Chapter 44-2

"Come in." Dante's deep voice calls morosely. I find him sat at his desk, rifling through a yellowed file. There's a duffel bag placed on the remaining armchair, and my heart does a double-take. Where is he off to? "Hey beautiful." He forces a smile, relaxing the frown lines on his forehead. "What a lovely surprise. Come here." "Hey Dante." I breathe, eyes darting around nervously. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I just wanted to see you." Heeding his words, I make my way towards his desk. "I was just on my way to see you too." He replies, exhaling tiredly. "Can I go first?" I interrupt quickly, waiting for him to nod. "I-- I'm leaving for Isle Mist tomorrow." "I know." Dante chuckles softly. "Amanda was here earlier. Congratulations, gorgeous. You're going to learn so much over there. I'm so proud of you." His eyes are glazed over, and his walls are up. He's hiding something. "It's such short notice." I add,