mad_muses august prompt set 2.4.3 [what you don’t know won’t hurt me]
“I don’t like it.” Noah Bennet frowned deeply at the man sitting across from him in the chair that the older man used to occupy. He didn’t occupy it anymore though because he had chosen to retire but it seemed the new boss had one last task for him to undertake before he could leave.
“I’m aware of that.” The other man gave a small smile of understanding because he did get it. He could understand why Bennet didn’t like the plan that was put out before him.
“She’s not going to agree.” Bennet was sure of this and so he tried to make the other man see that but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be so lucky.
“I disagree, I think she will. We can offer her a chance to help, to be safe and to make up for past wrongs.” The new boss chuckled softly. “After all, we’ve all done questionable things before, haven’t we?”
Bennet sighed before moving to his feet. “I’ll try to talk to her but I can’t promise she will come back with me.” He warned, not wanting the other man to get his hopes up. Shaking his head, the older man in the horn rimmed glasses turned around to let himself out of the office as he tried to figure out how he was going to approach this particular problem.
It only took him a day to end up where he needed to go and it was almost like stepping into the past as he stood in front of the door to the house that had once been his home. At one time it had been a symbol of a new start and the hope they would have the normal life they all longed for but his inability to just settle had ruined it all. He hadn’t known what else he could do besides what he had always done and, in the end, it ruined his family.
When he knocked the door, he steeled himself against the reaction that he would undoubtedly receive and yet he found himself breathless when he found himself facing the woman who had once shared his life till she couldn’t take the lies anymore. “Sandra.”
“Noah.” She hadn’t changed overly much but he had always thought she would age rather gracefully. Maybe absence really did make the heart grow fonder but from the look on her face, it only affected one side. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak to Claire.” He wished he could say he was just coming back home but this wasn’t that place anymore.
“No.” Sandra lifted her chin, that protective urge still there as she stepped more fully in front of him. It was clear she wasn’t okay with the idea of letting him into the house to talk to their daughter.
“He can come in, Mom.” The voice came from behind the older woman and Bennet looked past his ex-wife to the young woman standing in the middle of the living room. She looked the same and he realized with a sharp pang that she always would.
Sandra hesitated because she clearly wanted to disagree but then stepped back, relenting. “Fine.” The one word bit at him as he stepped past her and waited for her to shut the door.
“Can you take Emma to the park for a little while?” Claire asked softly, ignoring the lifting of her father’s eyebrows.
“Of course, I will.” Sandra seemed relieved with the idea as she glanced warily at Bennet before slipping past him. “Emma!” She called up the stairs. “Come on sweetie, grandma is going to take you and Mr. Muggles Junior to the park.”
“Okay, gramma.” The reply came seconds before the little vision appeared around the corner, practically flying in her excitement at the idea of going to play.
Claire watched the man out of the corner of her eyes, watching the slight widening of his eyes as he watched the little girl bouncing off the steps. She knew exactly what he was seeing too. The little girl clearly was a little version of Claire but there were definite traits that belonged to her father. Her long hair was nearly the same color, bordering on a perfect shade of black which only made the green shade of her eyes a little sharper as she focused them on the man in the living room. She stopped to assess him very curiously, her nose wrinkling much like Claire’s had done when she had been that age but there was something in her gaze that had the ability to pin people in one spot as she assessed them.
Sandra clearly wasn’t comfortable with it as she moved forward, a hand sliding over the little girl’s back as she lowered her head to murmur something about it being impolite to stare. Emma broke the gaze and Bennet found it easier to breathe as he watched her turn to the older woman before nodding excitedly at whatever else was being whispered into her ear. Then she whirled to Claire, running towards her. The blonde leaned down to catch her, laughing softly as he hauled her up for a storm of kisses that she returned with a certain fondness before setting her daughter down.
“You behave, Emma.” Claire warned in gentle tones with an easy smile.
“Yes, I know, Mama. I’ll listen.” Emma was all charm and smiles before she whirled to follow Sandra out the back door. One more curious peek at Bennet and then she was gone.
“I have never seen her.” Bennet murmured after a moment or two, looking strangely forlorn.
Claire had the urge to comfort him but she quickly reminded herself that it was his own fault that he didn’t know his granddaughter. “Why are you here?” She decided to be blunt instead.
Bennet turned back to her, following her towards the kitchen. “Tell me about her, please.”
“Why?” Claire frowned at him, clearly not comfortable as she pulled open the fridge door to look inside for something to drink. “Do you want to know if she has manifested yet?” It wasn’t a question of ‘if’ the little girl would but instead they figured it was only a matter of time. Look who she was a product of after all.
“No.” Now it was Bennet’s turn to frown slowly at her, tension running through his shoulders at the silent accusation. Hadn’t he always tried to protect her? “I just don’t know anything about her. Like what her full name is or anything?”
“Emma Gray.” There was a definite smugness in her smile as she watched him wince at the reminder of who the little girl’s father was.
“I would have thought you’d give her your last name.” His tone was sharp now.
“Why? Gray is a perfectly lovely last name and it suits her.” Claire answered with a faint little smirk as she got two glasses to fill with the iced tea she had pulled out of the fridge. There was no reason she couldn’t be a good hostess even if she wasn’t fond of the idea.
“Just a loving tribute to a man who abandoned you once he found out you were pregnant with his child?” There was no hiding the disgust in his tone though he jumped a little at the way the glass was slammed down in front of him.
“He didn’t abandon me.” She hissed at him, her eyes sparkling with green fire as she barely held back her fury and the desire to smash the glass into his head instead of on the counter in front of him. She took a moment to compose herself then; straightening, she drew in a slow breath before calmly pouring herself some iced tea as well. “We agreed that it would be better this way.”
Even as she said it, there was a ripple of heart ache over her features as she looked down into the contents of her glass. It hadn’t been an easy decision but not everyone got their white picket fence dream when they wanted it.
“He’s never seen her?” He asked softly, watching her closely. He wasn’t sure he bought the story he had heard before. To him, there was no way Sylar would actually agree to give up the woman he loved or his child. Not unless he really had started to change.
“I haven’t seen Sylar since he left.” Claire murmured now, the fight seeming to have drained out of her as they talked about a somewhat painful subject. “We couldn’t risk her.” Not with their lifestyle and the constant danger.
Her daughter - their daughter - was innocent and they had wanted to protect that. She wouldn’t have been able to protect herself against everything they had gone up against and in the end, the both knew that.
“I’m sorry.” If there was one thing Bennet could understand, he knew the sacrifices a parent made at times. Silently he reached for her hand, covering it with his own in a silent show of sympathetic support but she wouldn’t have it.
“It’s fine.” She replied as she pulled her hand back from his, choosing to curl it around the glass instead. After a moment, she demanded to know. “Why are you here?”
“The new Director of the Company wants to recruit you.” He sighed after a moment, wishing she would have just let the conversation go on. There was so much about her that he didn’t know anymore and he wanted to know more about her child but she didn’t seem content with the idea of just talking for awhile. She wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible.
“What? He wants to what?” She looked completely thrown off guard by that statement. Clearly she had been expecting anything but that.
“He wants to recruit you to work for them.”
“He does know who I am, right? Like, he knows everything about me?” In other words, did the new Director know about her past with Sylar?
“Yes, he knows. But he thinks with your ability and your experience, you could be a good asset to the Company.” It was clear he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
“A good asset? Huh.” She sounded a bit doubtful but she was leery which could prove to be a good thing. She wasn’t as easily fooled these days. “Are they hoping I can find Sylar?”
“No.” Bennet shook his head, sighing a little bit. “There’s been no real trace of him and the last time there was, he was....overseas.”
Claire knew he would be watching her closely for a reaction. He watched her as a flicker of disappointed created a shadow of her features while her eyes dropped back to her glass. Did she wonder what he was doing over there? Had he found someone else? Bennet wouldn’t be surprised but he didn’t say that out loud. He wouldn’t dare.
“What about Emma?” Claire asked softly, choosing a safer topic or at least a safer topic than talking about Sylar at the moment.
“He has assured me that she will remain off limits even if she does manifest.” It was more of a guarantee than he had ever received. They would never expect Claire to hand over her daughter like they had expected with him. That had to bring her some kind of peace of mind.
“Let me guess, it’s only if I join though, right?”
She had caught him there because that particular question never did arise from anyone as they talked about recruiting Claire. It was a good question though and he sighed. “I don’t know.”
She didn’t buy that answer though because she knew how the Company worked or at least how they worked before. Sure, slap a new Director into place and swear you’re going to do things differently but underhanded tactics still worked no matter what.
“Where do I have to go?”
“New York. They’ll help to provide a home...”
“No, I’ll provide my own home.” She told him firmly, her mouth tightening. “I don’t want the Company to set it up. I don’t want it bugged or rigged with cameras. What happens at my home and on my off time is none of their business.”
He couldn’t tell her they wouldn’t do that and so he sighed, even as he felt a little smidgen of pride at her taking a stand. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” Then he paused as he started to realize, a little frown appearing. “You’re going to say yes?”
For a long while she didn’t answer him as she brought the glass to her lips to take a small sip. Her gaze was calculating and calm as she considered him, as though he had all the answers but he didn’t. Not anymore.
“I think so, yes.” She finally nodded. “I would be a good asset and it’s a good way to assure Emma will be safe.” That’s what she had to think of after all. She had to think of her daughter and her safety as well as their future. “But I take the jobs I want to. I don’t want her to feel like I’m never home.” That had been a source of contention between the two sitting at the island after all.
“Of course, I’m sure that can be arranged.” Bennet murmured, managing to conceal the little wince before he sighed. He had guessed she would have said no but it turned out he was wrong. Maybe she was more his daughter than he thought and he wasn’t sure what to think about that.
It still bothered him a week later when he brought Claire to meet her new boss. He wasn’t sure what it was, it was something he couldn’t quite put his finger to and he wasn’t sure he ever would. She didn’t tell him where she had chosen to live and he longed for the days when she had trusted him with anything but those days were long gone. They had been fading from the moment she realized she was different.
As Bennet led her through the winding hallways of the new building, Claire couldn’t help but admire everything. It was clear they had been given a lot of money to make everything state-of-the-art. When she felt herself slowing down, she looked to her side. “Emma, come on. We can look around later, okay?”
“Okay, Mama.” The little girl nodded, picking up her pace as she hurried to keep up next to Claire. “This is very bright and clean.”
“I know.” Claire nodded, glancing around before following her father up a small set of stairs before he paused in front of a door. She watched him knock and heard an answering call on the other side as someone beckoned them to enter.
When they did, Claire’s eyes were drawn immediately to the man standing behind the desk. He wasn’t a man she recognized but that didn’t matter to her. She didn’t recognize any person that she saw within these walls.
“Claire Bennet.” The man seemed pleased to see her as he set down his clipboard and moved around to greet them. “I’ve been waiting for awhile to meet you. I’m Adrian Phillips.” He introduced himself as he held out his hand to her.
“Really?” She seemed somewhat surprised and then a touch suspicious by the statement he had been waiting awhile to meet her. Sliding her hand into his, she shook his in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Phillips.”
“Adrian.” He corrected her with an easy smile, using the charm she figured he was well aware he had. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Claire. I’m hoping you’re here because your father told you about my job offer?”
“Yes, he told me. I told him that I had a few concerns and stipulations.” She released his hand.
“He made me aware of those concerns and such. I told him I am willing to meet your needs if you’re willing to join us.” He suddenly looked down at the wide eyes staring up at him. “You must be Emma.” He flashed the little girl a small smile.
“Yes, sir.” Emma gave a solemn nod before stepping back behind her mom but it wasn’t long before she was peeking at the tall man again.
“I assured Claire too that Emma would be left alone.” Bennet reasserted the fact that he was there by speaking up again.
“Of course she will be.” Adrian agreed with a nod of his head before looking at Claire quite seriously. “As long as I’m in this role, she will not be touched.” Unless there were extreme circumstances but he didn’t say those words out loud. “Do we have a deal?”
Claire looked at her father before bringing her gaze back to the man offering her a job. “Yes.” She nodded, lifting her chin a little bit.
“Good.” Adrian nodded before looking at the other man in the room. “Bennet, you need to go talk to Hanson.” He saw the hesitation in the older man and gave an easy smile. “I’m just going to settle a few more things with Claire here.”
“Fine.” Bennet nodded slowly, his eyes flickering to Claire once more before looking to Emma who was watching him now. “I’ll see you in a little bit.” He smiled at her and then gave a tighter smile to Claire before turning to leave them alone.
As the door swung close, Claire turned back to the man who was watching her with a growing smirk on his mouth. “Do you think he has a clue what’s going on?” He asked, arching a brow at her.
“No.” She shook her head and then she had to chuckle a little bit. “I bet you’re pleased with yourself, aren’t you?”
“Can you blame me?” He replied before looking down at Emma who was focused on him once more. And before them, Adrian Phillips changed. His visage rippled, melting away into a familiar form as he tilted his head to the side with a slick smirk before lifting a hand to twist it in a turning motion as the door to the office locked.
Almost on cue, Emma smiled brightly and it was like someone had turned on the sun. “Hello, Daddy.”
wc: 3058
[the use of Sandra and Noah are not aimed at any specific journal. heroslayer is used with love and permission. This is a future peek into the verse]
“I’m aware of that.” The other man gave a small smile of understanding because he did get it. He could understand why Bennet didn’t like the plan that was put out before him.
“She’s not going to agree.” Bennet was sure of this and so he tried to make the other man see that but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be so lucky.
“I disagree, I think she will. We can offer her a chance to help, to be safe and to make up for past wrongs.” The new boss chuckled softly. “After all, we’ve all done questionable things before, haven’t we?”
Bennet sighed before moving to his feet. “I’ll try to talk to her but I can’t promise she will come back with me.” He warned, not wanting the other man to get his hopes up. Shaking his head, the older man in the horn rimmed glasses turned around to let himself out of the office as he tried to figure out how he was going to approach this particular problem.
It only took him a day to end up where he needed to go and it was almost like stepping into the past as he stood in front of the door to the house that had once been his home. At one time it had been a symbol of a new start and the hope they would have the normal life they all longed for but his inability to just settle had ruined it all. He hadn’t known what else he could do besides what he had always done and, in the end, it ruined his family.
When he knocked the door, he steeled himself against the reaction that he would undoubtedly receive and yet he found himself breathless when he found himself facing the woman who had once shared his life till she couldn’t take the lies anymore. “Sandra.”
“Noah.” She hadn’t changed overly much but he had always thought she would age rather gracefully. Maybe absence really did make the heart grow fonder but from the look on her face, it only affected one side. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak to Claire.” He wished he could say he was just coming back home but this wasn’t that place anymore.
“No.” Sandra lifted her chin, that protective urge still there as she stepped more fully in front of him. It was clear she wasn’t okay with the idea of letting him into the house to talk to their daughter.
“He can come in, Mom.” The voice came from behind the older woman and Bennet looked past his ex-wife to the young woman standing in the middle of the living room. She looked the same and he realized with a sharp pang that she always would.
Sandra hesitated because she clearly wanted to disagree but then stepped back, relenting. “Fine.” The one word bit at him as he stepped past her and waited for her to shut the door.
“Can you take Emma to the park for a little while?” Claire asked softly, ignoring the lifting of her father’s eyebrows.
“Of course, I will.” Sandra seemed relieved with the idea as she glanced warily at Bennet before slipping past him. “Emma!” She called up the stairs. “Come on sweetie, grandma is going to take you and Mr. Muggles Junior to the park.”
“Okay, gramma.” The reply came seconds before the little vision appeared around the corner, practically flying in her excitement at the idea of going to play.
Claire watched the man out of the corner of her eyes, watching the slight widening of his eyes as he watched the little girl bouncing off the steps. She knew exactly what he was seeing too. The little girl clearly was a little version of Claire but there were definite traits that belonged to her father. Her long hair was nearly the same color, bordering on a perfect shade of black which only made the green shade of her eyes a little sharper as she focused them on the man in the living room. She stopped to assess him very curiously, her nose wrinkling much like Claire’s had done when she had been that age but there was something in her gaze that had the ability to pin people in one spot as she assessed them.
Sandra clearly wasn’t comfortable with it as she moved forward, a hand sliding over the little girl’s back as she lowered her head to murmur something about it being impolite to stare. Emma broke the gaze and Bennet found it easier to breathe as he watched her turn to the older woman before nodding excitedly at whatever else was being whispered into her ear. Then she whirled to Claire, running towards her. The blonde leaned down to catch her, laughing softly as he hauled her up for a storm of kisses that she returned with a certain fondness before setting her daughter down.
“You behave, Emma.” Claire warned in gentle tones with an easy smile.
“Yes, I know, Mama. I’ll listen.” Emma was all charm and smiles before she whirled to follow Sandra out the back door. One more curious peek at Bennet and then she was gone.
“I have never seen her.” Bennet murmured after a moment or two, looking strangely forlorn.
Claire had the urge to comfort him but she quickly reminded herself that it was his own fault that he didn’t know his granddaughter. “Why are you here?” She decided to be blunt instead.
Bennet turned back to her, following her towards the kitchen. “Tell me about her, please.”
“Why?” Claire frowned at him, clearly not comfortable as she pulled open the fridge door to look inside for something to drink. “Do you want to know if she has manifested yet?” It wasn’t a question of ‘if’ the little girl would but instead they figured it was only a matter of time. Look who she was a product of after all.
“No.” Now it was Bennet’s turn to frown slowly at her, tension running through his shoulders at the silent accusation. Hadn’t he always tried to protect her? “I just don’t know anything about her. Like what her full name is or anything?”
“Emma Gray.” There was a definite smugness in her smile as she watched him wince at the reminder of who the little girl’s father was.
“I would have thought you’d give her your last name.” His tone was sharp now.
“Why? Gray is a perfectly lovely last name and it suits her.” Claire answered with a faint little smirk as she got two glasses to fill with the iced tea she had pulled out of the fridge. There was no reason she couldn’t be a good hostess even if she wasn’t fond of the idea.
“Just a loving tribute to a man who abandoned you once he found out you were pregnant with his child?” There was no hiding the disgust in his tone though he jumped a little at the way the glass was slammed down in front of him.
“He didn’t abandon me.” She hissed at him, her eyes sparkling with green fire as she barely held back her fury and the desire to smash the glass into his head instead of on the counter in front of him. She took a moment to compose herself then; straightening, she drew in a slow breath before calmly pouring herself some iced tea as well. “We agreed that it would be better this way.”
Even as she said it, there was a ripple of heart ache over her features as she looked down into the contents of her glass. It hadn’t been an easy decision but not everyone got their white picket fence dream when they wanted it.
“He’s never seen her?” He asked softly, watching her closely. He wasn’t sure he bought the story he had heard before. To him, there was no way Sylar would actually agree to give up the woman he loved or his child. Not unless he really had started to change.
“I haven’t seen Sylar since he left.” Claire murmured now, the fight seeming to have drained out of her as they talked about a somewhat painful subject. “We couldn’t risk her.” Not with their lifestyle and the constant danger.
Her daughter - their daughter - was innocent and they had wanted to protect that. She wouldn’t have been able to protect herself against everything they had gone up against and in the end, the both knew that.
“I’m sorry.” If there was one thing Bennet could understand, he knew the sacrifices a parent made at times. Silently he reached for her hand, covering it with his own in a silent show of sympathetic support but she wouldn’t have it.
“It’s fine.” She replied as she pulled her hand back from his, choosing to curl it around the glass instead. After a moment, she demanded to know. “Why are you here?”
“The new Director of the Company wants to recruit you.” He sighed after a moment, wishing she would have just let the conversation go on. There was so much about her that he didn’t know anymore and he wanted to know more about her child but she didn’t seem content with the idea of just talking for awhile. She wanted to get it over and done with as soon as possible.
“What? He wants to what?” She looked completely thrown off guard by that statement. Clearly she had been expecting anything but that.
“He wants to recruit you to work for them.”
“He does know who I am, right? Like, he knows everything about me?” In other words, did the new Director know about her past with Sylar?
“Yes, he knows. But he thinks with your ability and your experience, you could be a good asset to the Company.” It was clear he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
“A good asset? Huh.” She sounded a bit doubtful but she was leery which could prove to be a good thing. She wasn’t as easily fooled these days. “Are they hoping I can find Sylar?”
“No.” Bennet shook his head, sighing a little bit. “There’s been no real trace of him and the last time there was, he was....overseas.”
Claire knew he would be watching her closely for a reaction. He watched her as a flicker of disappointed created a shadow of her features while her eyes dropped back to her glass. Did she wonder what he was doing over there? Had he found someone else? Bennet wouldn’t be surprised but he didn’t say that out loud. He wouldn’t dare.
“What about Emma?” Claire asked softly, choosing a safer topic or at least a safer topic than talking about Sylar at the moment.
“He has assured me that she will remain off limits even if she does manifest.” It was more of a guarantee than he had ever received. They would never expect Claire to hand over her daughter like they had expected with him. That had to bring her some kind of peace of mind.
“Let me guess, it’s only if I join though, right?”
She had caught him there because that particular question never did arise from anyone as they talked about recruiting Claire. It was a good question though and he sighed. “I don’t know.”
She didn’t buy that answer though because she knew how the Company worked or at least how they worked before. Sure, slap a new Director into place and swear you’re going to do things differently but underhanded tactics still worked no matter what.
“Where do I have to go?”
“New York. They’ll help to provide a home...”
“No, I’ll provide my own home.” She told him firmly, her mouth tightening. “I don’t want the Company to set it up. I don’t want it bugged or rigged with cameras. What happens at my home and on my off time is none of their business.”
He couldn’t tell her they wouldn’t do that and so he sighed, even as he felt a little smidgen of pride at her taking a stand. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” Then he paused as he started to realize, a little frown appearing. “You’re going to say yes?”
For a long while she didn’t answer him as she brought the glass to her lips to take a small sip. Her gaze was calculating and calm as she considered him, as though he had all the answers but he didn’t. Not anymore.
“I think so, yes.” She finally nodded. “I would be a good asset and it’s a good way to assure Emma will be safe.” That’s what she had to think of after all. She had to think of her daughter and her safety as well as their future. “But I take the jobs I want to. I don’t want her to feel like I’m never home.” That had been a source of contention between the two sitting at the island after all.
“Of course, I’m sure that can be arranged.” Bennet murmured, managing to conceal the little wince before he sighed. He had guessed she would have said no but it turned out he was wrong. Maybe she was more his daughter than he thought and he wasn’t sure what to think about that.
It still bothered him a week later when he brought Claire to meet her new boss. He wasn’t sure what it was, it was something he couldn’t quite put his finger to and he wasn’t sure he ever would. She didn’t tell him where she had chosen to live and he longed for the days when she had trusted him with anything but those days were long gone. They had been fading from the moment she realized she was different.
As Bennet led her through the winding hallways of the new building, Claire couldn’t help but admire everything. It was clear they had been given a lot of money to make everything state-of-the-art. When she felt herself slowing down, she looked to her side. “Emma, come on. We can look around later, okay?”
“Okay, Mama.” The little girl nodded, picking up her pace as she hurried to keep up next to Claire. “This is very bright and clean.”
“I know.” Claire nodded, glancing around before following her father up a small set of stairs before he paused in front of a door. She watched him knock and heard an answering call on the other side as someone beckoned them to enter.
When they did, Claire’s eyes were drawn immediately to the man standing behind the desk. He wasn’t a man she recognized but that didn’t matter to her. She didn’t recognize any person that she saw within these walls.
“Claire Bennet.” The man seemed pleased to see her as he set down his clipboard and moved around to greet them. “I’ve been waiting for awhile to meet you. I’m Adrian Phillips.” He introduced himself as he held out his hand to her.
“Really?” She seemed somewhat surprised and then a touch suspicious by the statement he had been waiting awhile to meet her. Sliding her hand into his, she shook his in greeting. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Phillips.”
“Adrian.” He corrected her with an easy smile, using the charm she figured he was well aware he had. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Claire. I’m hoping you’re here because your father told you about my job offer?”
“Yes, he told me. I told him that I had a few concerns and stipulations.” She released his hand.
“He made me aware of those concerns and such. I told him I am willing to meet your needs if you’re willing to join us.” He suddenly looked down at the wide eyes staring up at him. “You must be Emma.” He flashed the little girl a small smile.
“Yes, sir.” Emma gave a solemn nod before stepping back behind her mom but it wasn’t long before she was peeking at the tall man again.
“I assured Claire too that Emma would be left alone.” Bennet reasserted the fact that he was there by speaking up again.
“Of course she will be.” Adrian agreed with a nod of his head before looking at Claire quite seriously. “As long as I’m in this role, she will not be touched.” Unless there were extreme circumstances but he didn’t say those words out loud. “Do we have a deal?”
Claire looked at her father before bringing her gaze back to the man offering her a job. “Yes.” She nodded, lifting her chin a little bit.
“Good.” Adrian nodded before looking at the other man in the room. “Bennet, you need to go talk to Hanson.” He saw the hesitation in the older man and gave an easy smile. “I’m just going to settle a few more things with Claire here.”
“Fine.” Bennet nodded slowly, his eyes flickering to Claire once more before looking to Emma who was watching him now. “I’ll see you in a little bit.” He smiled at her and then gave a tighter smile to Claire before turning to leave them alone.
As the door swung close, Claire turned back to the man who was watching her with a growing smirk on his mouth. “Do you think he has a clue what’s going on?” He asked, arching a brow at her.
“No.” She shook her head and then she had to chuckle a little bit. “I bet you’re pleased with yourself, aren’t you?”
“Can you blame me?” He replied before looking down at Emma who was focused on him once more. And before them, Adrian Phillips changed. His visage rippled, melting away into a familiar form as he tilted his head to the side with a slick smirk before lifting a hand to twist it in a turning motion as the door to the office locked.
Almost on cue, Emma smiled brightly and it was like someone had turned on the sun. “Hello, Daddy.”
wc: 3058
[the use of Sandra and Noah are not aimed at any specific journal. heroslayer is used with love and permission. This is a future peek into the verse]