Thinking of you daddy🥵

~Bastian's POV~

I couldn’t get the sound of her voice out of my head.

Even after the call ended, even after I slammed the phone down, it lingered, her moans, the way she said “Daddy” like a sinful promise. It stuck to me, clung to my skin no matter how hard I tried to shake it off.

I shouldn't want this. Not her. Not Lilith.

But I did.

I got dressed quickly, throwing on my usual suit, trying to focus on anything that wasn’t her. The office. The meeting with Marcus. Anything.

Ha, yes, Marcus.

My stomach twisted as his name floated to the surface of my mind. He was supposed to be my best friend. The man who trusted me above all others. And I... I was slowly betraying that trust in the most dangerous way possible.

I walked to the window, staring out at the city below, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. The sun was already high, casting long shadows across the sky, but it did nothing to warm the cold pit of guilt that had settled deep in my chest.

I thought about my daughter, Sofia, the way I had failed her. The way I let her slip through my fingers and right into the arms of a man who had destroyed her.

My hands clenched at my sides, anger and guilt mixing like poison in my veins. I could still remember the day I found out. The phone call. The hospital. The way her pale body lay still in that bed, her once bright eyes dull, open and lifeless.

She had died. Gone out of this world. Because I hadn't protected her. I felt hollow and empty inside.

Eighteen years old. Almost the same age as Lilith.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the memories away. I couldn't go down that path again. I couldn't. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop comparing the two, Lilith and Sofia. I couldn't stop seeing Lilith as someone I needed to protect, and yet... God help me, I wanted her in ways I had no right to. I knew I was going to hell for these desires running through me.

I ran a hand over my face, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me. I reached a resolution. I was going to distance myself from her. I had to stay away. Not just for me, but for her and for Marcus.

I checked my watch. Lunch with Marcus was in an hour. Maybe that would help. Maybe seeing him would remind me of the man I was supposed to be, the man who valued loyalty, trust, and friendship. Not the man who was slowly unraveling because of his best friend's daughter.

I left the office and met with Marcus at the downtown cafe, the usual spot where we grabbed lunch once a week. He was already seated when I arrived, he waves me over with that easy smile he always wore. I tried to smile back, but it felt forced. Everything felt forced lately.

“Bastian! You’re late,” he joked as I sat down across from him.

I shrugged, trying to hide the tension in my shoulders. “Busy morning.”

“Busy, huh? With what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

If only he knew.

“Just work,” I lied smoothly, picking up the menu and using it as a shield. I couldn’t look him in the eye, not today. Not when her voice still lives rent free in my mind.

Marcus waved a hand, dismissing my excuse. “You work too much. You always have. You need to relax a little, man.”

He had no idea how badly I needed to relax. How badly I needed to get rid of this fire that was burning inside me, making me lose control and my sanity that's almost in shambles.

“Lilith’s coming back into town tonight,” Marcus said casually, his tone light.

“She’s been gone for a while, huh? Off studying, doing her own thing. But now that she’s back, I’m hoping you can keep an eye out for her for me. You’ve always been like an uncle to her.”

Uncle. That word twisted in my gut like a knife. I wasn’t feeling anything uncle-like toward Lilith. What I was feeling was dark, twisted, wrong. And yet, the more he talked, the more I felt the weight of my guilt pressing down on me.

I nodded, barely able to get the words out. “Of course, Marcus.”

He smiled, oblivious to the storm swirling inside me. “Good. She’s a smart girl, but she’s young, you know? She needs some guidance.” He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Plus, with guys swarming around her... you know how it is. I’d rather she be around someone I trust. Like you.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. “Yeah. You don’t have to worry.”

But he did. He just didn’t know it yet. If there was anyone that Lilith shouldn't be around with is me. I took in a deep breath trying to calm myself.

The conversation drifted after that, Marcus talking about his plans for the week, some business deals he was working on. I nodded along, but I wasn’t really listening. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sofia. About the way I had failed her. About the way I was teetering on the edge of failing Lilith too.

After lunch, I left the cafe, walking through the city, trying to clear my mind. But it was useless. Every time I blinked, I saw her. And I heard Sofia’s voice as well, reminding me of how fragile life was, of how easily everything could be taken away.

I couldn’t let that happen again.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling through the list of missed calls and emails. Anything to distract myself. Anything to focus on work and not the fact that my body still ached for someone I had no right to want.

And then I saw it.

A message from Lilith.

My breath hitched high, almost choking on my spit, my thumb freezed over the screen. Don’t open it. Don’t. But I did, once again.

It was a picture. Her. In that damn bathing suit again. The one that showed too much. Far too much.

My chest tightened, heat surging through me. I wanted to throw the phone. I wanted to delete the message, to block her, to never speak to her again. But I couldn’t. I was already too far gone, as much as I would like to deny this, I can't.

I clenched my jaw, my hand shaking as I shoved the phone back into my pocket. I had to get out of here. I had to clear my head.

Back at the office, I tried to bury myself in work. Meetings, paperwork, phone calls, it didn’t matter. I just needed something, anything, to drown out the thoughts that were creeping in. But Lilith was always there. In the back of my mind, the picture of her taunting me, teasing me, reminding me of what I could not have.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair, staring at the ceiling. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t. I feel like I would be giving in soon. I knew it.

At that moment, I get a beep from my phone.

Another message.

I ignored it. I tried to, I told myself I needed to. I couldn’t let her keep pulling me down. But it buzzed again, and again, until finally, I caved in.

I opened the message.

Another photo. This time, she was lying on her bed, her lips parted slightly, her eyes hooded with desire. The caption underneath was simple.

“Thinking of you, Daddy.”

My breath caught, I felt like I was suffocating, my entire body bulged up.

God help me.