Page 104 of Moonstruck Kiss

“You’re welcome,” Cutie interjects.

Brax smiles. “And I want to thank all of you for being here. I don’t want to take up too much of your time—I’m sure you have more important things to do than listen to me—so I’ll try to be as brief as possible.”

He catches my gaze again and I try not to squirm in my seat.

“I’m very sorry that I told my boss that your family wanted to acquire Choc at Old. My view at the time was that it would make Teews offer you a higher price for your business, which you could then consider. I’d thought that with the final decision being up to your family, there were no downsides. But it never occurred to me that Teews would unwittingly play a part in my boss’s dishonest practices.”

My heart races, and I’m hanging on to his every word.

Brax cast his gaze around the room. “There’s no truth to the rumour that I’m a mole planted by GX Partners to gather data about Moonstruck Chocolatier for Teews. I also don’t have anything to do with Chelsea Banton’s devastating—and totally inaccurate—review of Sweet n’ Moonstruck.”

“That lie of a review brought down the value of Moonstruck Chocolatier!” Voovoo calls out. “And we all believe that Chelsea was paid to post it so that Teews can make a lowball offer for the Barkers’ family business.Youwere seen meeting Chelsea in secret at the Serenade Bay library, and you lied to Joey about it!”

I feel emotions rising in my chest at the memory, but I can’t wait to hear Brax’s response to Voodoo’s excellent summation of why Mooners are angry at him.

“Yes, it’s true that I met up with Chelsea in secret,” he answers. “But not because I was in collusion with her. I, too, suspected that she was paid to write that review. I was investigating the possibility of my boss being involved in something shady so he could get Teews to sign as a GX client, and I wanted to interrogate Chelsea. She acted very strangely, but I didn’t get anything from her then. She got a phone call and left in a hurry.”

“So what does that prove?” Cutie asks.

“Well, I was able to pin down Chelsea in Sydney. She confirmed she was manipulated to write a scathing review. As you all know, she’s a big fan of Theo Cresswall and she’s been champing at the bit for Theo’s First to come out. She was made to believe that Theo’s First would never see the light of day if the rights to the recipe stayed with Moonstruck Chocolatier because Moonstruck Chocolatier doesn’t have the capacity to make it. She was also told that the Barker familydowant to sell the recipe but that they’re greedily asking for an astronomical price that even the big companies won’t pay. So she was persuaded to write that review to help free Theo’s recipe from the clutches of the Barker family, who she thought didn’t deserve to hold on to it.”

I frown in thought, trying to take in what he said. It could be true because everyone knows how crazy Chelsea is about anything regarding Theo.

“How do we know you just didn’t make that up?” Josie demands.

“I got a lawyer friend to speak to Chelsea. She’s going to post a retraction and an apology to your family.”

“When?” my dad asks.

“Well, she said she’ll post it sometime today. If she doesn’t I’ll follow her up?—”

“It’s up!” shouts someone sitting at the back.

I pull my phone out to check and notice that everyone else is doing the same thing.

APOLOGY AND RETRACTION

I’m so sorry, everyone. I did something really bad. Some of you might even find it unforgivable. But I’m here to right my wrong.

Please disregard my negative review of Moonstruck Chocolatier. I’ve been to Moonstruck Cove a few times now and I’ve always thought of Moonstruck Chocolatier as a great little shop. Their classic, Sweet n’ Moonstruck, is even one of my all-time favourites even though I said in that nasty review I wrote that it was my first time tasting it. I also think Joey Barker is an amazing artist. I’ve always loved Moonstruck Chocolatier’s packaging because they’re fun and pretty.

So why did I write the negative review?

I was led to believe that Theo’s recipe would be better off in the hands of a much bigger company because Moonstruck Chocolatier was not capable of producing it. If Moonstruck Chocolatier became unpopular, then its owners might be forced to sell Theo’s recipe and that would be a fantastic result for chocolate lovers (and Theo Cresswall fans) all over the world. I was manipulated, but that’s not an excuse to want to hurt a small family business.

I will write more on this later, but right now, I’m having a hard time gathering my thoughts. My heart is heavy with guilt. But I don’t want to let another day pass without saying that nothing I wrote in that review was true.

To the owners of Moonstruck Chocolatier, I hope you’ll find it in your hearts to forgive me. I’m so very sorry. I can’t wait until you release Theo’s First. I’ll be the first to bang the drums and dance on the streets with joy.

To the fans of Moonstruck Chocolatier, especially Sweet n’ Moonstruck, I see your posts telling me I’m wrong. You’re absolutely right. No one does artisanal handmade chocolates like Moonstruck Chocolatier. Their products are deliciously top-notch. I swear on my life and everything I love that that’s a true, unbiased review.

To my followers, again, I’m so very sorry for letting you down. I hope to somehow make it up to you—if you give me another chance.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Banton

I fill my lungs with air. This is one heartfelt, vulnerable post. If Chelsea were in front of me right now, I’d even give her a hug.

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