10. I can wait

Daniel hated these dinners.

The wine was expensive, the conversation predictable, and his father’s expectations clung to him like a second skin he couldn’t shed.

Seated at the far end of the long dining table, he watched his father swirl his glass with slow, deliberate precision. Across from him, Lauren sat with perfect posture, her eyes fixed on Mark as he spoke, as if she were his daughter. She handed him his glasses without being asked and wiped the spill from his sleeve before he even noticed.

Mark lifted his glass and toasted with her.

She always fit seamlessly into these dinners—like she belonged here.

Daniel wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Daniel,” Mark’s voice cut through polite conversation. “I spoke with Michael Goodwin last week. He’s expanding operations in London. I suggested you as the perfect candidate to oversee things.”

Daniel set his fork down quietly, breathing heavily.

“I’m not leaving the lab,” he said evenly.

Across the table, Mark’s gaze narrowed, and Daniel could already hear the rebuttal forming.

“You’ve been wasting time with that—” Mark waved his hand dismissively, “—research job long enough. You belong in leadership. If your mum were still here, she’d agree.”

Daniel’s eyes flickered—just for a moment. Unusual. Vulnerable. A sharp ache that rarely surfaced.

Before he could respond, Lauren chimed in with a soft laugh.

“I think Mark’s right. Daniel’s always been capable of more,” she said, flashing Mark an easy smile. “You’ve been saying that since we were teenagers.”

Mark grinned, clearly pleased. “Exactly. I knew you had good instincts, Lauren. You’re as sharp as your father. At least someone at this table sees sense.”

Daniel’s grip tightened around the edge of the table, his appetite vanishing as quickly as it came.

Of course she agreed.

Lauren’s gaze flicked toward Daniel, but if she noticed the tension in his shoulders, she wouldn’t acknowledge it.

“You’ve always had the potential, Daniel,” she added gently, her voice smooth. “Maybe it’s just a matter of timing.”

Daniel forced a polite smile, but he said nothing.

They both knew this wasn’t about timing.

It never was.

After dinner, Daniel stood by the balcony, letting the cold air bite into his skin. It was better than staying at the table, where Mark’s satisfaction still hung thick in the air.

His thoughts drifted to his mum. Her face felt distant now—blurred by the weight of years he wished he could reclaim.

A soft click of heels followed him. Moments later, Lauren stepped outside, wrapping her coat around her shoulders.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Daniel said, not looking at her. His voice was calm, emotionless.

Lauren gently wrapped her arms around his shoulder, leaning in just enough to feel familiar. “Do what?”

“Agree with him.”

She shrugged. “He’s not wrong, Daniel. You could do a lot more if you wanted to. And he is your dad.”

Daniel turned to face her, eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t need that. I like what I’m doing. You guys never understand.”

Lauren’s smile wavered, distant. She didn’t press him, but Daniel recognized the flicker of disappointment she thought he couldn’t see.

“You’ve been saying that for years,” she said quietly, trying to keep her voice even. “But you can’t stay in that lab forever. Your father just wants what’s best for you.”

Daniel’s jaw clenched. “No. He only wants what’s best for him.”

He almost said more. Almost told her exactly why she was here—why their relationship still existed after all these years.

Even you. You’re Michael Goodwin’s daughter. That’s why you’re here.

But the words never came.

Lauren didn’t argue. She just let the silence stretch between them, long and unbroken.

It had been almost ten years since she first met Daniel. Back then, she was just a teenager trailing behind her father during business meetings. The first time she saw Daniel, she couldn’t look away—he was so confident, so sure of himself in ways she wasn’t.

And she was lucky.

Finally, she exhaled softly, her breath visible in the cold.

“I’m not in any rush,” she said, almost as an afterthought. “Your father has his expectations, but… I can wait.”

Daniel’s gaze drifted back toward the city lights.

That’s the problem, he thought.

She would wait forever if she had to. And Mark would push until there was nothing left of him to resist.

Later that night, long after he’d left the dinner, Daniel sat alone in the lab.

The hum of the equipment filled the silence, but his mind was elsewhere—replaying every moment from the evening, every word Lauren had said.

He stared blankly at the screen in front of him.

It wasn’t Lauren’s fault. She was just playing the part expected of her.

But that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

And he hated that she forced him to listen.

His eyes flicked over the quiet lab, but his thoughts drifted to Maggie—the way she’d laughed at something Liam said last week, or the quiet determination she carried when reviewing results.

Maggie wasn’t performing. She didn’t shape herself to fit anyone else’s expectations—and maybe that’s why he noticed her more than he should.

Daniel exhaled, leaning back in his chair and rubbing the back of his neck.

I shouldn’t be thinking about her.

But even as he forced his attention back to his work, the thought lingered like a shadow.