“My wife is none of your concern,Dad.”
“I knew you’d cash in on my name sometime. Guess you wanted to wait for the right time. Like when your own company begins its first revolution around the drain.” His large hand circled once, then twice.
“Star Gazer will be fine. And do you know why? Because we make more than one product.”
“You’re too diverse.”
“Says the man picking out tombstones for his dying technology.”
His green eyes flashed. “You think you know it all. You designed a little game that took off with all the hard work of a YouTuber unboxing a toy, and then you thought you could play entrepreneur. How’s that working out for you?”
“I guess we’ve both had better days.”
“I’ve been in this business long enough to see hundreds of start-ups like yours come and go overnight,” he said. “But I’m still here, and I’ll be here next year and the next.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Where was that bartender? “Maybe you and my brothers can make new widgets and get back in the game. I wish you well.” With that, I pulled out what cash I had and laid it over my ticket.
“You’re reaching for things you can’t have,” Emmerich said. “Out of your league—with your business, your little movie, and maybe even your family. The things you’ve wanted have always been elusive, haven’t they, son?”
I forced myself to unclench my teeth and put on that oldWho cares?face I’d worn most of my life. “The last person I’m going to take career and marriage advice from is you.”
“Your friend Maxwell betrayed you.” Benjamin stood, his height no longer equal to mine. “Given your disdain for any connection to me, I’m wondering if your wife did too. You might not want my advice, Lachlan, but I’ll leave you with some anyway.”
“Make it quick, one of us still has a functioning company to run.”
Benjamin Emmerich’s veneers shined as he smiled. “I’ve had a handful of wives and business partners. But in the end, the only person I could ever depend on was myself. You put your trust in others, they’re just going to let you down. I’ve worked my butt off to stay in this tech game for decades, and I won’t be taken out by one single upgrade.”
I was too tired to argue with a narcissistic blowhard. “Got it, Dad.”
“I have other products in the works, other options. Your big reveal didn’t catch me completely by surprise. My point is, you have to prepare for failure as much as the success. You sit here moping like you’ve lost your world, but what you should do is go back to your hotel room and get busy figuring out how to navigate your losses. That’s what a CEO does. Because moments like tonight? You haven’t seen the last of them.”
“Very encouraging.” I kept my face impassive, as if his words barely penetrated. “Got it.”
“Yes, you have it now. But will you five years from now? Ten?” Benjamin’s questions hung in the air like bubbles in need of popping. “Decide what matters to you and fight for it. That’s how you stay in the game.” His fuzzy eyebrows rose as Benjamin clapped a large hand to my shoulder. “Watch your back, boy. Because I’ll return better than ever, and I won’t hesitate to take you and your company down.”
With that parting shot, Benjamin Emmerich, longtime tech magnate and worst father of the year, walked away, leaving me alone in the bar.
My dad was only partly right. Sometimes you did have to fight for what mattered to you. But other times, you had to know when to let go.
My business needed me now more than ever, and I’d work hard to keep it on level ground.
But my marriage?
Olivia had walked away from that last night, and it was time I did the same.
Just like we’d planned.
ChapterForty-Nine
OLIVIA
Olivia
Lachlan, I can explain. Please call me.
Olivia
I had nothing to do with this. I need you to believe me. When are you coming home?
