59 A Father’s Biased Appeal
Julian Croft looked down at his phone, checking the time. ra had been gone almost ten minutes. <b>The </b>next presentation would start soon, and they couldn’t afford to miss anything if they wanted to meet Newman’s impossible deadline. U
The crowd in the exhibition hall shifted, and Julian spotted Alistair Dubois making a beeline toward him. His posture was upright, confident, with an easy smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Beside him walked Vivienne, elegant in a tailored navy suit, and Lennox, whose piercing gaze seemed to evaluate everything in her path.
Julian tensed. This wasn’t random. They had deliberately waited until ra was
elsewhere.
“Mr. Croft,” Alistair extended his hand, his voice smooth as polished marble. “I’ve been hoping to meet you. I’m Alistair Dubois.”
Julian epted the handshake with professional courtesy. “Mr. Dubois. A pleasure.”
“Please, call me Alistair. His smile widened as he gestured to his daughter. “This is Vivienne. I believe you might have crossed paths with her already.”
Vivienne offered her hand. “Mr. Croft. Your presentation yesterday was impressive.”
Thank you,” Julian replied, keeping his tone neutral. He nodded to Lennox, who merely smiled in return.
Alistair positioned himself to block Julian’s view of the restroom hallway. “I understand you work closely with ra.”
The mention of ra’s name without her surname was deliberate. Julian knew this game all too well.
“Yes, ra Vance is my business partner at YodaVision.” Julian emphasized herst name deliberately.
Alistair’s smile tightened for a fraction of a second. “Of course. I’ve known her since she was a young girl.”
“Is that so?” Julian kept his face professionally pleasant.
“Indeed.” Alistair lowered his voice conspiratorially. “She’s always been… challenging to
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59 A Father’s Biased Appeal
deal with. Brilliant, of course<b>, </b>but stubborn to a fault.”
Julian fought to keep his expression neutral. “Interesting perspective<b>.</b>”
“I worry about her sometimes,” Alistair continued, his voice dripping with false concern. “She tends to iste herself, makes things harder than they need to be.”
Vivienne shifted slightly, her eyes darting to the left. Julian noted her subtle difort.
“I’m d she has someone like you looking out for her at YodaVision,” Alistair pressed on. “She needs a steadying influence.”
Julian met his gaze directly. “ra is the steadying influence at YodaVision. Her vision guides our entire operation.”
Alistair’s smile wavered before snapping back into ce. “How generous of you to say so. Though I’ve always found her to be somewhat… inflexible in her thinking”
“Different approaches yield different results,” Julian replied evenly. “Her particr approach has revolutionized our field.”
Lennox stepped forward. “Vivienne has been doing remarkable work with neural interface theory at Cuap. Perhaps you’ve seen her recent publication<b>?</b>”
“I have,” Julian acknowledged. “It was excellent work.”
Vivienne offered a genuine smile. “Thank you. I’ve been considering expanding my research. YodaVision would be an ideal environment for that.”
The intent was clear. Julian watched as Alistair’s expression grew more expectant.
“Vivienne would be an asset to any organization, Alistair added smoothly. “She adapts well to team environments, unlike some who prefer to work in istion.”
Theparison hung in the air, unmistakable.
Julian maintained eye contact with Alistair. “ra is my friend,” he said simply. The words carried weight beyond their simplicity. “And her talent is unmatched.”
Alistair’s smile froze. Vivienne nced at her father, then back to Julian.
“Of course,” she said, smoothly redirecting. “I admire your loyalty. It’s reassuring to see professionals supporting each other.”
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59 A Father’s Biased Appeal
Julian recognized her pivot. She was smarter than her father, realizing this approach wouldn’t work.
“I’m more interested in meaningful connections than specificpanies,” Vivienne continued. “The work is what matters.”
Julian nodded, appreciating her tactical shift. “Agreed. The field benefits when talented minds coborate, regardless of organizational boundaries.”
Lennox watched this exchange with calcting eyes. “Perhaps we could arrange a more formal discussion over dinner sometime? Professional connections are invaluable.”
“I’d be happy to discuss coborative opportunities, Julian replied diplomatically. “With the entire YodaVision executive team, of course.”
Alistair’s Jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. His n to iste ra was failing.
“Wonderful,” Lennox said, though her tone suggested otherwise. “We should-”
She stopped mid–sentence, her eyes focusing on something beyond Julian’s shoulder.
Julian turned to see ra standing near the hallway entrance. She had frozen in ce, her expression carefully controlled as she observed the group. The momentary hesitation in her posture spoke volumes.
Lennox’s lips curved into a knowing smile. Their eyes met across the distance.
ra squared her shoulders and began walking toward them.
Julian watched the subtle shift in Alistair’s demeanor – the slight straightening of his spine, the recalibration of his expression from conspiratorial to formal.
“Ah, speaking of ra, Alistair said, his voice louder than necessary. “There she is.”
Vivienne turned, her faceposed into a polite mask. But Julian didn’t miss the sh of something – not quite difort, not quite guilt–in her eyes before it disappeared.
ra approached with measured steps, her face revealing nothing of what she might have overheard. Her eyes met Julian’s briefly, a silent question in them.
“You must be proud of your daughter’s aplishments,” Julian said to Alistair,
50 A Fathers sed Appeal
deliberately changing the subject. “Both your daughters, in fact.”
The emphasis was subtle but unmistakable. The air between them seemed to crystallize with tension.
Before Alistair could respond, Lennox stepped slightly forward, positioning herself like a buffer between the parties. “ra has always been… determined, she said, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Even as a child.”
Julian turned his full attention toward ra as she reached their small circle. Herposure was absolute, revealing nothing of what she might be feeling
“I apologize for the interruption,” ra said smoothly. “Julian, we should hurry if we want to catch the next presentation.”
Julian nodded, grateful for the exit she provided. “You’re right. We’re on a tight
schedule”
“Always rushing.” Alistairmented, his tone light but his eyes sharp. <b>“</b>Some things never change.”
ra met his gaze directly. “Some things don’t,” she agreed, her voice calm. “While others change entirely.”
For a brief moment, father and daughter stood locked in silentmunication, years of unspoken history passing between them.
Vivienne cleared her throat softly. “We should let you get to your presentation,” she said, her professional demeanor firmly in ce. “It was nice meeting you properly, Mr. Croft.”
Julian nodded. “Likewise.”
As they prepared to part ways, Lennox caught ra’s eye one final time. The knowing smile remained, a silent acknowledgment of the game being yed.
ra’s expression remained impassive, but Julian saw the slight tension in her jaw.
They turned and walked away, maintaining professional postures until they were safely
out of earshot.
“What was that about?” ra asked quietly, her eyes fixed ahead.
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59 A Father’s Biased Appeal.
Julian hesitated, weighing his response. “Your father expressed concern about you.”
ra’s step faltered for just a moment. “Concern?”
“The maniptive kind,” Julian rified. “He was trying to undermine you.”
A small, bitter smile touched ra’s lips. “That’s not new.
“He also tried to position Vivienne for opportunities at YodaVision.”
ra absorbed this information with a slight nod. “Also not new.”
They reached the entrance to the next presentation hall, pausing before entering.
“How much did you hear?” Julian asked.
“Enough,” ra replied simply. She straightened her shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. We
have work to do.”
Julian studied her face. Theposed mask was firmly in ce, revealing nothing of the hurt she must be feeling.
“ra-”
“Not here,” she said quietly. “Not now.”
Julian nodded, respecting her wishes. As they entered the hall, he noticed her hands. were perfectly steady as she prepared her tablet for notes. Her focus was absolute, her discipline impressive.
But he didn’t miss the moment when she nced back toward where her father and sister stood, their heads bent together in conversation, Lennox watching the crowd with calcting eyes.
In that brief, unguarded moment, the depth of ra’s istion was painfully clear.
Then the moment passed. Her mask returned, perfect and imprable.
The presentation began, and they both turned their attention to the task at hand – the impossible deadline still looming over them like a guillotine de.
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