I stood across from my father, watching confusion flicker across his face like a restless instinct he couldn't control. His eyes searched mine, sharp yet uncertain, as if trying to scent out the truth beneath my words.
"What?!" he snapped, disbelief tightening his voice.
I exhaled slowly, steadying the unease rising in my chest. "Do you remember the last time you asked me to go with you to secure that contract?" I asked. "There were packs everywhere, stronger ones, more established. Did you really think ours could win something that big on its own?"
He went still, my question hitting him harder than he expected.
"Elliot was there," I continued, keeping my tone calm. "He spoke to the ones in charge. He made sure the opportunity went to you."
Silence pressed down between us. My father stared at me, stunned, as if everything he believed about his recent success was shifting beneath his feet.
