Page 16 of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers 1)

“No we weren’t,” Justin said.

“I’m not back,” I said.

Brianna aimed a death glare over her shoulder at us, and it was so effective that I felt it in my bones. For a seventeen-year-old, she sure had no problem standing up to two grown-ass men—not that we were acting like it.

“Well, if you’re done, they’re ready for us,” Mom said.

I wasn’t sure what it was about her clipped tone, but the second I heard it, I immediately felt like a teenager again.

We headed into the room she indicated, and in the center was a large conference table. At the head was a balding man in a brown tweed coat who had a slew of paperwork in front of him, and off to his left sat a red-headed woman dressed in a prim black blouse. She had a matching pair of glasses that sat perched on her nose, and as we walked in and took our seats, they looked up from their paperwork to see who had just joined them.

“Welcome, welcome,” the man said as he half stood to greet us. “Please sit wherever you like.”

Not surprisingly, Justin moved to the opposite side of the table to Ryan and myself, and, seeming to want to keep the peace, Brianna went with him. When Mom took a seat at the far end of the table, the man took a quick look around and offered up what could only be called a grim smile.

That didn’t bode well. Not considering what we were all here for. I looked at Ryan and shook my head. I had a feeling that whatever was about to happen was going to be typical Harry. And by that, I mean fucked up in every way possible.

“Let me start by introducing the two of us. I’m John Ackerman, and this is Abigail Fairmont. I am your mother and father’s attorney, and Abigail here is their accountant. We’ve been working with them for nearly ten years now on both business and personal matters, and today we’ve brought you all together, as instructed by Harry for when he passed away.”

“Okay,” Justin said, looking at Mom. “We’re all here, even the missing son over there. So now what?”

“Justin, please,” she said, and reached out to pat his arm. “Have a little patience. We have some paperwork we need go through, and then this will all be over.”

“It’s actually a little bit more than that,” John said, and that gnawing feeling in my gut turned into a sharp knife twisting through my insides. “Harry, your husband and their father, made some changes in the last couple of months of his life.”

Mom sat up a little straighter and drew her hands back from the table to clutch at her purse. “What kind of changes?”

John looked at the paperwork in front of himself and flicked through several pages. “Some…stipulations to the first draft he drew up with you.”

“Stipulations?” Brianna said. “What does that mean? I thought everything automatically went to Mom.”

John smiled, but it was a tight, tentative smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course, his personal assets were all left to your mother. However, the business—”

“He divided up between the four of you.”

At the sound of Mom’s voice, I turned in my seat to make sure I hadn’t misheard her. But no, she seemed very confident in her wording, and when her eyes found mine, I shook my head.

“Why would he do that? The winery is as much your place as it is his. You’re alive—it should automatically go to you.”

“Noah—”

“No. This is such bullshit. Even from the grave he’s disrespecting you.”

“It’s not like that.”

“It is like that. But you know what, it doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t want it. I’ll just sign my deed over to you.”

Mom opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, John cleared his throat.

“There something you want to say?” I asked.

“Actually, yes. Like I was saying before, there’s some new provisions added to details of Harry’s will. Some requirements that need to be met before the deeds are handed over.”

“Of course there is.” I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, wondering when the day would come that Harry would stop pulling the puppet strings.

“Requirements?” Ryan said, when it was clear I’d run out of patience for this shit. Here I’d thought it would be fuck you, you get nothing, Noah, and then we’d be done. Apparently not.

“Yes. I can start with the oldest and work my way down if you like?”

“Lucky me,” I said.

Justin smirked, and I wasn’t sure if it was in response to my words or my suffering.

“I assume you’re Noah,” John said, looking in my direction.

“You assume right.”

“Very good. Let’s get to this, then. I, Harry Chamberlin, of sound mind and body, hereby bequeath all my personal assets to my wife, Emily Rebecca Chamberlin. This includes our home and our personal investments. The family business, Chamberlin Winery, is to be divided between our children.”

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