“What the hell are you doing?” he hissed.
“I could ask you the same thing.Youchose Hope Harbour? I bet you didn’t even know the name of the organisation until Vivian whispered it to you at the door,” I retorted, defiantly looking him in the eye. The vein on his forehead stood out more with every word I spoke.
My dad took a step towards me, and a cloud of his heavy, musky aftershave hit me in the face. We’d been the same height just a few years ago, but he’d shrunk a couple of centimetres with age. “We agreed that we’d communicate it that way.”
“You and Vivian agreed. I never did.”
My dad’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at me with more disdain than a parent should feel for their child. I didn’t want it to hurt, but there was a stabbing in my chest that was hard to ignore. “It looks like running the hotel has gone to your head,” he said, his voice cutting through me like a sharpened blade. “I hope you know that you’re only in this position because a couple of sluts think they can fuck me over. As soon as I’ve taken them down in court, I’ll take over running the hotel again. You should bear that in mind before you start playing the big man.”
I clenched my teeth. The Darlington wasmyhotel, and he would get it back over my dead body. Regardless of what happened in court, my dad and his reputation were the reason why theremight soon no longer be a hotel. If I managed to save it, I sure as hell wouldn’t let him have it without a fight. But telling him that would have been a waste of breath, and I had to prepare for the press conference. I needed to impress the journalists, and I couldn’t do that in my current state.
“I’m going for a piss,” I said, bumping him with my shoulder as I pushed past him. It was a childish move, but it gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
“Henry!”
I stopped and immediately regretted it. I waited with my hand on the doorknob, refusing to turn around.
“While you’re at it, ask your mum if she has concealer she can give you. You look like shit.”
Because of you, I thought, but I wasn’t about to open up the discussion again. I swallowed down the words and left the room.
I met Tilly in the hallway. She was holding a coffee, but Vivian was nowhere to be seen. I told her I’d be right back and headed for the nearest men’s restroom. I quickly checked if the stalls were empty—I needed a moment to myself.
I was alone. After using a urinal, I washed my hands. I caught my reflection in the mirror. My dad was right—I couldn’t sugarcoat it. I looked like crap.
I had had a sleepless night. I hadn’t been able to get Kate and the image of her in the bath out of my mind. And after that, I couldn’t shake thoughts of the upcoming press conference, and how much I wanted the Pearl Gala to be a success. Not just for the sake of the hotel but, more importantly, for Hope Harbour, who could put the money to good use and create meaningful change in the city. Sometime well past midnight, I had given up trying to sleep and got on the elliptical trainer to quiet my thoughts andburn off all that destructive energy. But even that hadn’t helped. After taking an ice-cold shower to shock myself even more awake, I’d finally gone to the office—at 4 a.m. So yeah, I looked like shit.
At least I wasn’t a piece of shit like my dad.
I breathed deeply to gather myself, preparing for a barrage of unpleasant questions. Vivian had informed the journalists that I wouldn’t be making a statement about my dad, but they would probably still dig for answers. A few weeks ago, I’d thought we’d survived the worst of the media frenzy, but I had been wrong. It had been a shitstorm before, but we were now about to be hit by a shit hurricane. I knew I would have to face it.
I let go of the sink I had been clinging to as if it were a climbing hold at the bouldering gym, but my balance was short-lived. I tensed my shoulders as a sudden wave of wrenching dizziness hit me and I staggered, grabbing the porcelain sink again for support.
Fuck!
I squeezed my eyes shut, but even in the darkness, the world still seemed to be spinning wildly. Again, I concentrated on my breathing. It took a while for the dizziness to subside. The throbbing in my head had intensified, and I carefully let go of the sink to reach for the pillbox in my suit jacket pocket.
In that instant, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
I withdrew my hand as Olivia came in. I had told her about the conference, but I hadn’t thought she’d come. We’d not seen each other much lately. We’d both been busy with our own lives.
“Hey,” she greeted me.
I smiled weakly. “You came.”
“Yes. I thought you could use a friendly face,” Olivia said, taking a step towards me. As always, she looked fantastic. She was wearing elegant trousers and a tight-fitting olive-green top that accentuatedher athletic figure. Several gold chains hung around her neck, and her blond hair cascaded down her back in perfect waves. “Why are you hiding back here?”
“I needed a moment to myself.”
“Understandable.” She leaned against the wall. “That Vivian woman is awful.”
I grinned, but even that was enough to send a stab of pain shooting through my head. Perhaps I’d overdone last night’s workout. “What did she do?”
“She was bossing your mum around when I arrived, as if Amanda works for Vivian and not the other way around. And then she had a go at me for letting you date that grungy girl, Kate. Her words, not mine,” Olivia clarified immediately when she noticed my scowl. “Have Commander Vivian and your parents even realised yet that she works at the hotel?”
I had told Olivia before Kate’s first day of work that I’d given her not just a room at the hotel but also a job. Olivia had been thrilled and regularly asked me for updates. Not that there’d been much to report until last night’s chatting. I’d barely spoken to Kate, even though I’d thought about her a lot.
“No, they wouldn’t notice unless there was a headline about it,” I answered, attempting to straighten up my twisted tie.
