Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law novel Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Unspoken Promises

The house was silent, save for Michelle’s angry sobs.

“Enough, Michelle.” Gareth’s voice was sharp. “Go up to your room! We will talk about this later.”

Michelle flinched but didn’t back down. She screamed louder. “No! You’ll just kick Jasmine out and expect me to be okay with it! You can’t fool me!”

“Michelle, stop this nonsense right now. You don’t understand,” he warned again, but I could hear the strain in his tone. He could order the entire Lycan community, but he was helpless when it came to his young daughter.

“You are the one that doesn’t understand! You didn’t even come to my last archery test! All the other parents showed up!” she shouted, her voice breaking with hurt. “I won a prize, but you didn’t even ask how it went! Only Butler Jones congratulated me!”

There was a sharp silence. I looked at Gareth, and for just a second, I saw it—pain. It flashed in his eyes before he blinked it away, but I caught it.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Ran a hand down his face. He looked... tired.

Then he let out a long breath. “Fine.”

Michelle sniffed. “What?”

“Jasmine stays. Happy?” Gareth muttered, rubbing his temples.

Michelle wiped her face on her sleeve and nodded quickly. Her voice was softer, but it wavered with childish hope. “Promise me. You can’t lie to me.”

He hesitated, clearly wanting to say no. But he looked at her, and then he said, “I promise.”

She sniffled again but smiled a little. Just a flicker.

Then Gareth turned to me. “You. Come with me. We need to talk.”

I followed him into a wide, modern office with shelves of books, sleek furniture, and a large window overlooking the garden. He shut the door behind us.

I stayed near the entrance, arms crossed. “So... this is the part where you fire me in secret?”

“I promised Michelle I wouldn’t.”

He sat behind his desk and stared at me for a long second. “I brought you here to thank you.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

I didn’t see that coming. My arms dropped to my sides, the tension slipping just a little.

He leaned back in his chair. “She’s difficult.”

“She’s hurting,” I said quietly.

He nodded once, eyes dark. “She wasn’t always like this. She used to be... lighter. More cheerful. But after Isa got engaged...She doesn’t smile like she used to.”

“She’s lonely,” I said. “She told me.”

He looked out the window. “I’m not good at this.”

“No,” I said honestly. “You’re not.”

His eyes snapped back to me, surprised—but not angry.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t try,” I added.

There was another silence. Then he cleared his throat. “Look, I still don’t trust you.”

“Yeah, I got that part loud and clear.”

“But...” he sighed. “She likes you. I’ve never seen her open up to anyone like that. Ever. So if you’re staying—”

“I’m staying,” I said, firmly.

“Then do your job,” he finished. “Do it right. Don’t hurt her. And if you ever try to use her to get close to me or my family—”

“I won’t,” I cut in. “I told you. I didn’t come for you.”

He nodded slowly, still watching me like he wasn’t sure whether to respect me or throw me out a window.

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