Page 163 of In Love and Revenge

Despite the way the memory has made my lips curl up, I press on, knowing my father will have a reason for bringing it up. There’s always an ulterior motive with him.

‘Why are you calling? I know it’s not to talk about Aurora.’

My father huffs. ‘The staff were bouncing around like lunatics when I visited this morning. Anyone would think they’d had their salaries doubled. You didn’t give them a bloody raise, did you, son?’

I clamp my teeth together, counting to five before I snap at him that he didn’t need to be in the office this morning. That he doesn’t need to check up on us all. But of course, our father has never been able to help himself when it comes to interfering.

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘Well, something’s got into them. Get your arse back in. They need you there. Not galivanting off after a woman you’ve already screwed it up with.’

‘I love her and I’m not coming home without her!’

I lurch forward and slam my hand against the steering wheel, accidentally knocking the horn and earning myself a dirty look from an elderly man shuffling past on the pavement.

‘You’re being bloody ridiculous. If she hasn’t forgiven you yet, she’s not going to.’

‘She will,’ I grit.

She has to.

My father continues, spouting his demands like I’m still a kid who has to listen.

‘Get yourself together or don’t come home at all. Fairfax Guardian will—’

‘Will be fine,’ I snap. ‘In fact, it’s better than fine. I was informed yesterday that we’ve won another award.’

My father snorts. ‘You got lucky.’

‘Yes! I did! Because I have an entire team who worked hard to earn it!’ I bark. ‘And I was sure to give them a nice fat bonus to show my gratitude.’

‘You’re too bloody soft. This isn’t how I raised you.’

‘No, you raised me to be a puppet. But guess what, Dad? I’m cutting the damn strings. And I’m running the company my way because I’m the CEO now, not you.’

He falls silent and I rub at the tightness in my chest as I wait for him to say something.

‘How much?’ he finally asks, the fight yielding in his voice.

‘Ten per cent of their annual salary,’ I answer, knowing he’s referring to the staff bonuses, because of course he is.

He tsks. ‘I’d have got the same result out of them for five.’

‘Of course you would,’ I reply tightly.

‘I’ve always known, you know?’

‘Known what?’ I exhale as I scan the street for a sign of that dickhead Joe’s car.

‘About Dominic bailing you out.’

I freeze.

‘Excuse me?’

‘I know he saved Fairfax Guardian after you ballsed up the Wyndham account. That he sent new clients our way. Kept the money flowing in. Stopped it all from falling apart. Why didn’t you come to me, son?’

I know better than to fall for the hint of tenderness tinting his tone. The only things my father has ever truly cared about are his company, and my mother. I’m grateful he loves her the way she deserves, but it’s like he ran out of love when it came to having kids, and it was too much damn work to create more.