Read Online What If It's Love?: A Contemporary Romance Set in Paris (Bistro La Bohème Book 1) by Alix Nichols - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alix Nichols
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what it is.”
After a long silence Anton finally spoke. “Lena, I’ve always wanted the
best for you. I sent you to Switzerland so that you could get the best
education money can buy, a European polish, languages. I wanted to give you the
right tools for your future.”
“And I’m grateful for all that, I really am!”
“But eventually you have to return home, baby. You belong here. I built
this company so that you could take it over one day. You must take it
over one day.”
“Daddy, you’re only forty-six! Why all this talk of me taking over the
company?” Suddenly a wave of panic washed over her. “Is something wrong? Are
you hiding something? What is it?”
“Nothing’s wrong, pumpkin. As it happens, I had a medical checkup last
week, and I seem to be in perfect health. It’s just . . . I don’t
know, maybe it’s my midlife crisis finally kicking in.”
Anton snorted, then got serious again. “My business is my legacy. And you
are my only child, who’s now grown and about choose a career. This is the
perfect time for me to start involving you, mentoring you. Can’t you see that?”
“But Dad—”
“No buts. You have a duty toward me. Unlike your mother, I’ve always been
a good parent to you. For the past twelve years, I’ve been your only parent.”
The last statement was grossly unfair, and they both knew it. But Lena
was weary of reminding him that the reason her mom had been absent for half of
her life was much more complicated than he made it sound.
So instead, she tried another tack. “Anyway, your plan is doomed. You
have a hopeless nerd for a daughter.”
“Not a problem. In my book being a nerd is a qualification. I was a
nerd once, too, remember? I was a computer programmer before becoming a
businessman. Can it get nerdier than that?”
“An astrophysicist?”
“It’s thanks to my nerdy beginnings that I now have an edge over my
competitors.”
Lena considered making an observation that being a computer nerd was
slightly more relevant to running an IT company than being a translator. But
she doubted she could win this argument with logic, if she could win it at all.
“By the way, I’ve got some news about the negotiations,” he said.
“Over Raduga?”
“Yes. I think I finally managed to grind them down.”
She was happy to hear it—buying the edgy start-up was a cornerstone
of his plan to expand into a new area. “Congratulations, Dad! I know this means
a great deal to you.”
“They haven’t formally accepted my offer yet, but I expect they will in
the coming days.”
“I’m sure they will. This is big and you worked so hard on it.”
“We could work on the next one together . . .”
“Dad,” she pleaded. “I study literature and translation, and that’s what
I want to do as a career. Not use my language skills for business. Can’t you
understand this? Please?”
Anton paused and then said in an upbeat voice. “Baby, let’s talk about
this later, OK? For now, you’re in Paris, writing your thesis so you can get
your master’s degree. That’s fine with me and, from what I gather, more than
fine with you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
As Lena hung up, the lightness she had reveled in
since last night was gone. She tried to tell herself she still had time—a
lot of time—to sway her father and avoid open conflict. But she also knew
her chances were slim.
Rob paced his room, trying to get a grip. Good thing he had quit smoking,
because this gig he’d signed up for would have warranted a pack before every
phone call. The part of the job that required he spend as much time as he could
around Lena was a no-brainer. It was like getting paid to watch football and
drink beer. Only better. But the part where he had to call Boris and report
everything he’d gleaned about her father’s plans made him feel dirty and
ashamed.
He grabbed his phone and called Pierre to remind him that in three days
he was taking two weeks off to prepare for his
After a long silence Anton finally spoke. “Lena, I’ve always wanted the
best for you. I sent you to Switzerland so that you could get the best
education money can buy, a European polish, languages. I wanted to give you the
right tools for your future.”
“And I’m grateful for all that, I really am!”
“But eventually you have to return home, baby. You belong here. I built
this company so that you could take it over one day. You must take it
over one day.”
“Daddy, you’re only forty-six! Why all this talk of me taking over the
company?” Suddenly a wave of panic washed over her. “Is something wrong? Are
you hiding something? What is it?”
“Nothing’s wrong, pumpkin. As it happens, I had a medical checkup last
week, and I seem to be in perfect health. It’s just . . . I don’t
know, maybe it’s my midlife crisis finally kicking in.”
Anton snorted, then got serious again. “My business is my legacy. And you
are my only child, who’s now grown and about choose a career. This is the
perfect time for me to start involving you, mentoring you. Can’t you see that?”
“But Dad—”
“No buts. You have a duty toward me. Unlike your mother, I’ve always been
a good parent to you. For the past twelve years, I’ve been your only parent.”
The last statement was grossly unfair, and they both knew it. But Lena
was weary of reminding him that the reason her mom had been absent for half of
her life was much more complicated than he made it sound.
So instead, she tried another tack. “Anyway, your plan is doomed. You
have a hopeless nerd for a daughter.”
“Not a problem. In my book being a nerd is a qualification. I was a
nerd once, too, remember? I was a computer programmer before becoming a
businessman. Can it get nerdier than that?”
“An astrophysicist?”
“It’s thanks to my nerdy beginnings that I now have an edge over my
competitors.”
Lena considered making an observation that being a computer nerd was
slightly more relevant to running an IT company than being a translator. But
she doubted she could win this argument with logic, if she could win it at all.
“By the way, I’ve got some news about the negotiations,” he said.
“Over Raduga?”
“Yes. I think I finally managed to grind them down.”
She was happy to hear it—buying the edgy start-up was a cornerstone
of his plan to expand into a new area. “Congratulations, Dad! I know this means
a great deal to you.”
“They haven’t formally accepted my offer yet, but I expect they will in
the coming days.”
“I’m sure they will. This is big and you worked so hard on it.”
“We could work on the next one together . . .”
“Dad,” she pleaded. “I study literature and translation, and that’s what
I want to do as a career. Not use my language skills for business. Can’t you
understand this? Please?”
Anton paused and then said in an upbeat voice. “Baby, let’s talk about
this later, OK? For now, you’re in Paris, writing your thesis so you can get
your master’s degree. That’s fine with me and, from what I gather, more than
fine with you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
As Lena hung up, the lightness she had reveled in
since last night was gone. She tried to tell herself she still had time—a
lot of time—to sway her father and avoid open conflict. But she also knew
her chances were slim.
Rob paced his room, trying to get a grip. Good thing he had quit smoking,
because this gig he’d signed up for would have warranted a pack before every
phone call. The part of the job that required he spend as much time as he could
around Lena was a no-brainer. It was like getting paid to watch football and
drink beer. Only better. But the part where he had to call Boris and report
everything he’d gleaned about her father’s plans made him feel dirty and
ashamed.
He grabbed his phone and called Pierre to remind him that in three days
he was taking two weeks off to prepare for his
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