Crackle.
The door opened when Aton ca ho, as with Silvana, Matra imdiately headed out to greet him.
"Darling, dinner's almost ready!" Matra uttered with a bright smile on her face.
Her eyes went wide with surprise as she gasped.
"Aton, what happened to you?"
It seed like the reason for her reaction was tragedy, but... Aton's clothes were just dirty and disheveled and his hands and face showed traces of dust and engine oil.
Aton scratched the back of his head taking off his soiled jacket.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that my guys couldn't keep up with the work and the order was urgent, so I had to get involved too. After all, I've been doing repairs for years."
Then, Aton cast Matra a hard look.
"How are things going with the restaurant? Is everything alright? You don't need my help? If you need anything, my guys can easily get the best ingredients from Second Ring."
Blinking a few tis, Matra smiled slightly, placing her palm against her chest.
"Don't worry, we're doing fine and the custors are all happy."
"Good."
Adam heard this conversation because Silvana heard it as well. She was in the kitchen but purposely moved closer to the wall to eavesdrop, she was always a curious child.
A few minutes later, when Aton cleaned himself up and Matra with Silvana had set the food on the table, they began to eat.
At one point, about halfway through dinner, after praising Matra's food a few tis, Aton pointed a fork at Silvana with a mounted piece of at.
"Silvana, even though you're still young and only recently went to school, I just have to ask you sothing, it's important for your future."
"Hmm?" Silvana looked up shoving a large piece of apple pie into her mouth.
"Do you already know what you want to be in the future...?" Aton's face was serious, but his tone was unsure. He realized it was too early for such questions, but he couldn't contain his curiosity.
Matra squeezed his shoulder gently.
"Honey, she's only eight years old, she just started school recently, you're looking too far ahead."
Aton took a deep breath.
"Sure, you're right, but... Silvana, what subjects do you like in school? I'm sure you must have so preferences."
This ti there wasn't complete incomprehension in Silvana's eyes, she had an answer to that question:
"I think..." Silvana muttered taking another bite from the pie, "Math and history, especially the part about Phantoms, Dead Lands, and..."
At that mont, Silvana fell silent, it took her a few seconds to gather her strength to say the last word:
"Monsters..."
In all the schools, as part of history, the students were told about the other part of the Citadel, about everything related to the Dead Lands, from Phantoms and monsters to the military.
Everyone knew it because it was a life that didn't touch ordinary people but surrounded them every second.
Hearing Silvana's answer, Aton took a deep breath.
"Good, math is great!"
...
Then, a year passed and Aton asked the question again, then another and another. He didn't bother Silvana with it, as he was only interested once every couple of months or even once a year.
However, he cared about Silvana's answers and when she was 12 years old, at one of the usual dinners, Aton asked Silvana again.
"So... Silvana, you study hard, you have excellent grades, the highest in your class. Are you doing this for a specific purpose or are you still undecided about your future profession?"
Before Silvana could answer, Aton reached forward with an open palm, stopping her.
"I an, although there is still a long way to go, you have to attend university at so point. I want you to know that your mom and I will try to pay for any university you choose, and for the major you want."
Silvana nodded deeply. She realized that for every parent, their child's future was important.
"I'm interested in finance and research. I can't say I've made my choice yet, but... I think I'd like to be either a scientist or a financier."
Aton nodded, as he looked at Silvana once more.
"What about running a business? Your mom and I will have to hand over everything we own to soone, that day will co at so point."
"Dad..." Silvana puffed up her cheeks, "It's too early to talk about that! I'm only 12 years old!"
"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I'm just really worried about you...!" Aton smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head.
That sa day, at a late hour, Silvana frowned heavily. She got up from her chair and picked up the tablet in her hands, the screen had math problems open.
"No way I can solve it... I need to ask dad for help, he's good at math." Silvana bit her lip and headed towards her parents' bedroom.
She didn't like to ask for soone else's help with things like this, but she couldn't ignore her father's knowledge.
Step. Step. Step.
Reaching the door, Silvana raised her hand about to knock as she suddenly stopped upon hearing Matra's voice:
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She was sitting behind Aton, her gentle hands resting on his strong shoulders.
"You see, you were worried that if we had a daughter she wouldn't be able to be an heir. I'm sure Silvana's experience if she becos a financier, or her credibility if she becos a scientist, will be a solid foundation for our business and the legacy of the Desio Family."
Aton sighed heavily, looking down at the floor with a deep gaze.
"I know I don't like this feeling deep inside myself, but I can't help it... It's just... if we had a son, I wouldn't be so worried. Damn, I'm a bad father if after all these years I still want to have a son instead of a daughter..."
Matra leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She smiled silently without saying anything.
Then, Silvana froze in the sa pose for a long ti. She stood with her hand raised, her fist ready to knock on the door, for several minutes, until she turned like a robot and walked back to her room.
Standing in the corner of the room, Adam stared intently at Silvana who didn't finish solving the math problems but instead opened the popular website she often visited to watch different videos. Especially popular were the Phantoms vs. Monsters battles.
She watched dozens of videos with glassy, empty eyes full of sadness.
"Hmm... This is the beginning of trouble, right?"
"Or..."
His gaze shifted to the screen, guessing what was going on in Silvana's mind.
"Should I thank Silvana's father for that chance?"
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