Page 31 of Livewire Witch

That makes me feel some kind of way I can’t even begin to understand. There’s this vague sense of unease in my gut, like I’m missing something important.

I just don’t know what it is.

I don’t have too much time to dwell on Zeph’s love life or my messy brain as we reach my father’s office, knocking on the door.

“Come,” he calls from inside.

I swing open the door, only to be greeted by the unwanted sight of a pasty white ass thrusting as my father fucks an unseen woman into his desk.

“Oh, fuck,” Z mutters. “Guess he wasn’t talking to us.”

I’ve not wished that the curse had stolen any of my senses up to this point. But being both blind and deaf would come in handy right about now. Better than having the sight of my father’s pale ass and the sound of skin on skin etched into my brain for all eternity.

Zeph lets out a pained grunt, spinning around on his bad leg until he’s facing the door.

Fuck.

He shudders as a feminine moan sounds behind us. I would quite like to tear my own ears off, please and thank you. I stare at the wall, wishing that I could smash my head against it and blank out the memories of the past couple of minutes.

“Fabian, my boy. And Zeph too. Did we have a meeting today?” My father pulls out of the blonde and yanks up his pants before handing her a pile of discarded clothing from the floor.

“We did. But we can come back later.”

Or never. That’d be preferable.

Somehow, my voice comes out only slightly strained. Years of training myself to appear unemotional in business have clearly led to this moment.

Jesus, fuck. Bile rises in my throat, and I have to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. Maybe Z’s idea of faking my death isn’t such a bad one. I could leave town and never have to look my father in the eye, knowing I’ve seen him coming inside someone.

“Sorry about that.” My father’s eyes are bright and he seems entirely unembarrassed by this total nightmare we’ve found ourselves in. “Starline, this is my son Fabian and his second in command, Zeph.”

“Nice to meet you.” My eyes skirt past her since I’m too awkward to make eye contact right now.

Maybe in another decade, once the residual trauma has softened slightly.

“I’ll fetch you guys some hot drinks,” she says in a soft, breathy tone. “And I’ll hold your calls for the moment.”

That catches my attention and as soon as she steps out of the room, my eyes snap up to meet those of my father. “Is she...?”

“Starline has been working with me for the past nine months or so. I’m sure you’ll recognize her voice if you’ve tried to get ahold of me.” My father seems to have zero shame about the fact we walked in on him fucking his secretary.

What a cliché.

“I’m glad that you’re here, Fabian. I’ve been taking a look over the finances,” my father says. “And there are a few areas I could do with you looking into. Work out what’s happening, threaten the staff a little until things are fixed, that sort of thing.”

I nod absently, pulling a binder closer to me, along with an electronic tablet whose screen is filled with numbers.

“I’m afraid I’ve been a little distracted of late,” my father continues. “As you know, I’m hoping to step down soon and I realized that I needed a life outside of work that I could step into. Starline has taught me that.”

My father has never been one for a life outside of work. I’m sure part of the reason things fell apart with my mother was because of him constantly being in the office, building up the district from nothing into the bustling center of business it is now.

His obsession has always been growing the Nexus District, and he and Felix both had the same aspirations. Grow it to be as big and as powerful as they could make it, then hand it on to me, Roscoe, and Zeph.

That’s what I’ve been groomed for my entire life.

But it seems like, right now, the empire I’d be inheriting is one that’s actively on fire.

We have a bunch of legal businesses: stores and cafes, clubs and bars. We specialize in getting anything that anyone could need. So long as they have the cash, we can provide. Artifacts, information, smuggled outlawed creatures, whatever.

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