Page 22 of Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers 1)

I had one of two choices. I could say fuck it and Harry and go back to Italy, and in the process screw over my mom and siblings, giving them every reason in the world to hate me. Or I could call up Sergio, explain to him what had just gone down, and see what kind of options we had.

Honestly, it didn’t feel like I had any. It was like déjà vu: Harry blackmailing me and threatening me with something he knew I would never say no to.

He’d put me in a horrible position, one I’d never actually wanted. CEO of Chamberlin Winery? I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to carry on his legacy. Not to mention that it was so much fucking work running a business that size. Not only were you in charge of making sure the vineyard was a success, you were also in charge of the lives of the people working for you, and unless you were all in, it was a job that would make you truly miserable.

I was no stranger to hard work, so that wasn’t the problem here. The problem was that I’d have to give up my life in exchange for the one Harry had decided for me, and that was the exact same thing he’d done to me all those years ago.

Not seeing any other choice, however, I called my mom and waited for it to connect. I needed to sit down with her and see where her head was about all of this. I also wanted to know where the business was. How it was doing? It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Harry had left me a sinking ship just to be spiteful. But if that were the case, I would do everything I could to turn it around for Mom, just so he could roll over in his damn grave.

One year. That wasn’t all that long in the scheme of things, right?

“Noah?”

“Yeah, hi, Mom. Are you back at the winery or still here in town?”

“I’m back. Ryan drove me.”

“Good, that’s good,” I said, and gripped the steering wheel as I stared out the windshield. “Do you mind if I head over that way now? I think we need to talk about what happened this morning.”

“Of course. I can’t begin to imagine what you must be thinking…or feeling. I’m still trying to process it all myself.”

“It’s a big ask, Mom. A year?”

“I know. He shouldn’t have done it.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headrest. “Well, what else is new when it comes to Harry?”

There was a pause, and then she said, “There’s a staff meeting scheduled this afternoon at three to talk about how we’ll be moving forward. But we don’t need to tell them anything until you’ve made a decision.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Let me come over there and talk to you. Then we can try to work out what to do.”

“Okay.”

I was about to end the call when I heard her say my name.

“Yeah?”

“I really am sorry.”

“I know, Mom. I know.”

BY THE TIME I arrived at the property, the sun was high and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a beautiful spring day, and this time when I pulled into the drive, there were only a handful of the staff’s cars.

I parked in one of the guest spots and made my way to the front door, and this time, instead of knocking, I headed right inside. There was no one to greet me today, no one to cut me off at the pass and make sure I only went where I was told. So I took a second to look around the front entrance.

It hadn’t changed much over the years. A circular rug covered the hardwood floors, and beyond that a thick wooden desk that was a hand-carved work of art served as the check-in point. It housed a computer at one end and a display of souvenirs and knickknacks at the other.

There were wine glasses, bottle openers, keychains, and postcards. They all had the winery’s logo, phone number, email, and address stamped on them, and behind the desk, built into the wall, was an enormous wine rack that went from one side to the other. It must’ve housed over fifty or more bottles, and the overall feel of the place was warm and inviting, classy and elegant.

I was about to hunt down my mom when she walked out of the hallway that led to the tasting area. Her face lit up the second she spotted me, and as she crossed the lobby, my anger at Harry from earlier begin to ease.

I didn’t want to be tied to this place—that was the God’s honest truth. Small-town living was not how I’d envisioned my life. Laurel and I had talked of L.A. and college, and after that, traveling had been the dream. But that hadn’t happened, so maybe getting to know the family I’d been forced to leave would be one of the highlights of this shitshow Harry had made me the star of.

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