Page 85 of Snow Going Back

Edward had been watching the room warily as she’d riled them all up, but now he narrowed his eyes, and his gaze sweptback over to meet hers. He lifted his chin, and she could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he assessed her.

‘Once I learned all the ways Edward had tried to sabotage the place over the years, and that William had let him go more than once, despite having the evidence, I figured that evidence had to be somewhere. So I went looking for it. I found an entry in one of Cora’s old diaries that led me straight to the CCTV footage William hid of Edward setting fire to outbuildings and stock.’

Edward let out a low chuckle and gave her a look that said he knew she was bluffing.

Kate smiled and turned her attention back to the rest of the room. ‘But I’ve run off track. I wanted you all to know what I’ve been fighting against because this is whatyou’reall going to be fighting against soon, too. It’s been my responsibility to protect Coreaux Roots through this transition, but when I’m gone, that responsibility is going to fall to all of you.’ She looked around, feeling her emotions swell up. ‘Protectit.Fiercely.’ She hit her fist against her chest. ‘With everything you’ve got. Because this isyourlegacy now.’

Edward let out a derisive snort, then stood up and leaned on his cane. ‘Did you really drag them all here for these useless empty words? To raise their hopes for no reason? Thislegacybelongs to no one right now,’ he said coldly. ‘But it will, once I’ve dealt with you in court.’

‘No,’ Kate replied, a buzz of excitement zooming around her body as she neared the moment this had all been building towards. ‘I don’t believe in doinganythingwithout a reason. Which is why I have an announcement to make.’ She moved her gaze across the crowd. ‘The will I was working from was a very old one, entrusted to my firm before the Moreauxs knew what their family would look like. But Cora and William made another will, much more recently.’

There were a few gasps of surprise, and people looked around at each other, intrigued and confused. Edward frowned, and his eyes darted around as he processed her words.

‘In this will they were much more specific,’ Kate confirmed with a warm smile. ‘It took a long time to find it.’ She turned to look back into the corner behind where Sam stood silently watching and smiled. ‘But we got there in the end.’

‘You’re lying,’ Edward spat, though she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

‘No,’ she replied, looking over at him with open contempt. ‘It’s real. And very well tied up, too, from a legal standpoint. They took no chances with this one. And you probably have yourself to thank for that. You were probably exactly who they were protecting themselves from when they wrote it.’ She lifted her chin a little higher. ‘So you won’t be getting your hands on this company – or anything of theirs. Not today, not in court. Notever.’

‘Really?’ Jenna breathed as excitement began to buzz around the room. ‘We’re safe?’

‘I think so,’ Matthew replied.

Edward glared back at her, his cheeks turning red and then a deep shade of purple as his chest heaved up and down with rage. ‘I don’t believe it. It’s a fake. I’ll take it to court. I’ll rip it to shreds. I’ll?—’

‘Be my guest,’ Kate told him, cutting him off. ‘It’s iron clad, so waste all the time and money you want. But that will all have to wait because you have a prior engagement to attend first.’ She raised two fingers to signal the man waiting patiently in the corner nearest the door.

‘What are you talking about?’ Edward shot back crossly.

‘I was serious about that CCTV footage. And after all you’ve done and all you planned to do to the people he loved, I figured William wouldn’t be averse to me using it. This is Mike.’ Shenodded to the officer just as he reached Edward’s side and slapped a cuff over one of his wrists.

‘Get your handsoffme,’ Edward shouted angrily.

‘Mike will be escorting you to the station to discuss that video further,’ Kate continued.

‘I will not be manhandled. I said getoffme!’ Edward tried to struggle, but he was no match against Mike, who twisted him around and started frogmarching him out of the building.

‘Alright, buddy. Let’s go.’

His complaints continued in a stream until the door finally closed behind them.

Kate glanced back at Sam. This was it now, the final surprise. The last piece of the puzzle about to be slotted into place before she signed and sealed it all off for good. And that knowledge both thrilled and crushed her, all at the same time. She took a deep breath and then, looking out at the crowd, she stepped back.

‘My job here is almost done,’ she said, forcing a smile. ‘But I’m going to hand you over to Sam to tell you this last part.’

There was a round of applause as she moved aside and Sam took the floor. He looked around at everyone, taking his time to find the right words.

‘My aunt and uncle cared about the people of this town more than anything else. All they ever wanted was for the company to be carried on by people who cared as much as they did. Who knew, as Kate said earlier, exactly what it means.’ He looked down with a small smile. ‘They actually left the company to me.’ He held his hand up to still the cheers that began to erupt, shaking his head. ‘No, no, let me finish. They left it to me but with their blessing, if I don’t want it, to decide who itshouldgo to and to award it accordingly. Andthis, with Kate’s legal help, is exactly what I now plan to do here today. I never shared in their dream. At least, not in this way. But Icareabout their dreamdeeply. And I see their dream in so many of you every day. I see their leadership qualities, their heart, their sense of family. So to make sure that lives on for many,manymore years, I will be handing equal percentage of the company over to the following people.’ There was a short pause and a collective holding of breath as everyone waited to hear what Sam was going to say. ‘Matthew Springer, Andy James, Joe Barnes and Jenna Napoli.’

Kate watched as Jenna’s jaw dropped and her face paled in shock. Matthew shook his head and then looked down as his bottom lip wobbled slightly. Then all of a sudden, a loud, heartfelt, resounding cheer filled the room and grew into a huge crescendo. Jenna’s shock turned to joy and Matthew’s wobble turned into a watery smile as everyone around them began to celebrate.

Sam jumped down, and Jenna turned to him, her face alight with emotion.

‘You have no idea what this means to me,’ she said, her tear-filled words barely audible over the excited hubbub throughout the room.

‘Oh, I do,’ he shouted back. ‘You four will lead Coreaux Roots forward into the future. Honestly, there is no one who could do it better, Jenna. You deserve this. You all do. It’s what Aunt Cora would have wanted.’

Jenna’s lip wobbled, and he pulled her into a one-armed hug before turning to let the celebrating crowd offer up their elated best wishes.

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