Jane opened the door and smiled broadly. "Come in, Mr Adesanya. It's nice to meet you. I'm Jane Mukherjee." She gestured to Brian with a casual sweep of her hand. "This is my colleague, Brian Rochester."

"Thank you," Mr Adesanya said as he walked in. "You have quite a pleasant place here, don't you?" he said, surveying the room.

Jane chuckled. "It is not much, but at least it helps to keep us sane," she joked.

Mr Adesanya laughed and looked at Brian. He raised an interested eyebrow and gave Brian a firm handshake. "It's good to finally meet you, Brian."

Brian bowed his head slightly as he accepted the handshake. "I am happy to meet you too, sir. Please have a seat."

Usually, he was not the type to stare, but Brian struggled to keep his eyes from lingering on Mr Adesanya. He was a smartly dressed man in a grey pin stripe suit and red tie. Ordinarily, it was commonplace in a university to see people looking sharp. Brian may have passed him by during a symposium. What made him so remarkable was the mind blowing resemblance Paige had to him.

Mr Adesanya had a seat on the sofa and leaned back slightly. His brown eyes twinkled as he focused his piercing gaze at Brian. "I called Paige, but her phone was switched off. So I called her friend Madeline, but did not quite get the directions."

Jane nodded as he spoke. "I am sorry to hear that. Would you care for some coffee or tea before we send for her, sir?"

"Thanks for your hospitality, but I prefer water. Don't worry about sending for her, I'll go a check on her myself," Mr Adesanya replied.

Jane took a slightly chilled bottle of water from the fridge and placed it on a tray in front of him. She set a tall glass beside the bottle, and turned to pick her phone from her bag. He mouthed a silent 'Thank you' before she retreated.

He took a quick look around the room. "Is the lab next door where my daughter has been doing her project work?"

"No sir. I have been supervising her at the A Block lab. My colleague and I would be glad show you if you would care to see it for yourself," Brian said.

Jane looked from Mr Adesanya to Brian, and from Brian back to Mr Adesanya. Brian was trying to keep calm under the cool but watchful eye of Paige's father, and Mr Adesanya looked like a man on a mission. She wished she could grab a popcorn and watch the show as it would unfold, but decided to extract herself from the situation before a potential escalation.

Jane looked at watch and gasped. "Oh dear! It's five minutes to eleven. I would have loved to tag along, but I have a practical I need to supervise," she said as she hastily slung her bag over her shoulder and walked to the door. "Brian must have forgotten. Not to worry, I am sure he will give you all the information you need, sir." She laid her hand on the door handle, looked back and smiled connotatively at Brian.

Brian smiled back. " I will do all I can. Thank you Jane, and have a good day," he said. His eyes however glared daggers and said 'I will get you for this.'

Jane nodded discreetly and left, not before giving Brian an 'It is not my problem, you are on your own' look.

Mr Adesanya sipped his glass of water, and set it down on the tray. He adjusted the neck of his tie, and shrugged his blazer off, carefully folding it over his arm.

The silence which settled over the room was deafening.

"Brian."

"Yes, sir."

"How is work?"

"Fine, thank you."

"Pardon?"

"Fine, thank you sir."

Brian sat straighter and cleared his throat. He could have sworn that the temperature had risen in the room. He wondered how the lounge suddenly seemed so stuffy.

Mr Adesanya rested his hands on his knees. "What do-" Suddenly, his phone rang and he patted his pockets in order to locate it. When he eventually did, he answered it with a broad smile on his face.

"Hey, precious! I'm in Lancaster right now, can I see you?"

Brian simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, and was amused by the respectable gentleman sitting in front of him. He had an air of prestige and calm authority, but apparently, Paige was daddy's little girl. Brian felt his mind drift to a dark, sorrowful time in his life when he longed for a father figure. His heart clenched as he realised that the pain never really went away, he just learnt how to manage it better.

"-alright hon. Yeah, I'm with Brian right now. Wait, what? Why is your voice trembling, hon? Are you running? Calm down, I am fine. Relax. Take your time, you don't need to rush. Hello? Hello?"

Mr Adesanya shook his head and put his phone back into his pocket. "Unbelievable," he muttered. "She could rival Usain Bolt with all her sprinting."

Brian mentally recited the periodic table to control the urge to laugh.

"Brian."

"Yes, sir."

"What do you think of my daughter?"

Brian's eyes fluttered with shock, and his cheeks flamed.

Mr Adesanya sustained his cool demeanor and crossed his legs at the ankles. His eyes narrowed slightly at Brian's reaction.

"Brian, would you like me to repeat my question?"

"No."

"Sorry?"

"No, sir."

"Well?" Mr Adesanya shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I am all ears."

"Sir, Paige is a remarkably brilliant young lady and a very quick learner when it comes to lab techniques. I enjoy supervising her."

"I am so proud of her. She has always been so gifted in academics and in music too. By the way, is that all?" Mr Adesanya asked.

"Well, just like most people her age, she is a bit cheeky. In fairness to her, it is only when she is provoked. She loathes early morning lab work, but she can be pacified by a milk coffee or-"

"A blueberry muffin!" Mr Adesanya exclaimed and burst out laughing. "That's my girl. You have gotten to know her so well," he said as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the edges of his eyes.

Brian shook his head as he recalled Paige's antics. He was sure the warmth he was feeling was because of the central heating.

When Mr Adesanya brought his laughter under control, he rested on the arm rest and smiled. "Do you want know what she said about you?"

Brian chuckled. "Probably not, sir."

"She said that you are a hardliner, but a brilliant pharmacist and gifted instructor."

Brian suppressed his shock and felt his heart soar for a moment. He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair to keep his head grounded. "Is that all, sir?"

"Well, not really," Mr Adesanya said. "Let's just say that she is grateful for the all the additional responsibilities."

Brian laughed, "I am sure she will be eventually."

"Could you do me a favour, Brian? Please do not hurt my daughter. She is young and maturing day by day. At times she can be...well you know what I mean, but she also has a heart of gold. Paige is my jewel. I will not hesitate to deal with anyone or anything that-"

"Daddy!" Paige squealed as she burst into the room. She threw her arms around her dad's neck and hugged him tightly, while on tippy toes. Paige looked so much like him, but he was taller than her.

"PG!" Mr Adesanya exclaimed. "It has been a while since you popped in," he said as they pulled apart. He held her at arms length. "You're all grown up and too busy to check on your parents," he added quietly.

"Dad! I checked on Nurse Adesanya at work last month. It has only been eight weeks since I came home...I have been busy," Paige said as she glanced at Brian.

Mr Adesanya gave his daughter a stern look, but his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Stop calling your mother, Nurse Adesanya."

Paige tapped her index finger on her chin, swished her lips from left to right. She knew it was not 'appropriate' to call her mum that, but Nurse Adesanya was always busy and took life too seriously. She even declined the opportunity to go on leave more than once when Paige was a little girl. To put the icing on the cake, 'Nurse Adesanya' missed her stellar violin solo in primary six. Everyone wanted to see the 'pretty, little violin prodigy' except her mother. Who on Earth does that? she wondered. She brushed those thoughts aside, after all, her dad was always there for her. Madeline and her parents were also very supportive.

She held her dad's hand and giggled. "I'll stop, probably not today. Guess the two of you have been talking about everything but me."

Mr Adesanya dusted an invisible speck from his shoulder and looked at his wristwatch.

Brian took his phone out of his pocket and his eyebrows furrowed as he checked his messages.

Paige put her hands on her hips. "I have been the primary topic of discussion, haven't I?" she asked.

"How about you go and wait in the car downstairs? We can have lunch and I'll bring you back to school in a jiffy," Mr Adesanya said.

"Maybe you should go and wait in the car downstairs, dad. I want to have a quick word with my supervisor before I go," Paige retorted. She smiled gently at him and squeezed his hand.

Mr Adesanya nodded. "Alright, don't keep me waiting too long." He left, but gave Brian a pointed look before he closed the door. His eyes asked, 'About what I said, do I have your word, Brian?'

Brian responded out loud. "Yes, sir."

Paige pouted and pounced on Brian immediately. "What was that about?" she asked, wagging her index finger between Brian and the door.

"Nothing much, Paige."

She arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "Do you expect me to believe that?"

"No."

Brian and Paige looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Both unsure about making the next move in the conversation.

Paige fidgeted. "I, um-"

Brian cleared his throat, put his hands in his pockets. "I am sorry about the other day. I was out of line, and you were right to have reacted that way. I should have made myself perfectly clear from the beginning."

Paige sighed. "I am sorry too. I should not have lashed out so quickly."

They stood awkwardly, looking at each other for a moment.

"So we're cool, Mr Rochester?"

"Cool as a cucumber, Paige."

They shook hands. Her hand lingered in his for a second.

"You should be on your way, princess. Your carriage awaits you," Brian teased.

"Yeah, thanks," she grinned as she fiddled with the strap of her bag. "We wouldn't want him to panic, would we?"

"Nope," Brian agreed, popping the 'p' loudly and shaking his head.

"Oh no! He psychoanalyzed you, didn't he? Pardon him, he's a clinical psychologist, and can't help it."

"Hope you have set a reminder about our trip to Dover, Paige. Warm regards to your father."

"Goodbye, Mr Rochester."

"See you at Central station, at-"

"Eight a.m. sharp?" Paige interjected with a smile.

Brian shook his head. "Ten a.m. is alright."

Paige gasped, and put her hand on her chest as she walked backwards towards the door. Her eyes widened in mock horror. "Who are you, and what have you done to Mr Rochester? Ten a.m. is almost evening."

Brian closed his eyes to prevent an eye roll, and rubbed his temples. "Paige-"

"See you then, Mr Rochester," she said, and rushed out the door. It banged slightly when she closed it.

Brian let out a breath and mentally prepared himself. He was certain the trip would be memorable. Embarking upon biological sampling trips was routine work. However, with Paige there was never a dull moment.