Breathe.
Keep calm.
Fuck!
That was the last thing I thought he'd ask and it rendered me speechless. I should've known better than to even poke at this conversation.
So I gave him a confused look, trying to not let the question fluster me, when in reality my heart was pumping so loud it drowned out any other sound in the room.
"Inappropriate how? Who?"
His eyes were still locked on mine. "Kova. Joy insists Kova has dirty fingers that I should be concerned about. Is he a little more than hands on? Apparently Joy or Katja, I'm not sure which one, found some interesting things out about Kova that's somehow linking to you. Joy refuses to show me anything, but is using it against me for more money. She swears it will give me a heart attack and it's why she's withholding, but she also said if I don't comply that she'll go to the police and the media."
"Dad, that's ridiculous. Please tell me you don't believe her?"
An overconfident smirk slid across his face t
hat rattled my nerves. I held my breath, waiting on his answer, wondering if I should've even asked now.
"Joy would never do anything that would taint her image. If what she said was the truth, which I highly doubt it is, she'd still never do it regardless. She wears the Rossi name. She'll always be attached to Rossi Enterprises, whether she wants to or not. If she plays dirty, it would come back to her to haunt her and she knows that." He sipped his drink. "She's being dramatic and most likely exaggerating about what she has. She's trying to intimidate me, but unless she supplies evidence, I have no reason to believe her."
Dad paused, his face slightly softening but his shoulders were bunched tight. "You're my daughter, Adrianna, and I'm always going to side with you first. Vindictiveness is in her blood. I used to think she was a woman with a goal. Now I know she's just malicious and I saw this as another one of her schemes to get what she wants."
"But why didn't you just ask Kova about what Joy said?"
"It's not worth mentioning to him."
"What do you mean?"
"It goes without saying that you're my daughter and if he ever hurt you, I'd break his fucking neck."
I tasted the not so subtle undertone in his words. The way my dad calmly uttered that statement jarred me. I got the feeling he'd do more than that.
Angling his head to the side, an air of superiority surrounded him as he continued. "Adrianna, a man is never going to admit when he lost his sense of pride and was forced into something he doesn’t want to be in. A man will also never go to another man with his woes—that's for women."
Reaching for my glass, I took a sip of my water. Tension pulsed on the side of my neck. He had a point, but this was far worse than I could have ever fathomed. Uncomfortable silence filled our table as we looked at each other. Goose bumps broke out over my arms and my teeth clamped down on the inside of my lip.
I chose my words carefully.
"Dad, he's been a good coach to me. There's nothing bad or inappropriate going on with anyone. He's just very dedicated to the sport."
He swirled the ice cubes in his glass. "I think it also goes without saying that I'd ruin him if he did. Money comes with power, always remember that."
I didn't respond. I knew very well how much money could buy. I was out of words and wasn't sure if anything would help the situation.
"Joy put some thoughts into my head that I had always shut down," he said. My brows deepened in confusion. "I didn't believe them, but after today, and the way he touched you, the way you both looked at each other, it made me think otherwise for a minute."
My eyes softened. I felt so guilty inside. "It's not like that, Dad, I promise. Take a minute to look at all the coaches and gymnasts tomorrow. What you saw today between Kova and me is a normal occurrence between a coach and a gymnast. You'll see it tomorrow with everyone else. Joy is just crazy."
Dad finished off his whiskey, and once he paid the check, he walked me back to my hotel room. He wished me good luck tomorrow and said he’d be watching.
As I laid down to sleep that night, it dawned on me that he never flat out asked me to confirm anything. Either he was truly on my side and he believed me, or he had a better poker face than I thought.
Fifty-Two
"Congratulations, Adrianna!" Holly said, squeezing me in a tight hug.
"Thanks! Congrats to you too!" I responded and pulled back, smiling through the fatigue. "Girl, you rocked it! No doubt Kova's phone will be ringing soon with interest about you."