Page 17 of The Betrayer
“Good.” She pointed at her watch as she slipped past me. “It’s almost time.”
Filling my father’s shoes was my greatest desire and a lifetime’s battle. It was the biggest and hardest hurdle, one I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get over. Nor was I sure I would ever be allowed to step outside his shadow.
It was a strange place.
I managed to find Tara, pulling her away as she excused herself from her conversation. “Have you heard from my dad?” I bent down so she could hear me.
She shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen or heard anything. No one has.”
My pulse shot up again, and I had to resist the urge to tug at my suddenly too-tight collar. When I checked my phone, no new messages waited for me.
“He should be here. Where is he?”
Tara gave me a small, tight-lipped smile of sympathy. “I’m sure he’ll be here. This is an important night for the company. He wouldn’t miss it.”
She sounded about as convinced of that miracle as I felt.
With a final smile and a conciliatory pat on the shoulder, Tara moved off to where an event staff member waved her over.
I had to stand there for a moment, the crowd passing me by like a river around a stone, trying to gather myself. Real anger accompanied my anxious surge this time.
For once, I honestly thought my father would come through. At some level, I understood why he had to miss my high school graduation, the family trips, even the board and acquisition meetings. At least as much as I could. Running a company took a lot of time and devotion, leaving little freedom for much else. He usually had a dozen people vying for his attention at once.
But his excuses for being late weren’t always about business. Every time my father missed something important, there was a fifty-fifty shot it was about something—or someone—else. So often that he had a reputation in the business community.
Yet, I continued to believe somewhere in that man was the good, responsible father I needed him to be. That, when it truly came down to it, he would be here. I had talked to him about the importance of this night for weeks. I had cornered him repeatedly, extracting promises. I had sent him emails, reminders in his calendar, and even called him multiple times this week. He had given me his word he would be here—repeatedly.
But he wasn’t.
At the thought, my anger jumped into the lead, the heat building in the center of my chest until I felt like I wanted to explode.
Once. Just this single time, I had asked him to be here for me, for the company, and he hadn’t even been able to do that. My father couldn’t put aside his wants and needs for someone else. For the company.
For me.
When I finally spotted him, I was ready to rush and tackle him right then and there. I could tell from his body language that he didn’t feel an ounce of remorse, either. My father’s shoulders were relaxed, his smile easy, and he was greeting everyone suddenly rushing into his orbit with handshakes and words that had the other party laughing, whoever they were.
The way he sauntered down the carpet, grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing tray and taking a long drink, he looked like he was mingling like a guest. There was no coming in a side entrance, apologizing, or sneaking in to pretend like he’d been here all along. His exceedingly late entry could have been marked by anyone who cared to look.
And there were a lot of people looking.
Even those who had shown up fashionably late were here already. My father was the founder and CEO of our company, and he strolled in halfway through the evening without a care in the world.
I stepped forward, my anger boiling over. This time, it was too much. This night, it was too much. I was going to drag him back to that room behind the stage and tell him exactly how I felt.
I only managed a heavy step forward when an arm snaked through mine and jerked me back with enough force I had to find my balance.
“Don’t.”
It was Angela. She dragged me back toward the stage.
“He has to—” I started.
“Not tonight, he doesn’t,” she answered tightly. “Besides, the speeches are about to start.”
“But—” I protested again, but Angela shook her head.
“There will be time to confront him tomorrow, but tonight isn’t the time or place. You have a speech to give.”
