A child's voice

Adeline's POV

When morning came, it wasn't with comfort. I still didn't know what to do next. Even if Mikhail had tried to assure me and tell me things would be fine, steps had to be taken for that and I couldn't think of anything.

I was ready for the day a few hours later, disregarding breakfast. Father sat at the table with his assistant, both of them in deep conversation. “Good morning" he greeted me as soon as he saw me. The lines on his forehead had almost doubled.

"Good morning dad. Will you be going to work today?” I asked him.

He nodded his head, waiting to finish chewing before he spoke, "Yes, I've got a few important meetings this morning. A couple of deals to pull off” his voice had dropped.

I wondered if his clients would be hesitant due to his relationship with me. Last night's live from Conrad had further destroyed his reputation. It was my fault, I knew this and I couldn't stand it.

But just then my phone vibrated with a message. I opened it to see it was from Mikhail, "Be at my office by 9” it read. When I looked at the time, it was only a few minutes past eight so I had a lot of time to think for myself.

I decided to go to the office where I could sit alone. Since dad was busy, he didn't exactly notice my exit which I was glad for. If I stayed any longer, he would want to talk about what happened. That was one thing I wasn't ready for.

Somehow time passed by quickly enough and I was soon on my way to his office. I sat in the back seat of the SUV, eyes on I*******m. I wanted to know if anything new had happened and despite the fact that I shouldn't have, I wanted to know what the public was saying.

It didn't surprise me although it pained me what was being spread. I was called a liar, manipulative. They had all run with whatever Conrad had fed them. The damage control would require much more than I thought.

This was borderline irreparable. The live had been watched by eight million people now and two million comments rested there. Several critics had commented on it, so it was still being spread. The media was going to carry this narrative far and wide.

A headline caught my eyes, “Mr. Mikhail the Nobel prize awarded doctor now accused of conspiracy and fraud alongside famous model and businesswoman, ex - fiancee of Conrad, Adeline"

I reread the headline as many times as I could. Of course, this was my greatest fear and it was all playing out. Mikhail had been accused along with me when none of this had even remotely involved him.

As I rode the elevator up to his office, I mentally prepared an apology. Even though he had told me the night before that I didn't need to apologize, there was no way I couldn't. If I had chosen things differently, he wouldn't have to be involved in all this.

I knocked on his door, waiting for his permission to come inside.

“Come in" I heard his deep voice boom through the door and I did as he permitted.

Inside the office, he sat on the other side with a laptop in front of him. He was alone but the cup that sat on the table told me it hadn't been for long. Slowly, he raised his head up, meeting my eyes with his blank ones, “You arrived just on time"

I smiled, not sure what to say. “I know how much you value punctuality" which was true. No matter what the event was, even if it was leisure, Mikhail expected you to be there at the time you were supposed to be.

“Good, I'm glad you know that” a twinkle had entered his eyes now. He pointed at the seat in front of him, "Take a seat let's see what we're going to do today”

"I'm not even sure-” I began but then a knock on the door distracted me from my words.

We both looked to see who it was. “Come in," Mikhail said, a hand under his jaw with a questioning look on his face.

It was one of his other assistants, Lily. She had an ipad in her hands and a look on her face. When she saw me, her face dropped even further and I knew something was badly wrong. What else could have worsened our situation.

She tried to smile at me although it looked more like a grimace, "Good morning ma'am” and then she faced Mikhail, "Good morning sir, there's been a new development” she walked towards him with the iPad and then handed it to him.

Mikhail pressed the button on it and a video began to play. At first it was static and then it was a small voice. I couldn't hear what was being said at first but Mikhail must have increased the volume as I recognized the voice.

"She fell down. Daddy tried to help her but I don't know what happened"

My curiosity got the better of me as I took my phone out and went into I*******m. Just as I expected, the video was the first thing I saw.

Fara on a chair, hands folded in front of her and eyes nervously darting. She looked like a petrified little girl, staring into the camera with fear. Her voice began to play as she said the words like how she used to recite the poems her teachers taught her at home.

“Aunt Adeline used to beat me sometimes, uncle tried to stop her but sometimes she hid it from him but -” I couldn't stand it anymore. I closed the video and tossed my phone onto the table.

When I looked up, both Mikhail and Lily had their eyes on me. They looked unsure of what to do next before Mikhail spoke, “You may leave us now Lily. Adeline and I would like to speak in private” he ordered.

She left just as he asked but without the iPad she had first come inside with. And then we were alone.

He stared for a moment, “This creates complications"

I didn't respond, I wasn't sure how to. Even after everything that had happened, it was her that broke me even more. Fara whom I had loved like she was my very own child. We had shared a bond so unbelievable and this, her going along with his lies was somehow even worse.

It was his movement that jolted me from my thoughts and made me realize that I had been crying. Tears had slid down my face - I quickly cleaned them off. "I'm fine” I said when I noticed his concerned face.

He sighed, “I know what you're thinking, exactly what this looks like but you know the truth. You know who her father is and that she really has no choice or idea on what she's doing" he explained.

He was right, I knew very well that he was but still - it stung. If it was because of the bond shared and how Conrad had desecrated it with this, I wasn't sure. “You're right," I told him, nodding my head to convince myself.

He had a look on his face that I couldn't exactly explain but he didn't see anything. "Right now we have to do some serious control. Or else we won't have anything to salvage." He advised.

I nodded, “You're right" as usual he was. But at that moment I wasn't ready to talk about it. My mind was still unstable, racing with thoughts and disbelief. It felt more like a dream than my reality.

When I looked at him, he was staring at me with a knowing look. He understood what I was going through, "You can take some time to understand fully. There's no exact rush” his voice was low, reassuring like it always was.

My chest expanded with relief. “Thank you"