"FATHER, I'm leaving."
"What?" Nikolai asked, confused as to why Neoma was saying goodbye while holding a huge suitcase. "Where are you going? And why are you addressing me as 'Father?'"
To be fair, Neoma should have addressed him as 'Father' when she became an adult.
However, he had grown accustomed to 'Papa Boss.' It was okay for his daughter to address him formally in front of an audience since they had a reputation to keep. But in private, he wanted his precious daughter to call him 'Papa Boss.'
[Because that's what she used to call me ever since she was a baby…]
"Father, I'm no longer a baby."
Nikolai was startled by what Neoma said. It was as if she read his mind, after all. "What do you mean you're no longer a 'baby?' You're only eighteen, Neoma."
"I'm ALREADY eighteen, Father," Neoma corrected him. "That's why I'm sooo ready to get married now."
Needless to say, he was dumbfounded. "What did you say?"