A NEW PLAN

"Dad, I'm telling you, this is going to work," Emily said, leaning forward to stare directly at her father while she spoke.

The old man looked unconvinced. His brows furrowed and his face was distorted by a small frown.

"Edmund is smart, Emily," he said at last, rubbing a hand on his temple. "I know you have a genius plan but you also need a backup plan to fall back to. I wouldn't want this backfiring on us."

Emily heaved a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. Her shoulders fell, deflated. Unconsciously, her mind wandered back to the events of the previous night down to this morning. Edmund had been such a sweet lover. They connected in ways that were unexplainable at least to the human senses. They'd only just met, and yet, it felt like she'd known him forever.

She was not supposed to feel this way for him, but she did. And it made her feel guilty, because there was another lover, one whom she was not ready to let go of. She convinced herself for the umpteenth time that it wa