Chapter 51.

“Daughter? Whose?”

“Yours.”

“I don’t have a daughter, Mr.Genovese.”

“Ah. Right... Sorry, it wasn’t real after all. I got a bit too caught up in that dream.”

“Wait, Mr. Genovese, don’t just gloss over things so quickly. Who was the father?”

“What? Ah. That is… I’m not really too sure either.”

“That sounds rather suspicious.”

“What does it matter who the father was? I watched as Adele beheaded her all while your fictional daughter listlessly gazed at the skewered head of her bodiless mother. I was powerless and unable to do a single thing to stop it and I was forcefully given a front row seat to bear witness to her senseless slaughter.”

“Why are you trying to avoid the question? Did the girl you claim to be my daughter call you daddy or something?”

“It’s not important. Be more concerned that she was killed.”

“It is important, so tell me.”

“Why are you so stuck up on that? You should be more concerned that your non existent daughter who was only a figment of my imagination died so tragically.”

“So you really had a nightmare where we had a kid together after all?”

“She wasn’t my kid. She was yours.”

She just kept staring at me, clearly unconvinced.

“Shit. That’s exactly what happened, okay? So just drop it already. It’s embarrassing. Having a child with my boss? What kind of weird delusions am I having in my nightmares? I don’t even want to ever have a kid.”

“I’d personally like to have two though. It’s a bit troubling for me if you say you don’t want any, Mr. Genovese.”

“In what way does me not wanting to have children cause trouble for my boss?”

“In a variety of different ways, Mr. Genovese.”

“Can you stop messing with me?”

“I’m not messing with anyone, I’m merely stating opinions of mine that may or may not have any deeper meaning.”

“Then I’ll be the one troubled in a variety of different ways.”

“Such as?”

“No comment.”

“Would it be related to the solid object that started pressing against my thighs before you said that?”

“No comment.”

Ugh. When I compared the sensation to my nightmare they were certainly worlds apart.

“Well, that’s fine for now. There’s no need for me to make things too difficult for you Mr. Genovese.”

No need to make things difficult for me? Please, that is all you’ve done for quite some time now.

She pushed away from my chest and got off of the couch, she didn’t show any sign that she was flustered in the slightest. She really looked to be the definition of a prim and proper young lady and if I didn’t know any better, I’d never guess she was sleeping on top of a man’s chest just a moment ago.

“By the way…Va- no, boss, what was your real reason for slipping sleeping pills into my drink? You know that’s a crime, right?”

“There were no sleeping pills to begin with. I just said that so you’d give up on thoughts of trying to force yourself to stay awake. It was just a simple psychological trick.”

“There’s no way that’s true, right? I could hardly keep my eyes open.”

“That’s just how mentally exhausted you actually were. It really had nothing to do with me, Mr. Genovese.”

“Then, why did you sleep on the couch with me? What is the meaning behind that?”

“I was a bit tired and didn’t feel like going upstairs to my bed. Where I sleep in my house shouldn’t really concern you, right?”

“It concerns me a lot when I wake up to find you sleeping on top of my chest.”

“Consider it rent for loaning you the couch for the night, Mr. Genovese. Besides, it seems like you were pretty happy after you woke up despite your complaints. At least that guy looks full of vigor.”

She said that while pointing at the region between my legs.

“It was just morning... you know... it was definitely not a reaction to you.”

“That better be the case or your job might have been on the line just now, Mr. Genovese.”

This form of humiliation might have been worse than the nightmare I just had. Damnit, if this was a porno, this scene would definitely have turned out much differently. Why must fiction and reality be so far apart in the real world? Actually no, I change my mind, the real world is better after all. If things did play out in a manner stranger than they already had, it would definitely be even more awkward.

The way she randomly reverted to her professional mode really threw me for a loop at times. When she was like this, I instinctively thought of her as my boss rather than the woman, Val, I’d gotten close to yesterday. No matter what angle I looked at her from, the two sides she showed me really felt like two completely different people.

Bzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt.

Without any warning, my phone vibrated. I looked down at the caller ID and found it was a number I was unfamiliar with, but since it was a local number I still answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Mr. Genovese?”

“Yes, it is.”

“This is Officer Johnson with the local police department. We have finished collecting evidence in your apartment and it has been thoroughly cleaned, you may move back in now.”

I got off the couch and walked into the hallway, outside the living room and out of boss’ line of sight. She didn’t bother to follow behind me, instead she took the hint and moved into the kitchen, it seemed that she planned to make breakfast.

“I can move back in already?”

“Yes, the case has already been closed.”

“Closed already?! So quick?! How is that possible? I only just recently gave a follow up statement, right?”

“Yes, it indeed has been closed. Unfortunately, I can’t disclose much about it.”

“Uhm… if you don’t mind me asking… can you at least tell me what the final verdict was in the end?”

“The case quickly went cold and it was marked off as just another suicide.”

“Suicide… I see.”

“You don’t sound too happy despite being found innocent Mr. Genovese.”

“I was never guilty to begin with and what’s there to be happy about when you find out your junior at work committed suicide?”

“I suppose you’re right. Anyways, that was all we had to inform you of.”

“Alright... thank you... for letting me know. Bye...”