Ivan breathed a sigh of relief as he drove through downtown Boston to pick up Aaron. It had been a sheer stroke of luck that he had been held up at MIT and had not returned home when the call came. If Annette had found out Aaron was in Summer's Shoe Shop again, she would have thrown a major fit.
Parking the BMW M5, Ivan strode up the steps and entered Summer's Shoe Shop. "Hello Kate" he greeted Kate. His eyes fell on Aaron and Daisy, Daisy hanging onto Aaron's arm. "You must be Ms. Daisy Eddington. Aaron has told me that you are the only person whom he talks to at school." he said warmly, extending his hand to her.
"It's nice to properly meet you Mr. Zakhrov." said Daisy shyly, shaking his hand.
"Alright Aaron. I'd like an explanation now" said Ivan after shaking Daisy's hand.
"It's my fault Mr. Zakhrov. My blouse had ripped, and Aaron noticed, and protected my dignity by taking me to the school outfitter for an alteration. Ms. Sophia said I needed a new bra, and with my friend Emily already gone, I asked Aaron to help me. His solution was to call Ms. Kate" explained Daisy breathlessly.
"It seemed the better course of action than calling Mother. I was not sure how she would react to my explanation" said Aaron.
"I suppose it was the better course of action," sighed Ivan.
"Mr. Zakhrov, can I speak with you in private?" asked Kate.
Ivan nodded, and both adults disappeared into the back of the shop.
Daisy sighed and leaned her head against Aaron's shoulder.
"There are other circumstances at play Mr. Zakhrov. Aaron, may have inadvertently given Daisy some much-needed support and respite" said Kate seriously.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ivan.
"I assume Father Abel has brought you up to speed regarding Aaron's activities at school. So I'll make this brief. At first, Daisy felt guilty for believing the rumors about Aaron's involvement in organized crime, which is why she started to talk to him to get to know him. However, Daisy has problems of her own. Her parents are employees of another student's parents. This has given Daisy a low self-esteem and low self-image. She deliberately hides some of her intelligence out of fear of angering the daughter of her parents' employers Emily Clarke. Aaron's decision to involve me was made in part because of Daisy's terror at Emily finding out about her needing new underwear. It appears that Emily is jealous of Daisy's rapid growth." explained Kate.
Ivan sighed wearily. "I assume that Emily is the daughter of Senator Sarah Clarke?" he asked.
"That's right," said Kate grimly. Sarah Clarke was well known for backing various social justice movements and had a reputation for being exceptionally ruthless to conservative Christian political opponents and men in general.
"Alright, thank you for the explanation Kate." said Ivan.
"There's more," said Kate grimly.
"Now what?" sighed Ivan.
"Daisy badly needs a less toxic environment. I know it is an imposition, but I would like you and Aaron to support and chaperone her, which means she must be able to change into her uniform and new underwear at your house" said Kate.
"Why?" asked Ivan cautiously.
"Daisy is being teased and bullied at home. Her parents live in the same house as Emily's, and while Emily maintains a friendly facade at school due to the anti-bullying policies, she is much more vicious to Daisy at home. I'm afraid that Emily will either take away or destroy Daisy's new underwear out of jealousy" said Kate.
"Can't her parents step in?" asked Ivan incredulously.
"Her parents are deep in debt and had to foreclose on their house. They are now basically bonded workers to the Clarke family. Emily knows this, which is why she can threaten Daisy without consequences." said Kate.
"Alright." sighed Ivan, dreading the conversation he would need to have with Annette.
Aaron and Daisy were deep in their homework when Ivan and Kate emerged from the back of the shop.
"Come along, you can finish that at home," said Ivan.
"Home?" asked Daisy.
"Yes, our home. You can finish it with Aaron, and then I'll drop you to your house once and for all." said Ivan.
Relief and gratitude swept Daisy's face. "Thank you, Mr. Zakhrov," she said as she packed away her books.
"Are you sure that is prudent Dad?" asked Aaron as he packed away his things as well.
"In this case yes." said Ivan, a look of fierce determination on his face.
----
"You drive really well Aaron. I wish I could learn as well" remarked Daisy as the BMW M5 rumbled through the Boston traffic.
"You could practice with us during winter break, dad is an excellent instructor" said Aaron as he drove.
"I would love to!" squealed Daisy. Her phone buzzed and she picked it up.
"Where the hell are you?!" demanded Emily through the phone speaker.
"I'm going to Aaron's place to finish homework and study computer science." replied Daisy.
"Listen here you dumb bimbo, I need you to get your fat ugly self here and finish your chores pronto OK? No more spending time with that moron!" yelled Emily through the phone speaker.
"I'm sorry Emily, I'll be home as soon as I can." said Daisy contritely before hanging up.
"Emily does not have the right to belittle you like that. For what it's worth, I think you are beautiful" said Aaron coldly from the driver's seat.
"Thanks Aaron." said Daisy blushing.
"The two of you go straight to Aaron's room and finish your homework. I'll deal with Annette." said Ivan as Aaron pulled into the driveway.
----
"So let me get this straight." said Annette as she paced the living room.
"Aaron notices his girlfriend's blouse has ripped open, takes her to the outfitter, asks the salesgirl there to call an Uber to a lingerie store and buys her a bunch of corsets. Have I got that right?" she asked rounding on Ivan.
Ivan sighed wearily. "Aaron didn't buy her anything. The lingerie shop sold Daisy the corsets. She chose to buy and wear them" he explained.
Annette threw up her hands. "Of all the lingerie shops out there, Aaron just _had_ to pick one that sold corsets!" she ranted.
"You know Annette, I love you, but you really miss the point sometimes" sighed Ivan. He longed for a vodka on the rocks, but he knew he had to drop off Daisy.
"What are you talking about? Aaron is taking advantage of that poor girl! I have half a mind to get up there and knock some decency into him!" raged Annette.
"Did you hear anything that I just said? Daisy needs a safe space! She is being bullied and tormented by a jealous classmate whose parents employ hers! She needs a place to prepare for school, or her new uniform and underwear will be destroyed!" shouted Ivan.
"And I suppose you and Aaron consider yourselves her brave white knights?" scoffed Annette.
Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Annette, did you ever have your possessions confiscated and destroyed? Were you forced to wear somebody else's hand-me-downs? Were you called a dumb ugly fat bimbo every day of your life?" asked Ivan quietly.
"You seem far too eager to take the girl's word for all that" grumbled Annette.
Ivan looked at her in shock and disbelief. Every time Aaron finds a person he can connect with, Annette disapproves of them.
"You know what Annette? You claim to be a feminist but when a shy, vulnerable girl who is terrified of returning to a toxic environment comes to us for help, you refuse just because she decided that corsets gave her more support and comfort than brassieres. Your hypocrisy knows no bounds!" said Ivan disgust evident in his voice.
Annette flushed red. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just worried that Aaron is developing some potentially sexist views" she mumbled.
"Aaron is thirteen years old! He's still trying to figure out what attracts him and what does not! Stop judging him as some sexist misogynist just because he likes fast cars, high heels and corsets! It's not fair to him!" thundered Ivan.
"Fine! That girl can come here and change, but I am not going to involve myself in this." snapped Annette.
"Fine. I'll keep her clothes in the guest bedroom" sighed Ivan, picking up Daisy's shopping bags.
----
While Ivan and Annette were arguing downstairs, Aaron and Daisy were busy with their homework in Aaron's bedroom.Aaron worked diligently on his assignments, but Daisy was burning with curiosity.
"I'll answer all your questions after we finish homework" said Aaron sternly, picking up on Daisy's curiosity.
"Y-yes sir" mumbled Daisy, wondering why Aaron sounded more like a teacher than a student.
Fortunately, the homework wasn't much since the midterms were just over, and Aaron and Daisy finished it in less than an hour.
"So Aaron, what else do you like on girls besides corsets?" asked Daisy playing with her hair.
"I suppose I like high heels, formal clothing and black leather" replied Aaron in his clipped tone.
"I see" said Daisy looking around his bedroom. Her eyes spotted the suit bag where Aaron kept his black leather suit."
Can I see you in that suit?" she asked curiously.
"Unfortunately it no longer properly fits me and I haven't had the time or money to take it in for alteration" said Aaron, regret creeping into his voice.
"Oh" said Daisy a little put off by his answer.
"I do have pictures of me in it though" said Aaron, opening his phone and showing her pictures of his 13th birthday celebration.
Daisy's eyes widened at seeing Aaron in his black leather suit, with Mei Ling on his arm. "Is that the girl you told me about?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes. She's too old for me though. So don't worry, I'm still single" said Aaron.
"Do you think I'm pretty Aaron?" asked Daisy quietly, her eyes wide and vulnerable.
"Yes" said Aaron softly, maintaining eye contact with her to show that he was serious.
"Thank you, Aaron, that means a lot" said Daisy hugging him tightly.
There was a knock on the door and Ivan entered the bedroom. "It's time for you to leave Daisy" he said sadly.
"Can I please stay over Mr. Zakhrov" pleaded Daisy.
"I don't mind Daisy, trust me I don't, but you need permission from your parents" said Ivan.
Daisy nodded somberly. "I'll get their permission in writing the next time" she said firmly.
"I'm coming to see her off" said Aaron, his voice brooking no argument."Alright" said Ivan as Daisy headed to the guest bedroom to change out of her uniform and corset.