Hours later in the evening, she walked to her father's study. She was determined to get an answer out of him about Charmaine's status. She needed to know whether the woman was in danger. If the man had guards torturing her, she had to put a stop to it now. Her face was ice cold as she stopped in front of his door and knocked. Her knuckles banged against the metal hard enough to echo. She waited for any noise before repeating her action louder. After the fourth time, she heard her father get up from his chair and unlock the door.

He opened the door and towered over her with his large build. The man was dressed in a suit and had papers all over his desk, from what she could see. A folder was tightly gripped in his other hand, but he was hiding it behind his back. He must have been busy when she came and interrupted. A warm smile blossomed on his face at the sight of her. It beckoned her forward. All the stress in his body disappeared once he realized who was standing in front of him. They looked at one another awkwardly for what felt like an eternity before she spoke.

“Father,” she felt anxious about how intensely he was looking at her. “I want to talk to you about the prisoners. If you allow me.” She added the last part, hoping he would throw her a bone.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The man sighed and shook his head. “Cleo, we've talked about this already.” He moved to close the door, but she shoved her foot in front of it before he finished.

“I know, but I feel I deserve to know what’s happening to the man who assaulted me.” The teenager protested, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

“I understand why you feel that way.” He reached out to touch her hair. He played with it affectionately before moving to her shoulder. “Still, it would be dangerous for me to let you see him.”

Leila frowned, not understanding what he meant. “How? There’s no way he can touch me chained to the ground.”

“I don’t think he can hurt you physically, my daughter.” The man suddenly looked tired as he watched her struggle.

The teenager found herself at a loss for words. Did the man think she was so fragile that an insult would make her crumble? It was so absurd she fought the urge to laugh. It would take more than curses to take her down. She looked off to the side, unsure of what to do. She wanted to see Charmaine badly, but the old man was too protective. He wasn’t going to budge even if she got on her knees and begged him. This was a sticky situation to be in and the jade-eyed woman found herself frustrated she had no control over it.