“Who was that?” she finally asked.
“The owner of Emmerich Technologies.” I had no idea where I was going. I just needed to walk. As soon as I cooled down, I would call an Uber.
Olivia tugged on my hand as she slowed her pace. “Why was he so angry?”
“Because he’s a miserable guy. My success bothers him.” When I could tell Olivia wasn’t going to let it go, I gave her a bit more. “He’s mad because I succeeded despite him.”
“Mr. Emmerich must’ve been a terrible boss.”
I gave a mirthless laugh at the memory. “He was an even more terrible father.”
I had to give her credit. Olivia had a heck of a poker face. She didn’t even react. “That was your dad?”
“Biologically speaking, yes.”
“The guy who left you to fend for yourself after your mother’s death?”
I shrugged, used to the dull ache that always accompanied any thought of my dad. “He probably didn’t have time to read any parenting magazines.” Feeling like I’d put enough distance between my past and present, I found an empty park bench and sat. Gray clouds gathered in the western sky, and the game designer in me thought it was a fitting addition to the setting.
I just needed a moment to calm my mind and flaring temper before I let Emmerich ruin what should have been a stellar day. Olivia eased down beside me, and the two of us people-watched in companionable silence for a while.
Needing the comfort that was only Olivia, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into my side. “Once upon a time I was supposed to spend an entire summer in Italy,” I finally said.
Olivia looked up at me, her head now resting against my shoulder. “What a coincidence. Me too.”
I cleared my throat and took another deep breath. “We’d all decided to take a boat ride, and I’d agreed to pay for the rental. This rich guy named Preston said he’d handle the details. Remember him?”
She nodded at the mention of her pretentious college boyfriend.
“I gave him the money, and he showed up with a boat. I had no idea he’d stolen it.” I pressed my finger to Olivia’s lips before she could speak. “If your next question is why didn’t I say anything, it’s because no one would’ve believed me.” I jerked my head toward the direction of the restaurant. “Benjamin certainly didn’t.”
“Lachlan.” She closed her blue eyes for a heartbeat. “And then I was so mad at you I reported a few other infractions you’d committed.”
“All passed along to Benjamin Emmerich. After that I decided I didn’t want to be who people thought I was. I’ve worked my tail off to change my life and my reputation.” I watched a jogger trot by, the woman lost in the world beyond the music in her ears.
“Your dad was wrong to not believe you, and so was I,” Olivia said. “I’m sorry.”
I ran my knuckles across her cold cheek. “Old stuff, right?” Or should’ve been. Seeing my dad always brought a rush of bad memories. “I lived in my car for three months at twenty-one, then couldn’t afford to get back into college. When I asked for help one last time, Benjamin sent his chauffeur to hand me a hundred bucks and a message to never contact him again.”
Pity and disbelief darkened Olivia’s pretty face, and I welcomed it and hated it all at the same time. “You needed someone to be there for you. How could he do that to you?”
“Benny boy felt like my mom had trapped him, as if getting pregnant was a one-person job. He never forgave her—or me. He eventually married a lady who was kind enough to invite me to stay after my mom died, but that, of course, went south too. Then after the debacle in Italy, he was done.” Enough with the maudlin, poor-me story. I hadn’t rolled out those tales in ages. “Anyway, that was a long time ago.”
“You knew Benjamin would be there, didn’t you?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Ben’s a man of habit. He eats there at least twice a week, so I knew there’d be a chance.” The wind picked up, and I smelled rain on the breeze. We needed to leave, but I didn’t want to lose a second of Olivia in my arms.
“You’re a grown man who has nothing to do with him,” Olivia said as crowds of New Yorkers scurried by. “Why would Emmerich still be so angry?”
“Because he’s scared.” I watched in fascination as the wind made Olivia’s hair dance. “Lots of tech companies are. At the conference, Star Gazer’s new product will render others obsolete.”
My Olivia had her fair share of instinct and brain cells, and she knew the next part of this story. “You’re going to put your father out of business, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“For the sake of revenge?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to enjoy that by-product, but this is business. It’s always a race to create the next thing, and you can’t worry about hurting people’s feelings if you knock them off their thrones.” Did I completely believe that? I wasn’t sure, but my therapist back in California didn’t seem to approve when I’d said I was out for blood.
