at her defiance. She may have pretended to be meek, but I could see past her façade.

* * *

After leaving the wedding, my father was suspiciously quiet. I could see in his bright green eyes that he was plotting, but I had no idea what. I know he wanted to come to the wedding to make some connections, and if he was chummy with Bishops, it just might have worked out for him. However, I know my father, and it’s more to it than that.

“So, the meeting went well with Bishops,” my father started rubbing his chin. I shrugged, not sure where he was going with this conversation.

“Yeah, if you think grown women acting like toddlers for daddy’s attention is a good thing. I guess meeting the Bishops went just fine.” The sarcasm wasn’t missed on my father, who turned to me with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t be an asshole. I was talking about before all that. Alejandro damned near offered you a job on the spot.”

I shook my head in disagreement, “No, dad. Men like him don’t offer jobs at wedding receptions.”

“I’m a successful businessman, son. I know what the fuck I’m talking about. You would do well to listen to me.” I clamped my lips shut and stared blankly at my father.

We have the same mundane conversation every time we’re in the same room. I’m a grown-ass man and a fucking doctor, and my father still tries to run my life. My first inclination was to argue with him, but he’s stuck in his ways. I won’t waste my energy or give him the satisfaction of riling me up.

Conrad Nash loved to be in control. I knew the feeling because I was just like him. My professional life had plenty of variables and circumstances that could impact a patient’s health. I could do any and everything possible, and sometimes it wouldn’t be enough.

However, in my personal life, I held the power. I made the decisions for myself. I would never let anyone take my choices away from me. Especially my bullheaded father.

“I have a job,” I stated simply. The hospital that I work for may not have been the most prestigious in the country like BHM, but it wasn’t anything to scoff at.

“You should always keep your options open, Lennox. It’s not always about you. It’s about the family.” This time I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. My father has been preaching to me about family for my entire life. I got the message. I would do anything for my family. The ironic thing was, my father would do anything for himself.

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