[She can tell that she's making him nervous, although perhaps not exactly how much. It's strange to her that someone so important as Max's employer wouldn't have more than two people working in his household, but she decides that might be cultural.

Ari wants to reassure him, and her voice takes on a more gentle tone.]

You can ask whatever you want. Never worry about that. If I don't want to answer I'll say so, but never feel you can't ask. That's how misunderstandings get started.

My father's Director of Finance at Cardalek. That's a megacorporation out in my sector. It has several subsidiaries and one colony world. [Another smile. For a long time she'd have kept this information to herself, but Ari and her father are on good terms again, and here it can't hurt anyway.]