Page 65 of Sweet Ruin

Murmurs passed through the crowd, and William Hastings was looking more and more uncomfortable that he didn’t have control of the microphone. It was obvious he was unsure what his grandson was going to say next. His hands formed tight fists at his side as he stepped beside Noah.

“What is this about, Noah?” he asked, his clenched teeth only partially hidden by a forced smile.

“Well, Grandfather, Hastings Laboratories has been sold.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. William grabbed Noah by the elbow and yanked the microphone toward him, covering it with his other hand. “What are you talking about?” he hissed. “You don’t have the power to sellmycompany.” Despite his best efforts, William’s voice was still easily picked up by the mic, and it echoed in the speakers so everyone could hear.

“Actually, I do,” Noah replied, shrugging him off and pulling the microphone free. While he wasn’t speaking directly into the microphone anymore, he was hardly trying to keep his voice down and clearly didn’t care that everyone in the room could hear him.

“You should have been more careful when you were desperately looking for cash to keep the company afloat,” he said. “I went to the main investor you found, and it wasn’t hard to convince him to part with his share of Hastings. In fact, he’s been looking to get out of your failing company for a while. Combined with my share of the company, we hold the controlling interest. Well, wedidhold the controlling interest…”

William balked, his gaze darting toward the crowd. I wasn’t sure if he was more livid about what Noah had said or because we’d all just overheard it. Everyone in the room was staring at the stage in silence, desperately waiting to hear more.

Noah gave his grandfather a defiant grin before he turned to the crowd and lifted the microphone to his mouth once more. “With that in mind, I would like to introduce you all to the new owner of Hastings Laboratories. The man who will lead the company into the future—Matthew LaFleur.”

Noah held out his arm and pointed at my father, but his eyes went straight to me. He’d sold the company to Matthew? Was this for real?

Matthew left my side and made his way to the stage. He walked so calmly despite the eyes of everyone in the room falling on him. I was far from calm, and a million questions raced through my mind. Why would Noah do this? Why would Matthew want this? Why hadn’t either of them told me? At Thanksgiving, Matthew had said he wanted to take a step back from his company to focus more on family. This hardly seemed to fit with that wish.

“Did you know about this?” I murmured to my mom.

She shook her head. “I had no idea.”

Matthew was just about to reach the top of the stairs and step onto the stage when William snatched the microphone from Noah and addressed the stunned crowd. “I think that’s enough theatrics for one night,” he said. “Ignore my grandson. He’s had a few too many birthday drinks. Please enjoy your evening.”

He signaled for the band to start playing again before he took Noah’s elbow and dragged him to the edge of the stage. Not that William could really drag his grandson anywhere, given his size, but Noah followed without complaint. They seemed to be heading straight for Matthew, so my mom and I rushed over to back him up.

“You will not be taking my company,” William growled as he confronted Matthew.

“You’ll find I already have,” Matthew replied. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“The hell there is. I’ll die before I let a LaFleur take the one thing I care about in this world.”

“Ouch,” Noah said from beside his grandfather, but he looked like he was struggling to withhold a smile. He kept trying to catch my eye, but I refused to look at him.

“You.” William’s gaze had moved past Matthew and settled on me. He’d been angry before, but his eyes seemed to light with uncontrollable fury when he saw me. He looked me up and down, and I wrapped my arms around my body as his gaze focused on my wet clothes

“This is your fault,” William growled at me. “Another LaFleur woman infecting a Hastings boy just so you can burn our family to the ground.” He moved toward me, but Noah stepped between us.

“Touch her, and you’ll lose more than just your company.” Noah’s eyes bored into his grandfather, and William stopped in his tracks.

“You fool,” William spat before pointing a long finger past Noah. “Are you really going to turn your back on your family because of this girl?”

My mom wrapped her arms around me, drawing me back toward her as my father stepped closer to Noah. William’s eyes were still locked on me. There was so much anger and hatred burning within them, and in that moment, I thought he might be capable of anything. It shook me to my core.

“I’m not turning my back on my family,” Noah said. “I’m turning my back on you.”

William tore his gaze from me, and his anger mixed with confusion as he considered his grandson. After a moment, William seemed to remember we had an audience, and he glanced around at the watching crowd. The music was playing again, and they might not be able to hear clearly, but it was obvious how aggressive William was being.

He took a breath and then stepped back. Threatening a teenager in the darkness of a parking lot was one thing, but doing it in such a public forum was something else entirely. He’d lost control, and now people were seeing him for the man he truly was.

“I suggest you leave,” William said, his voice now scarily calm. “As to whatever deal you think you’ve struck, I’ve seen no documentation. My lawyers will tear this shoddy agreement to shreds. And then, you’ll pay for this.”

He had been talking to Matthew, but when he issued his threat, his gaze fell back on me. Now he was more composed, his warning became even more chilling. There was less emotion in it but much more determination. Without another word, he turned and stormed off the stage and disappeared through a side door.

“Maybe it’s time we went home,” my mom suggested, gently touching Matthew on the shoulder. Even though William had gone, she still had a protective arm wrapped around me.

"While I don’t want to leave on William’s orders,” Matthew said, “I agree. I think everyone has enjoyed the show long enough.”

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