I stay on that seat for what seems a lifetime when in fact it's just half hour. It's a pitiful sight and at some point a waitress comes up to me to ask me if I'm okay or if I'd like some water. That's what makes me snap out and text Teru to pick me up.

It's finally over and even if it feels like there's a whole in the middle of my chest, I have to leave this place and go to the hospital. I need to see Father and report to him. I need to keep working. In all honesty, I don't have time to be heartbroken, there's so much more on my plate and I can't make that wait.

It hurts so much, but it's been hurting for quite a while already. Funnily enough, I'm kind of used to this. I've been rejected many times by the same man. What's the difference in a third, or fourth time? I don't even know anymore.

I decide to follow Gareth's example and cover myself in ice. I freeze the pain, the heartbreak and the misery I feel just so I can focus on what really matters. I'm young, after all, and first love doesn't mean only love. One day I might fall in love again, or maybe someone will fall for me and fight for me, court me and make me feel loved. I don't know what the future holds, but my present doesn't have room for romance anymore and I should've realised that sooner and spare me the hurt now.

By the time Teru calls me telling me he and Aaron are waiting outside, I've wiped the tears and calmed down, I've pushed the pain back and focused on what matters. I've gotten my heart broken before, by the same man, and the world has not stopped in any of those times, it certainly won't stop now.

I join Teru at the backseat of the car, greeting Aaron with a polite nod. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the rearview mirror and I look okay, it barely seems like I've been crying and if someone asks, I can just say it's the lack of sleep, the exhausting meeting and stressful situation. No one will find out I was dumped, yet again.

"Your father is waiting, I've informed him we're on our way," Teru tells me, his eyes scanning emails on his iPad. "Did it go well with Mr Maddox? Are you okay?" he asks next, surprising me with the little glimpse he steals at me, as if he could exactly see I'm not okay, that I'm just putting things on hold until I have time to feel.

"I am perfectly okay," I reply out loud. Or I will be, I add in my head, looking outside the window.

Teru doesn't push me for more information and I'm thankful for that. He knows how to respect your space and can understand when you don't want to talk about something. He's such a wonderful person, reliable and stable. I'm glad he's always next to Father.

We make it to the hospital and although all I've felt since Gareth left me is cold, I'm starting to sweat now, getting nervous. Things went well, I have only good news to report, yet I'm anxious. That is why I walk inside the room with my head low, unable to meet Father's eyes, and bowing deeply when I'm near enough.

"Ann-chan, I'm glad you're here. Please, come sit by my side," he calls, his voice a lot louder and stronger than days ago. Hesitantly, I comply and go sit next to him. I barely notice the nod he gives Mum for her to leave us alone, which only makes me more nervous. "How did it go? Teru said you wanted to tell me yourself."

"Hai," I reply in Japanese, but then switching immediately back to English. "It went well. Mr O'Connors wasn't happy, but realised his investment was in good hands and that the production only promised to give him profits."

"Of course," Father states calmly, as if he didn't have a doubt regarding that.

"I don't want to deal with him ever again. As a human being, I can't respect him," I inform father, feeling a bit ashamed of my words but I can't lie. "His opinions and ways to deal with business are unethical and offensive."

"I have been wanting to serve that business relationship with him for quite a while, but he has quite a few shares in the company."

"Regardless," I continue. "The problem is fixed. He'll maintain his investment and we can continue with the production as planned. However, I've talked to Teru already and we are looking into other sponsors just to be safe and have more righteous people in the team."

"That is marvellous, Ann-chan. I knew you could do it. I didn't doubt it for a second," he says next and for a heartbeat I think I've heard him wrong. It's not possible he's said that, or that he sounded so confidently when saying it. "I wouldn't expect less of my child."

"W-what?" I stutter, my eyes widening in shock as I just stare at him, taken aback with his words and the smile he gives me.

"I trust your decisions because I know no one else would've tried as hard as you to make this production a success. No one would've put her whole heart like you've done. Maybe someone with more experience would've done a smoother work, but they wouldn't have been as invested as you are. They wouldn't have carried the whole wight on their shoulders. You did well, my child."

My heart skips a beat, I think even my breath gets caught in my throat. I'm trying to process the words I've heard, to find the real meaning behind them but Father's never been the type to beat around the bush.

"R-really?" I ask like an idiot, making him smile fondly.

"Of course. Why would I let you take my place if I didn't believe you would do an outstanding work?"

This time I really can't breath, I'm too surprised to do so.

"I thought... I thought you were disappointed in me," I confess what I've always believed, what is ingrained in my very soul.

"Disappointed? Why would I be, Ann-chan?" he asks. "You're my daughter and I know very well how hardworking you are."

"Then why... why did you keep me away? I thought you were even ashamed of me," I continue, my eyes watering. Maybe it's because I've cried a lot already, but I can't keep the tears at bay.

"Oh, never! I was protecting you, Ann. I wanted you to have a normal life. I wanted you to enjoy your childhood and youth. I could give you a comfortable life and I wanted you to enjoy that."

I take deep breaths, trying to calm down my erratic heart and my head that's spinning with all the misconceptions I held there for my whole life, coming afloat all together just to be kicked out.

"I didn't want to push you or decide your future for you. I didn't want you to think you had to follow my footsteps, so I gave you the space to find yourself and if then you decided to take over the company, then I would happily guide you, but I was never going to force you."

I swallow the lump in my throat. The truth that never crossed my mind soothing the wounds I've kept in my heart for so long. These words embrace me like warm arms taking me home, telling me it's okay, I'm not rejected, I'm not a failure, I'm not a disappointment. I lived with the stigma that I was the black sheep, and now Father tells me he was just letting me be free. But I used that same freedom against myself, manipulated by my own insecurities.

"I wanted it to be your decision, I didn't want to influence you. No matter what you chose, I would always support you. That is what we want with your mother, for you to be happy doing what you love, even if it's not what I love."

"I love what you do... I really enjoy it, even if it's so hard," I hurry to say because it's true, I've discovered I enjoy this world, even if it's the most difficult and tiring thing I've ever tried, it's exciting and promising.

"Then once I'm better I'll properly train you if that's what you want. I'll guide you this time. I'm sorry it had to be out of the blue and I couldn't prepare you before throwing you to the lions."

"It's okay, you didn't plan this."

"I didn't, but I should have done something about it. Perhaps I should have shown you my work sooner so it wasn't so foreign for you," he muses. "I guess I acted wrong as a father, giving you too much responsibility where you were still so young. It was hard, wasn't it?"

"I endured it," I reassure him as he takes my hand in his.

"Of course you did, my girl. You're strong like that. Even if you had no idea or experience, you took it as seriously as I would have. That is why I gave you that responsibility, because I only trusted you."

Knowing once and for all why he did it, why he pushed me to take his place when I didn't have the qualifications for it, when it was such a risk, is the most comforting thing I've ever heard. I never knew I was so hurt by what I always believed, I knew it was a scar in my soul, but I never fathomed the depth of that scar. Only now I really face my wounds and the pain of these. Only now I attend them.

More tears fall from my eyes as my body slightly trembles with soft sobs. I press my lips together, trying to keep myself in one piee, but it's hard, especially when Father lifts our hands and leaves a kiss on the back of mine.

"I'm very proud of you, Ann. And no matter what, I'm happy you're my daughter. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I take in a shaky breath, my hands trembling as my vision becomes so blurry due to the tears.

"Did I make you doubt yourself?" he questions out loud. "Is that why you're crying? Did you not know this, Ann?"

I shake my head because I can't utter a word, my throat has closed up.

"I'm so sorry, my girl," he says. "I should've told you all these things before," he reflects, wrapping my hand in both of his, lovingly, tenderly. "I should've never let you doubt yourself or think you're less than precious to me. I just wanted to protect you, but I hurt you."

"It's... it's okay," I mutter, wiping away the tears with my free hand. "It's okay now."

"You're just beginning, Ann. You'll learn more things and discover all your talents with time. You'll see yourself as we see you," Father says, looking into my eyes and seeing exactly all my insecurities, all my fears. He's attending to all my wounds right now. "You're honest and hardworking, you try your best at everything, which is already enough to make me trust you to leave the company in your hands. You're resourceful and have the vitality and spirit of someone who is still hopeful and thinks the world can get better. Most people are so cynic today, especially in the business world. You're like fresh air in a suffocated room in a hot summer day."

Many people could've said these exact things, Gareth himself complimented me more than once, he even seemed to regard me higher than I thought possible, but not even once I fully believed him. Nor would I believe any other if they had said the exact words my father uttered, but because it's him, because he's the person I look up to and for whom I fought so hard to get recognition from, I believe him. Because he's my father and I've known him my whole life, I know he's not lying or just saying things to comfort me. I know he means every single compliment and I know it's real because Father only speaks the truth.

I'm not a disappointment, Father is proud of me. I am not a failure because I have strong points that make me valuable. And I'm young, I'm still discovering myself.

"Thank you for working so hard in my place, Ann. I knew you would do a good job, and I'll get better so we can work together next time. You're aware you will be part of the next two films in the Element Bound Series, right?"

"I will?" I asks, honestly surprised because I thought I would only work until Father came back.

"Of course!" he laughs. "We will work together on those, but you'll be primarily in charge. It's your project, after all."

Knowing that makes me so happy, knowing I'll stay until the end, that I'll be the one closing the book once the story is over gives me satisfaction and eases the worry that haunted me for a long time. So I smile, brightly and happily, excited for what's yet to come. Because I'll work with Father, because I'll learn more and get prepared. Because I'll do my best to keep improving and do a better job.

"Get better soon, Otousan. You have a lot to teach me, so you need to overcome this," I tell him, trying to stop my nose from keep running, or the tears, for all that matters, but I kind of fail, so Father hands me some tissues.

"That's a given, my girl. Just hang in there a bit more, soon I'll be with you."

"Promise?" I ask, holding up the pinkie of my free hand like I did when I was a child and Father went on business trips. I always made him promise he would come back safe and sound.

"Promise," he smiles, hooking his pinkie with mine as our other hands stay clasped together. "I'll be by your side in no time, you'll see."

Out of all the things I've wanted to hear, those words are the most gratifying and essential. The ones I needed the most. I just wanted his approval and it turns out I always had it, I just wasn't aware of it. Now I am.

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I love this chapter <3 Don't you? The relationship between Mulan and her family was what made me want to write a story based on that one. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Regarding the bonus content, it's up on the Aware Princess Series (Extra Material), it's called Precious. Absolutely free but read it only if you don't mind find out out before time what Gareth really feels.

Dedication to queenofdaydreaming

Bel, xx
Follow me on twitter @BelWatson

~Updates every Wednesday~