Page 86 of The Rebel

The room went silent.

There wasn’t a single word of congratulations spoken.

Or a smile, aside from the assholes grinning at the head of the table, the only ones who benefited from this catastrophe.

“Does anyone have anything to say about this?” Walter asked. “And if you do, keep it positive.”

He was met with more quietness.

Until Jo said, “Good God, Dad. I want you to be happy, but I don’t like this at all.”

“Let me say what Jo is too nice to voice to you,” Brady started. “You know how the hell we feel about this. The factthat no one in this room has even clapped their fucking hands shouldn’t come as a surprise to you.”

Walter crossed his arms, peering down at each one of us. “What I find ironic is that you all got what you wanted. I’m out. Ray’s out. The company is now in your hands. There shouldn’t be any reason for disappointment, but when I look at all your faces, that’s what I see.”

I laughed. Most of those words couldn’t be further from the truth. “I don’t know how you can even say that. When I look around this table”—I tried to skip Rowan during my scan, and, fuck, my eyes landed right on her, stopping on her face for longer than they should have, and what I saw made every part of me ache—“there’s an entire section of people who shouldn’t even be here.”

“Is that really how you all think?” Walter pointed at the four of us and the three of them, receiving nods from everyone. “My God.” He sighed. “You’re one group of ungrateful sons of bitches.”

“Who just inherited billions’ worth of assets,” Ray added, the room turning mute again. “Most people who work for large corporations, like ours, aren’t even given a goddamn retirement package. They’re sent home with a coffee mug and a card that’s signed by HR. What we should be hearing is a collective thank-you. Words of appreciation.” He shook his head. “This isn’t how we raised you.”

“And this isn’t a side of you that Ray or I want to see. I’m ashamed of the bunch of you.”

I was about to freak the fuck out.

Why was it so impossible for them to see things the way we did? Why were the two of them having such a hard time wrapping their heads around this sudden explosion?

“We don’t deserve to be scolded for having an opinion,” Macon voiced. “You don’t have to like our opinion, but we’reallowed to have one.” He turned his head toward the elders. “Or are you going to take that away from us too?”

“Regardless, you need to come to terms with this,” Walter replied, ignoring Macon’s last statement. “To stop fighting us on every step and to stop, for Christ’s sake, fighting each other.” He eyed up Brady. “This can’t be reversed, you need to accept that.”

Even though Walter hadn’t been at the showing, I was shocked to hear he’d found out.

Ray moved his chair back and crossed his legs. “Now that Walter and I are finally on the same side, I can tell you with absolute certainty that it’s a much better place to be than where you all are right now.”

“Agreed.” Walter gripped Ray’s arm. “And to hand our legacy to a team who can not only handle this company, but also grow it, well, there’s nothing better.” He fully turned toward Ray. “I think it’s time the two of us took a long vacation together. What do you say? How do France and Germany sound?”

“Will we be staying at your hotel or mine?” Ray joked.

I looked at my brothers and Jo, trying to understand what the hell I was hearing. Where this new friendship had suddenly come from.

How they had gone from being enemies to wanting to merge and travel together.

This was some shit I just couldn’t fathom.

And by the look of it, my brothers and Jo couldn’t either.

Because we had been raised to hate the Coles. To do everything in our goddamn power to make our hotels better than theirs. If we heard they were going to open in a new location, we scouted for land nearby. I knew they did the same to us. But the only thing we had ever been told about their history was that Walter and Ray despised each other.

And now, we were supposed to share an office? With a family we couldn’t stand?

What the fuck?

“Before the two of you start a bonfire in the middle of the table and cook some fucking s’mores like one big happy family,” Rhett groaned, “is there any other information you need to share, Jenner? Or can I return to my office—an office that was earned with blood, sweat, and tears, but that’s going to be taken away from me too.”

Ridge’s hand was in a fist, resting on the table like a gavel.

“Amen,” I exhaled. “One of the few things I’ll ever agree with you about.”

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