𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫, 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫 | 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤

64. millennial porn.

S I X T Y - F O U R
millennial porn.

The Redfield Cafe is one of those cafes that are made by vegan, hipster millennials with rich parents who want to make up for all the time they worked instead of seeing their kids.

It's got exposed brickwork and concrete, with brass metalwork. It's millennial porn. It's even got one of those stupid neon light-up signs that says 'coffee is my therapy'. The man making the coffee has a man-bun, obviously.

But the cringy decor is far from the worst thing in this cafe, that award goes to the man sitting across from me.

I can't help but find the Earl Grey tea sitting in front of me amusing. Apparently, my drinking Earl Grey as a child because my Dad would make me, means I chose to drink it. I hate Earl Grey. The sausage roll is good. It goes without saying that it's vegan and gluten-free.

Pile of Shit looks like his name suggests. Like shit.

He's greyed more than a normal amount in a few months, his once clean-shaven face is stubbly, his eyes are red, and he's lost weight. I know the look on his face a mile off. He's on drugs. He looks like Rafe did.

"You haven't drunk your tea," the Pile of Shit observes keenly.

"I hate Earl Grey," I state without emotion. This whole thing has been surprisingly emotionless. I arrived, and he tried to hug me, but I took a step back. He had already ordered food and it came a little after I sat down, now we've sat in silence.

"Well, how are you?" He questions, clearing his throat.

"Fabulous." I give him a one-word answer. "I'm on a tight schedule, so say what you want now."

"Yes. You're mother and I had a talk when you were missing, about what you'd been up to. Regarding who you've been hanging out with and the subsequent events." He starts, wiping off some tea from his thin moustache. "You went from being with a prestigious man, from a good family–"

"They murdered people. Not how I'd define good," I cut him off.

"Please, Francesca, just let me finish, then you can say your piece." He gives me a serious look. "You went from dating a Cameron to hanging out with Luke Maybank's offspring. And then you get yourself arrested, and a little after that stuck on an island. That's not safe for a child. That's why we spoke, we talked about what would happen when you came back. I requested full custody." I go to say something but he holds his hand up. "Just let me finish. Your mother objected, citing events that happened between her and me, and between Robbie and me. While those obviously are serious matters, it doesn't pertain to you. You, my baby girl, have managed to dig yourself a deep hole, one you cannot get out of alone. You are in far more trouble than you even know. Your mother has proved herself unfit to protect you, and while under my care you didn't–"

"Rafe hit me. He did it a lot. That happened under your care." I can see him getting visibly angry at my interjections. "You may never have hit me, but don't fool yourself into thinking that alone means you're a good father."

"Your relationship was none of my business–" he ignores my latter accusation.

"So mine and JJ's relationship doesn't need to be brought into this conversation."

"That is different Francesca, and you know it." The final piece of his mask cracks. He didn't want to make amends, deep down I knew it, but now there is no doubt. "That Maybank kid almost got you killed."

"Rafe strangled me, tried drowning me, drugged me and threw a knife at me. JJ has never tried to hurt me, Rafe went out of his way to."

"I lost so much because of you, I lost my friends, my job, my house, my wife, the prestige I earned in society. You not only threw your life away, a life that would've been full of riches, all you'd have to do is look pretty and pop out a few kids, that's all. You made me look awful, you embarrassed me. Whether you like it or not, I am your father. And due to that fact, I deserve the utmost respect. You were gallivanting with criminals and the scum of society, and whoring yourself out to the bastard of Lu–"