The morning sun rose over the Lancaster estate, casting long golden rays across their mansion. Early in the morning, the grand house was already awake with housekeepers moving quietly.
Chloe didn’t sleep.
Well, she did, but it felt so short.
Her thoughts were occupied by Gray the whole night.
And now, early in the morning, Chloe was already standing outside the door of her father’s study. She took a deep breath as she brushed her fingers against her phone. She just sent a message to Gray asking if they could move their session an hour later.
Afterward, Chloe’s gaze returned to the door. She took a deep breath before gently knocking.
"Come in," Her dad’s voice echoed from inside.
Chloe opened the door and stepped in.
Her father, dressed in his usual tailored navy suit, was already seated behind his massive desk. Jonathan was already starting to read the morning reports. The large window behind him bathed the room in warm light.
Jonathan glanced up, his brows arching in surprise at the sight of his youngest daughter.
"Chloe?" Jonathan leaned back slightly. "You’re up early. What brought you here again, huh?"
"Yeah, Dad. Good morning," Chloe smiled at Jonathan before kissing him on the cheeks as a way to greet him. "I came here because I wanted to talk to you."
"What’s on your mind, little one?" Jonathan closed the report in front of him and gave her his full attention. It was so rare that Chloe got to visit him in his office.
Chloe stood beside Jonathan for a second before she slowly sat into the chair across from him. Her posture wasn’t casual like what she normally had when talking to her father. Instead, she was sitting straight, looking at him with a rare seriousness that immediately made Jonathan take her words seriously.
’It seems like my youngest daughter came here for business again,’ Jonathan thought as he eyed her carefully.
"Dad, I was wondering... if it’s okay for me to be more involved in the business," she said, her words were low and almost a whisper.
For a moment, silence fell over the room.
Jonathan blinked once, twice, and then thrice as if making sure he heard her right.
"You... want to get involved in the company?" he repeated as if he was also doubting what he had heard.
"Yes," Chloe nodded before pressing her lips together. She already knew that her dad might be confused right now, and she was ready to answer all of his questions.
Jonathan sat back with an unreadable look forming in his eyes.
"Of course it’s okay, Chloe," he said after a moment of silence. "In fact, I’ve been waiting for the day you’d say that." His voice softened just a little. "But why the change of heart? Why all of a sudden."
Chloe paused and sighed.
She could’ve said something vague—like it was time, or that she wanted to challenge herself, but that wouldn’t be honest. She didn’t want to fool her dad, especially when he was nothing but a good and supportive dad to them.
So instead, she told him the truth.
"You know that I really don’t want to be involved in our business right? How I want to just have fun?" Chloe let out a deep sigh. "Someone made me realize that I shouldn’t take advantage of those. That I also need to work hard for myself."
Jonathan tilted his head slightly. "Someone?" he frowned.
Suddenly, he became curious about who this someone was.
Jonathan leaned back slowly in his chair, his eyes narrowing with his thought. His fingers tapped gently against the armrest.
"Someone, huh..." he murmured again.
Chloe gave him a small nod, but didn’t elaborate on it. Not yet.
Jonathan looked at her for a long moment. There was a deep curiosity lingering in his eyes. But not only that. There was also caution. His father’s instinct was clicking into place.
He exhaled and rubbed his chin.
"Well... I won’t lie. This is so sudden. And you’ve never exactly been shy about saying how much you didn’t want anything to do with the family business," he said, a half-smile curling at the edge of his lips.
"I know, dad," Chloe admitted quietly. "I’ve said a lot of things. I meant them at the time... but I think that was just me trying to run away from pressure. From expectation. I thought if I didn’t care, I couldn’t disappoint anyone."
Jonathan’s eyes softened at that. He leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the desk now.
"You won’t disappoint me, my child."
Chloe smiled sweetly when she heard the sincerity in Jonathan’s voice. She knew that. But she was still scared back then.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, Dad."
"If you really want to step in, Chloe, then you’re welcome to. But I want you to understand something. It won’t be easy. You’re going to have to earn your place, not as my daughter, but as someone your colleagues can respect. You’ll start low. Learn things from the ground up. I won’t be handing you everything so easily."
"I wouldn’t want it handed to me anyway," Chloe said firmly.
Jonathan smiled. He was proud, amused, and a little surprised all at once.
"Well damn," he said with a quiet chuckle. "Looks like I’ve been underestimating my little girl."
Chloe laughed softly, the tension easing from her shoulders.
"I’m serious about this, Dad," she said. "I’m ready."
"I believe you," Jonathan nodded. "I’ll have Peter and Marie work on a preliminary mentorship schedule. You’ll shadow a few teams for the next few weeks. After that, we’ll talk about what direction you want to take."
"Thank you, Dad," Chloe said, genuinely.
"But..." he said, his eyes narrowing just a touch. "Before we wrap up. This someone who inspired you. Who is he?"
Chloe froze for a second, just long enough to catch Jonathan’s full attention.
Her gaze flicked away for a moment. She bit her lip, uncertain if she will answer.
"I—" Chloe scratched the back of her head.
Jonathan watched her quietly.
"Chloe," he said gently but firmly, "you brought him up. If this person was important enough to change your mind about something you’ve been set on for years, then I think it’s fair to ask."
Chloe let out a soft sigh.
"It’s... it’s my new tutor. Gray."
Jonathan blinked.
"Gray?"
She nodded slowly, still a little hesitant.
Jonathan leaned back again, processing the name. He had heard of his name from Emily, and he was sure of it.
"Let me meet him."