Daddy Issues

Chapter 4

"You see that woman over there?" Vlad pointed to a woman in a grey suit sitting on a park bench across the road from them. "She's contemplating whether or not her marriage is going to continue, she's done something that she's not sure her husband will forgive."

Sue looked at the woman then back and Vlad. "What makes you say that?"

"She's playing with her wedding ring and staring at it with a guilty expression." He explained.

"Did you ever consider that it's a force of habit?" Sue countered. "Maybe when she's nervous she plays with it to calm herself. Perhaps her husband is dead and she's guilty her stare lingered on another man for too long."

"That's another way of looking at it." Vlad rubbed his chin.

"You never truly know what someone is thinking unless you ask them." Sue continued.

"And even then, you never know if they're telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help them God." Vlad added smiling softly at her. Sue cleared her throat and continued eating her Alfredo pasta.

Vlad had brought them to a little Italian place just opposite the city park. It wasn't too fancy but the food was delicious. All types of characters passed in the streets and settled on the park benches. She can understand and appreciate why Vlad chose this spot.

"So, you come here for inspiration a lot?" Sue asked looking up at him. He grinned in return.

"You figured it out." He turned his head to watch the passers-by as he spoke to her, his voice solemn, as if revisiting a distant memory. " This is where I wrote my first book. I was visiting my grandpa one summer; I think I was about 15 then. There was this couple. They were having an argument. It looked pretty serious. Then the strangest thing happened." He chuckled. "The little boy they were with—he was probably their son—pulled then both down to sit on a bench and squished both their faces between his hands. He said something to them and then they apologized and hugged." He came back to reality and looked over at Sue.

"Can you believe what power that little boy had?" No. Sue said in her mind. No, because that's a power she never had.

"That's lovely." Sue responded her voice held but a tinge of sadness, but she was sure Vlad hadn't noticed. If he had, he didn't mention it.

"I thought to myself, 'I wonder how children see the world. See our problems and what's a problem to them. I decided to write a book from a child's perspective. I won an award for it at my high school." Vlad smiled a beautiful smile. His lips curled up revealing his single lonely dimple on his right cheek.

"I'd love to give it a read and give you my professional opinion." Sue smiled softly. Were he another employee she wouldn't have bothered with his lunch but as a favour to his grandfather, she would humour him.

"Let's head back." Sue glanced at her TAG watch and got up preparing to leave, not waiting for his response. They had finished their meals and sat watching the passers-by. Conversation was easy and interesting to say the least. Vladimir had managed to brush off Sue's sometimes harsh remarks seamlessly. She gave him props for that.

"Yes sir, I mean ma'am." Sue's hard snapped up to glare daggers at Vlad. His eyes twinkled with mischief. He did it again. Coyly insulted her.

"I could fire you, you know." She responded.

"Don't I ever." Vlad bowed his head slightly still grinning. "Shall we?" He gestured to the direction where they parked the car. He paid their bill and they headed towards the car.

When they got back to the office Sue wasted no time exiting the car. "Thank you for the lunch, Mr. Mikealson. Let me just make it clear that this was a one-time thing. Let's not make a habit of it. Now get back to work."

Sue had settled back into her old routine of having lunch at Joe's Diner after the slight detour to Little Italy. That was the restaurant Vladimir had taken her to.

***

Sue tapped away at her keyboard, sending out emails to the heads of departments responding to the manuscripts they had sent her. Vlad was the only one who hadn't sent his in. She couldn't blame him, even with everything going on it hadn't crossed her mind that she hadn't actually told him all the norms and responsibilities of the office. He just kind of fell into place.

Speaking of the devil, Sue looked up at the ring of the bell that signified someone opened the door. Vlad walked in with his ever-mischievous smile planted on his face.

He went straight to behind the counter to greet his grandfather with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. In this society, it's rare you see a man show such affection to another man, but Vlad does so, so effortlessly. The love for his grandfather shines through his eyes with no restrictions.

Sue never knew her grandparents and her relationship with her parents was never the greatest. She quickly glanced away from the scene as a pang of jealousy surfaced and with it an uncomfortable warmth in her chest. It was a rare reaction for her. She thought she had locked those emotions away. She continued tapping away at her keyboard.

He walked straight past her and sat two tables back. Sue couldn't contain her curiosity. It was a rare occasion where Vlad passed her straight. She stared at him in the reflection of her laptop screen. He sat across from another man in a black suit. They exchanged words quick and low. Sue couldn't hear a thing. A few seconds later the man got up and left the diner.

Vlad sat there flipping through a file. He hadn't walked in with any file so the man must have had given it to him. When he finally got up and appeared to be walking past Sue straight again, she spoke up. "What have you got there Mr. Mikealson?"

He stopped in his tracks and took a few seconds before he turned around. "Sue, I didn't see you there." He smiled down at her.

"Miss Raymond." Sue corrected him. She closed her laptop and gave him her full attention.

"Yes, I forgot. Miss Raymond, I didn't see you there." He smiled politely. "I was just leaving."

"What do you have there?" Sue asked trying to sound as uninterested as she could asking about something that had nothing to do with her.

"Oh this," He raised the file and shrugged. "Just a manuscript from a new writer."

"Oh great, you haven't turned in any manuscripts yet. Hand it over." Sue stretched out her hand.

"Oh um," Vlad scratched the back of his head as he thought of how to respond. "I haven't read it yet, I wouldn't want you wasting your time just in case it's not any good."

"That's fine. Besides every department is supposed to—"

"Sue," She was cut off by Joe bringing her lunch over. It was the perfect opportunity for Vlad to escape. "Here you go sweetheart."

Vlad was already walking backwards as he spoke. "I'll get it to you as soon as I'm done with it. Enjoy your lunch, I'll see you back at the office." And he was gone. Sue narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Vlad's retreating figure as he crossed the street.

If Sue was anything, stupid wasn't one of them. Vladimir was hiding something, and she wanted to know what it was.