She bounded out of her chair as I sat smiling at her. “You will have to carry me out of here.”
“That can be arranged. On your way out, you explain to the press why you’ve been removed. You have two choices. Which one you choose is up to you.”
Harlan passed the dossiers to everyone at the table. “Inside you will find two press releases regarding today’s proceedings,” he explained. “The one that is released is dependent on the outcome of this meeting at Mr. Hughes’ discretion.”
I waited for her to read them. “Resign on your own accord and go quietly. Or I make a fucking media sensation out of you and splash all the nastiness of our past to every charity and board you belong to in this city.”
Her eyes cut to me. “You would do that to your brother and sisters?”
“They are completely on board. It’s your choice. Leave. Resign from the Board and sign over your stock to Madison and Makenna. That’s how you leave with your tainted dignity intact. Or we go the other way. It’s all in the dossier.” I looked at my watch and stood. “Harlan, you know what to do. If you’ll excuse me, I have a plane to catch.”
I walked out of the boardroom and headed for the elevator. I never expected my father to be the one running after me.
“Axel, wait.” His hand landed on my shoulder. “I want to talk to you.”
I spun in the empty hallway and looked at him. It was impossible to read his expression as he tugged my arm toward a dark office. Jerking it away, he realized what he’d done, then stepped back. If this were the last time I spoke to him, I wanted to lay it all out there.
“Please, five minutes.”
Following him in, I closed the door. “I’m in a hurry.”
My father put his hands on his head as he paced in front of me. When he looked up, he was beaming at me. “Goddamn, that was brilliant. This fucking business was the reason I had to leave your mother. My father held it over my head. And now you’ve liberated me.” His face lit up as an idea crossed his mind. “We can run this together—you and me. I’ll handle the business while you play hockey. It’s brilliant. What do you need from me to get started?”
It was the last thing I expected. “I don’t need you for any of it.”
His face fell. “But you can’t run a company and play hockey. You’re going to need my help. You need someone with business experience you can trust to handle things while you’re away.That’s me. I can do that for you. We can grow this business to our wildest dreams!”
I stared at him in disbelief. Anger rose so quickly that I couldn’t get a handle on it. “You are the last person I trust. You sweep in, charm the fuck out of people, then leave them. You are no better than she is. Can’t you see what you do? You stole my brother, then left me to deal with a shell of a woman, hollow and broken because she loved you more than anything. She trusted you with our lives, but I will never make that mistake.”
A sob rose from my chest, but I shoved it down. “All I ever wanted was my father to be there for me. You couldn’t even acknowledge I was your son. For years, I never knew who you were. Mason got the doting father, while you left a twelve-year-old to clean up the mess you left behind. Do you realize how your decisions changed me? It’s fucking hard when neither parent chooses you. My siblings may trust you, but I never will. I won’t make the mistake of letting you in only to leave me to deal with the aftermath.”
He looked as if I had knocked the air out of him. His mouth hung open as he blinked at me. But I wasn’t finished. I had years of rage pent up inside that I needed to release.
I pointed to the boardroom. “I did that for Mason. For all the bullshit you allowed your wife to put him through. For all the times you didn’t protect him. You’re fortunate I did not take your company. So no,father,I don’t need your business acumen or your approval to move forward.”
I swung the door open to leave, but he caught me from behind. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I could have broken free, but once, just once, I wanted to know what it was like for my father to hold me when I needed him. “I’m so sorry, Axel. I had no choice in any of it. I didn’t know what to do. I was a kid myself. But you. You were always so strong. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.”
Facing the door, I kept him behind me. He didn’t deserve my tears. They were for me. “How could you deny me like that? Why wasn’t I good enough to be one of your sons?”
I felt the air leave his chest. “You were. You are. God, I’m so fucking sorry, Axel. Please give me a chance to be there for you now. I won’t disappoint you again. I promise.”
I wiped my eyes and straightened my spine. “I’ve got to go. My team is waiting.”
I walked out into the hallway. All I wanted was to go to Luca, but a call would have to do. So when I got to the car, I made the call.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “My stomach has been in knots all morning from worrying about you.”
“I’m fine, love.” I paused, staring out the window of the car. “Everything proceeded as expected. I’m sure she’ll go quietly.” I blew out a breath.
“What’s wrong, babe? What aren’t you telling me?”
I stared out the window as George drove back to Brooklyn. “My father followed me out and offered to run the company with me. He was delighted with how I’d liberated him. He wants in on the business, and I exploded on him.”
Regret laced his tone. “I should have gone with you.”
I dragged my hand over my face. “I’m fine. It feels good to get it out. And you have your licensing exam this week. You need to focus on that. Not me.”
“Sorry, no can do. My job is to take care of you, even when you don’t think you need it.”
