CHAPTER 06 - circle of influence

CHAPTER SIX — Circles of Influence

The next morning, Jesse woke before his alarm.

He never slept in, but today his mind was sharper than usual, tracing through the decisions he’d made the night before. They had been necessary. Logical. Yet he couldn’t ignore the unfamiliar edge of awareness that had settled in his chest after Evelyn walked out his door.

Her clarity had surprised him.

Her resolve had surprised him more.

He wasn’t accustomed to people disagreeing with him calmly and still earning his respect afterward.

By eight, he was already dressed and reviewing the messages on his phone. Most were predictable family associates wanting updates, his mother asking for a lunch meeting he had no intention of attending, and a brief alert from a private security contact about an upcoming political fundraiser his family expected him to attend.

He deleted the alert first.

Then he texted Evelyn.

Jesse: We need to meet your father today. Let me know when he’s available.

He expected a short reply. Instead, three dots appeared for nearly a full minute.

Evelyn: He’s definitely available. He’ll want to “inspect” you. His words, not mine.

Jesse exhaled through his nose. He had anticipated this; Evelyn’s father was known in city circles for being protective, stubborn, and possessing the uncanny ability to intimidate people without raising his voice.

A trait Jesse respected.

He typed back:

Jesse: Tell me a time and place. I’ll handle the rest.

The response came faster this time.

Evelyn: 5 p.m. At our house. And Jesse? Don’t let him scare you. He means well… most of the time.

Jesse stared at the message, then typed a simple:

Understood.

Evelyn spent the rest of her day preparing for what she privately called the inevitable disaster.

Her father, Daniel Hart, had been calm about the sudden engagement—too calm. He nodded, listened, asked a few polite questions, then said he looked forward to speaking with Jesse “man-to-man.”

Which, in Hart family vocabulary, meant an interrogation disguised as a friendly conversation.

By late afternoon, Evelyn paced the living room like someone expecting an approaching storm. Her mother watched from the kitchen doorway, arms crossed.

“You need to relax,” Marie said.

“I am relaxed.”

“You’ve reorganized the bookshelf three times.”

“It needed it.”

“And you’re wearing your ‘don’t-scare-my-fiancé’ sweater.”

Evelyn looked down. The sweater was soft and unintimidating. She scowled. “It’s comfortable.”

Marie raised an eyebrow.

Before Evelyn could defend the sweater further, keys jingled at the front door and her father stepped inside. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and carried himself like someone who had survived enough of life to know how to measure a person in one look.

He set his briefcase down and asked, “Is he on time?”

“Yes,” Evelyn said. “He should be here any minute.”

“Good,” Daniel replied. “I like punctuality.”

Marie sighed softly. “Daniel, be gentle.”

“I am gentle.”

“No,” both women said at once.

Daniel blinked, mildly offended.

The doorbell rang.

Jesse stood on their porch in a dark coat, posture straight, expression neutral. Not stiff. Not forced. Just… prepared.

Daniel opened the door before Evelyn could move.

“You must be Jesse.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re early.”

“Of course.”

Daniel nodded slightly as if awarding the first point of a silent evaluation. “Come in.”

Evelyn shot her mother a panicked look; Marie mouthed breath.

They gathered around the dining table, Daniel at the head like a captain steering a ship, Evelyn and Marie flanking the sides. Jesse sat across from Evelyn, hands folded neatly, eyes steady.

Daniel began without ceremony.

“So. You want to marry my daughter.”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

Evelyn nearly choked. “Dad!”

Daniel didn’t look at her. “Let him answer.”

Jesse did. “Evelyn and I agreed to an engagement with full awareness of the responsibilities attached. I intend to treat her with respect, honesty, and equality.”

Daniel threw him a sharp look. “Equality, huh? You know how many young men say that and don’t mean it?”

“Yes. Which is why I said it plainly.”

Daniel studied him. Jesse didn’t fidget. Didn’t look away. Didn’t shift his tone.

“Alright,” Daniel said. “Second question. Why now? Why this fast?”

“Because,” Jesse replied, “waiting would give my family time to interfere.”

Evelyn’s breath hitched.

Daniel’s eyebrows rose.

Marie quietly muttered, “I knew it.”

Daniel leaned forward. “And why would they interfere?”

“Because they want a partner who benefits them politically,” Jesse said. “Someone who aligns with their societal expectations.”

“And Evelyn doesn’t?”

“No,” Jesse said simply. “She doesn’t.”

Evelyn blinked. “Is that… bad?”

“For them? Yes,” Jesse said. “For me? No.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “You’re choosing my daughter because she helps you avoid that world?”

Jesse didn’t soften the truth. “Yes.”

Evelyn held her breath.

Her father stared at Jesse for a long, heavy moment.

Then he asked the question Evelyn dreaded:

“And what does she get in return?”

Jesse didn’t hesitate.

“She gets someone who will not lie to her. Someone who will not betray her trust. Someone who will protect her interests as fiercely as his own.”

Evelyn’s cheeks warmed not in a romantic way, but in a startled, unexpected way. The simplicity and bluntness of it hit harder than any polished promise could have.

Daniel sat back, silently absorbing Jesse’s words.

Finally, he said, “You’re unusually direct.”

“I find it avoids confusion.”

Daniel let out a low sound that was almost a laugh. “You remind me of myself twenty years ago.”

Evelyn whispered, “That’s… terrifying.”

Daniel ignored her. He extended a hand across the table.

Jesse clasped it firmly.

Daniel said, “You marry my daughter, you treat her right. That’s the only deal I care about.”

“I intend to,” Jesse replied.

For the first time, Evelyn saw her father’s expression soften not much, just enough to shift the air in the room.

“Then,” Daniel said, releasing Jesse’s hand, “you have my approval.”

Evelyn sagged with relief. Marie exhaled loudly as if she’d been holding her breath for an hour.

Jesse nodded once. “Thank you.”

But before the moment settled, Daniel added, “And son just so we’re clear if you hurt her, I will find you.”

Jesse’s expression didn’t change. “Understood.”

Evelyn’s head dropped into her hands. “Oh my god…”

Later, as Jesse walked her to the door, Evelyn whispered, “I can’t believe you survived that.”

“It was predictable,” Jesse replied. “Your father is direct. I respect that.”

Evelyn glanced up at him. “He respects you too. That’s rare.”

Jesse paused at the doorway, as if considering that.

“Good,” he said quietly.

Because whatever came next, family pressure, public scrutiny, the weight of the decision they’d already made, they would face it with fewer enemies than before.

And that, Jesse knew, mattered more than anything.