She’d smiled.Well, maybe not better than kisses from your mother. But forgiveness heals where rage does not. Be better than him, Son. Don’t be the same.
“Or what?” His father barked a laugh. “Or I’ll cut you from everything. The company, my will. You won’t see one penny. Ever.”
An inheritance his mother had been worried that he might not receive. So she’d put up with Jannik’s bullshit, all to protect her sons’ legacy.
Axel met Maksim’s gaze, reading nothing.
And he didn’t care. Not about any of it. He didn’t want to fight them. He didn’t want the money, and he hoped his mother would understand. She’d needed him to be well, never to want the way she had growing up poor. She’d wanted Axel to have a good life. But he’d made that for himself on his own.
He laughed, long and loud. Outside the office, he heard nothing but silence. “Fuck you and your will. I want nothing from you. And I don’t own the shares anyway. Maksim does.” He’d made the decision easily, uncaring of anything but getting under his father’s skin. He’d given consent Monday and had gone to a partnered legal firm in the city yesterday and signed papers.
Millions of dollars, no longer his.
Instead of looking angry, his father smiled at Maksim. “Good work. I knew I could count on you.” He turned to Axel with a smug grin. “Don’t you see what you’ve done? You’ve lost after all. That money ismine,and I won’t give you a cent. You failed her again. Ilse wanted that money for you, but you blew it. And why? Because you’re a sorry little bastard I should have smothered at birth. Maksim makes me proud.” His father gave a disgusted sigh. “Youare a waste, a disgrace, a… What are you doing?”
Axel had grabbed the back of his father’s jacket and trousers and was dragging him toward the door. He pushed through it, ignoring Jannik’s threats. “Smitty, the door.”
Smitty hurried ahead of him to open the front door. Axel tossed his father’s ass right on out. In an unemotional voice, he said, “Get lost. You come back in here, I’ll beat you to death. And no one will care. I have no money. No shares. Nothing you want. Don’t ever talk to me again.”
Then he turned and walked back to the conference room, aware of the stunned silence around them. He sat back down and stared at his brother, who’d helped himself to Axel’s sandwich. “Hope you’re happy with yourself.”
Maksim ate, watching Axel with curiosity. “You don’t mind that you have lost thirty million dollars?”
He shrugged. “It was never mine anyway. Our mother lived a nightmare to earn that money. I don’t want it.”
Maksim frowned. “She’d want you to have it.”
“So what? Give it to him if you want. You lied to me to get it. Congratulations.” He felt numb. “I really don’t care.”
“That’s too bad.” Maksim finished the egg sandwich and grabbed his coffee. “Because I do care, and I do want it. I’m giving it to Aunt Hester and Erik.” He paused, maybe waiting for Axel to change his mind.
Axel sensed something different about his brother. “You’re really not working with Jannik, are you?”
Maksim finally smiled. And it was an expression filled with ill intent. “Oh, I’m working with Jannik. When I’m done with that prick, he won’t have his claws in the family company anymore. Sadly, he’ll still be wealthy, but legally I can only do so much.”
Knowing how pissed off their father would be, Axel nodded. “Okay then.”
Maksim walked with him toward the exit. “You don’t want any of the money? You could… You could come back home, be a part of the business. We could find something for you to do. Cars are in our blood.”
Surprised Maksim would even offer such a thing, Axel paused by the door and studied his brother. “My home is here,” he said slowly. “But maybe you could come and stay for a while. Take a vacation sometime and enjoy Seattle.”
“Maybe I could.” Maksim blinked in surprise. Then he smiled. “I’ll make sure to record Jannik’s expression when he learns of all he lost.”
“Now that is a real gift.”
Maksim chuckled. “Best of luck to you, Brother.” He held out a hand.
Axel shook it. “And you.”
“I will take you up on that offer of a vacation.”
“See that you do.” He stared after his brother and watched the car pull away.
When he turned, he saw everyone looking at him.
“What?” he barked.
“Nothing, Boss,” Kelly was quick to reply.
