deeply. “Just tell me, why do you want to see my father?”


    I frowned a little. Was he changing his mind again?


    Earlier, when I mentioned needing his dad’s help to appraise something, he assumed I had some


    rare item. Now, it seemed like he realized there was more to it.


    Since I was already here, there was no point in hiding the truth anymore. I decided to be upfront.


    After listening, Cole’s expression turned serious. “Then you should leave.”


    I felt something was off. “Why?”


    “If you’re nning to meet my dad for this, you’re wasting your time. He’s not going to tell you


    anything.” Cole said, like he knew his dad’s every move.


    But if there was nothing to hide, why would his dad be so cagey? His dad’s refusal would only make


    me more determined to get to the bottom of this.


    “What if I don’t back off? Maybe your dad’s got nothing to hide after all,” I said, refusing to back


    down.


    Cole shook his head, looking a little resigned. “You’re really stubborn, you know that? Fine, I’ll call


    him. If he’s cool with it, I’ll take you to see him.”


    He pulled out his phone and dialed, putting it on speaker.


    “What is it?” Thorsten’s deep voice came through.


    “Hey, I was thinking of bringing someone over. A woman. To see you,” Cole said carefully, not


    giving away who I was.


    “Don’t bring random women around just to bug me,” Thorsten’s voice grew sharper.


    Cole shot me a quick look with a yful smirk. “Do you really think I’d bring someone who’s not


    worth your time? She’s a good person.”


    There was silence on the other end. I held my breath, half–hoping he’d agree, but then Thorsten


    said, “Not today. I’ve got important guests.”


    “Then we’ll wait inside. We can meet after you’re done, Cole said, catching me off guard. For


    someone who usually didn’t care much, he was going out of his way to help me.


    “Didn’t you hear me?” Thorsten snapped before hanging up.


    Cole just shrugged at me, his expression saying, ‘Hey, don’t me me for not trying.”


    I stared at the gate, blocked by the iron bars, wondering who this “important guest” was that


    Thorsten


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    wouldn’t even see his own son.


    A hand waved in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts. It was Cole. “You’re not


    seriously thinking about climbing over, are you?”


    I pressed my lips together. “Do you know who your dad’s meeting today?”


    They were father and son–the closest bond there is. And from what Cole had said earlier, he


    seemed to know a bit about his dad’s dealings.


    Cole chuckled. ‘No clue. My dad’s life basically revolves around two things: making money and


    schmoozing with people.”


    He said it in that annoyingly casual way only someone ridiculously privileged could.


    Still, it was obvious Cole didn’t want to say more. Just then, his phone rang. He nced at the


    screen and then back at me. “Steve knows you came to see me?”


    Wait, how did he know it had to do with me when he hadn’t even picked up?


    I just gave him a small, knowing smile.


    Cole’s expression darkened. Without a word, he declined the call.


    My heart jumped. That was definitely going to make Steve think something was up, and I knew he’d


    be blowing up my phone any second.