“No. I want to be on my own. Don’t follow me.”
She hailed a cab, jumped in, and drove off, leaving Henrik standing there. She had been on his mind every minute of the last week. He had gone over everything they had said to each other again and again. However hard he’d tried, he couldn’t be angry with her, because he understood. Things had happened so fast between them, and justbecause he was sure of his feelings, that didn’t mean it would be as easy for her.
He’d been so happy when she walked into the room earlier. He could see that she’d been thinking, too, that she’d come to terms with her feelings, and when she let him hug her, he was sure. They were going to be together. And now this.
He returned to the conference. Where should he begin? He spotted Ted and went over to him.
“What the fuck was that?” he said, gesturing toward the screen.
Ted held up his hands. “I was following instructions. Don wasn’t happy with what we sent in; this was the only version he would agree to.”
“And where is Don?”
“He had to leave.”
Henrik caught sight of Adrian, who looked slightly panic-stricken as Henrik marched toward him. He probably hadn’t had the best day; it’s never a good sign when the stars of a press launch run out of the room.
“Why was my father here?”
Adrian’s eyes darted from side to side. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea he was going to say something like that.”
“But why was he here?”
“He contacted me himself, and we thought that we might as well invite him to join since he was in a couple of the clips ...” Adrian looked terrified, and Henrik could understand why.
And there he was. Henrik left Adrian, went over to his father, and dragged him into a quiet corner.
“Do you realize what you’ve done?”
Hasse looked at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“What you said about Nora and me—why did you do that? Why are you so determined to ruin things for me?”
“Oh come on, don’t take it so hard—I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing—now everyone willbe speculating and wondering. Is the romance genuine or not?” Hasse grinned.
Henrik shook his head. Hasse was obviously determined to destroy his show, and Henrik had had enough. This couldn’t go on, and now he had his chance.
“I’ve been thinking.” Henrik looked his father in the eye. “I’m selling my shares in the family firm.”
“You’re selling your shares?” If his father was annoyed, he didn’t show it. He simply raised his eyebrows.
“I don’t need the firm anymore. I don’t need you,” he said in a single breath. He could hardly believe he’d done it, but as soon as the words were out, he felt a physical sense of liberation. And it was a relief. Such a huge relief. He was now free to do whatever he wanted without having to ask for permission, without waiting on anyone else’s opinion.
Hasse snorted. Leaned closer. “You need me, Henrik. You need us. We’re a family and we support one another.”
“Really? Is that why you’re trying to start your own show to replace mine? Because you’resupportingme? Is that why you always try to destroy me and my projects?”
“Is that what this is about? Your bakery? My dear boy, I saved you from a fiasco—you have no business sense. You’re just like your grandfather, far too driven by your feelings.” He shook his head. “AndLet’s Get Bakingis finished—my new show will rescue the brand and our family. No one cares aboutLet’s Get Bakinganymore, and you pretending to be in love with some small-town baker isn’t going to change that. I just helped you out.”
“The only thing that’s finished is you. You only want to kill off my show because you’re afraid of someone being better than you.”
Hasse frowned, contempt written all over his face. “I’ve given you and your siblings everything—everything. You’re the heirs to a large, successful business.”
Henrik wanted to say that the shares came from his grandfather. Hasse had given him nothing but a life filled with dysfunctionalrelationships and low self-esteem. But before he could speak, Hasse continued. “I’m the one who made you famous—you have me to thank for everything.”
“I’m selling my shares, and then we won’t have to have anything to do with each other anymore.”
Hasse took a step closer and hissed in his ear. “Fine—just make sure you repay the money you’ve stolen from the company first.”
