“I have too much here riding on me.” Not exactly the truth, because Talia is thorough, sending me updates as soon as she has them.
My father gives me that look, the one that says he’s done playing. “Pennies. Your time here is worth pennies. Working with the company produces billions.”
“Money isn’t everything, Wolfgang.”
I watch as the muscle along his jaw twitches. He hates it when I call him that.
“Where would you be without money, son? Sitting on a beach with no future and no ambition.”
“You think everything I’ve done hasn’t had ambition?”
“You’re the strong man you are now because of me. Because I molded you into who you are.”
“No,” I say with an edge in my voice, “The man I am today I owe to Opa Vogel.”
“You are the man you are because I allowed you to become him,” he says, his voice low and threatening.
But thirty years of barbs and persuasions don’t hold up to what I’ve found here. A haven I’ve always wanted. And a woman I think I love.
“Why do you really want me to marry Victoria, Dad? I haven’t seen you this anxious for me to do something since you asked me to take over the company.”
Wolfgang shifts, looking as though he’s just tasted straight lemon juice. It’s a look even I wasn’t expecting.
“Because ever since you took over the company, you’ve started believing your life belongs entirely to you.”
The words settle heavily between us.
“How can you say that? I’ve put in more eighty-to-hundred-hour weeks for years.” My heart rate picks up, and I have to take in a deep breath to calm myself.
“You’re not just a man, Max. You’re the face of a legacy. Every decision you make affects more than yourself.”
“Which is why I should be allowed to marry the person of my choosing. A spouse should be someone who’s there to balance out the world, to make it enjoyable. I don’t want to be waiting on a ticking timebomb for a divorce. I want to get married once, and have it last forever.”
I want Avery.
It wasn’t love at first sight—more like she had me laughing from the start. Now I just need to know if she’ll forgive me.
“You claim so much, yet it’s all based on emotion. You vanished without informing the board, ignored dozens of calls from your assistant, and missed a strategy meeting with Stuttgart. This reckless behavior isn’t going to keep Alder Haus at the top.”
“I’m aware of what I missed. I’m human, Wolfgang, not a robot.”
The ocean breeze catches the edge of his coat. “This is where you chose to run? A run-down beach town that doesn’t offer anything of value.”
I try to push down the anger creeping in, knowing he’ll only feed off my irritation. I lean back against the railing that leads to the boardwalk. “I wasn’t aware there were location requirements.”
“You’ve had your break,” he says after a moment. “Now you need to come home.”
Usually, this is where I would compromise.
Manage the situation.
Instead, I hear Avery’s voice in my head.“You should’ve told me.”
Not angry, just disappointed.
My father studies me carefully. “The engagement dinner has already been delayed once.”
I exhale slowly. “There shouldn’t be an engagement dinner.”
