''So tell me, how do you know what's best for her? '' he spoke slowly but piercingly that by the time he was done, Mr. Howard was red with fume.
''Shut up! What do you know? '' Mr. Howard blared; he was angry at this point. His knuckles were already turning white. Leo did not respond he knew that no matter what he said, there was little or nothing he could do because this man in front of him, was not going to change his mind, for mere words.
''I'm her father, and you're a stranger, so I would always know what is best for her no matter what.''
''Mr. President, you claim you are her father, yet you are the one who hurt her the most. And even when she thought you were trying to make amends for the past, you shocked her by doing this. ''
''don't you speak on my family, when you know nothing about it… '' Howard seethed and Leo stopped then he smiled;
''Sorry, please forgive my manners. What did you bring me here for again? ''
Mr. Howard kept silent for many seconds, studying Leo intently. He was actually going to offer him a huge sum to leave Claire and get married to someone else as soon as possible, but they didn't even start off on good grounds. And contrary to what he had thought, this man was actually in love with his daughter, so no amount under the heavens would make him leave her.
The only option he had was coercion.
''I want you to leave Claire and move on with your life. Don't bother about her anymore, as she would soon be getting married. If you're seen ten kilometers to wherever she is, you'll be seen as a threat to her life. ''
Leo smiled; ''the last time I checked, you made sure we aren't together anymore, so I'm surprised by your demand, is this the only reason you brought me here for? ''
He raised his left brow as though Mr. Howard was a joke.
''How much do you want? '' irritated by his words, Mr. Howard spoke reflexively, his eyes glaring at him. Right now, he couldn't hurt him, because his daughter was fond of him and if anything happened to him, she was going to make sure he went in for it, so he just had to pretend he was fine with how he spoke to him.
''What? '' Leo asked as though he did not hear what he had said earlier.
''How much do you want to disappear from her life, $1 million? $5 million, $10 million, how much is it? Name your price! ''
Leo was stunned. He didn't think that he would actually offer him money, but then he wasn't shocked, he had done worse things already.
''Hmm, I don't know why you still offer me money to leave a woman that is currently living with you and with whom I have no access to, don't you think it's strange? '' Leo chuckled;
''Mr. President, I'm not here to auction off your daughter, she's not a commodity to be bought and sold, and I think she has a mind of her own, so she has the right to decide whomever she wants to be with. However, she had asked that we break up and we've done that, so you don't have to worry yourself over that. If that is all, you can tell your guards to take me back to California. '' Leo concluded in one breath.
Mr. Howard glared at him for a few seconds, and then he spoke;
''Let's make a deal. ''
Leo creased his brows; ''A deal?''
''don't contact Claire, don't speak to her, break up totally with her, for a year, if she's hasn't wedded by the end of the one year span, then I won't stop you both from being together. ''
Leo was stunned, what was he trying to do? He thought about it for a few seconds and then he said;
''Six months, I'll not contact or speak to her for six months, if she isn't married at the end of the sixth month, I would be allowed to wed her. ''
Claire had said that he should wait for six months but Mr. Howard did not know about it, he could use it in his favor, but what if Claire misunderstood?
''I said one year… ''
''I can only do for six months, I cannot wait that long; '' he stared back at Mr. Howard straightly, even though he wanted him to concede, he wouldn't show it.
''In six months, you don't contact her, and she must not know about this. If she gets to know, you have lost the right to be with her, deal? ''
Leo stayed quiet briefly then he nodded,
''Deal''
''You can leave now; the guards are waiting to send you back to the airport.
Leo stood up and turned to the door, he just took a few steps when he stopped and looked at him.
''Mr. President for once surprise Claire, by being her father. Have a nice life. ''
With that, he walked out the door and closed it.
Leo's words resounded in his ears as the room turned quiet, and he sunk into deep thought.
She wouldn't love what he was doing for her now, but she would thank him for this later. It was what was best for her. She needed someone to protect her, he had so many enemies who might want to come after her when he was no longer in office, she needed a strong family backing which Leo could not provide her.
This was the only way. Mr. Howard nodded, trying to console himself.
…
Claire sat in her couch as she played a game on her phone, trying to distract herself from the fact that she actually came here by herself only to be imprisoned.
Today, she wasn't even allowed to leave her room. She screamed and screamed but no-one even answered until she got tired and kept quiet.
As expected, he had turned off her internet connection, so she wouldn't tell anyone what was going on, Claire was frustrated but she tried to hold it in and breathe, if she thought about it for an extra second, she was going to run mad.
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