Page 67 of Sweet Ruin

I had no idea how she managed to stay so calm. I supposed it was because her heart hadn’t been shattered by these families. She cared, of course, but she wasn’t deeply involved in the drama that had unfolded between the Hastings family and the LaFleurs.

Noah cleared his throat and glanced at my father who nodded at him to go ahead.

“Matthew and I…” Noah began. “We’ve been working together.”

Noah’s eyes stayed on me as he spoke, and I struggled to contain my surprise. Even after the way I’d seen Noah and my father acting tonight, it was impossible to imagine. How could they be working together? I thought they hated each other.

“How? Why?” I could only seem to force two words out of my mouth as thoughts, questions, and confusion rumbled around in my head.

“To take down my grandfather.” Noah’s voice was cold, and he spoke with such bitterness the car fell silent. I thought Noah was close with his grandfather and would do anything for him. He was the only family Noah had left. I couldn’t believe it was true.

“I thought you loved your grandfather.”

“Maybe I did, once upon a time, but I’ve hated that man for many years,” Noah said. “My grandfather is not a good person. He’s done terrible things and suffered no consequences. I had to make him pay. So, I’ve been playing the part of the perfect grandson, staying close to him and following his every order like a loyal soldier. Tonight, I finally made my move.”

He seemed so determined, so driven by his mission to take down his grandfather. It was a stark contrast to the boy who felt forced to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. Who felt pressured to do whatever William asked. Now he was saying all that had been an act? It had certainly fooled me.

Only a few weeks ago, Noah had punched my father to defend his family. And before that, on the night I first met William Hastings, Noah had so easily followed his grandfather’s order to end our relationship and broken my heart. He’d then spent these last weeks acting like he couldn’t stand me. Was this all a part of his performance? And if it was, how did he really feel? The questions piled up in my head. I didn’t know which one I wanted answered first. And which ones I didn’t want to know the answer to at all.

“You said you wanted to make William pay.” Luckily, my mom spoke first. Her eyes were thoughtful as she looked between Noah and my dad. “What did he do?”

“He’s done many things over the years,” Noah replied. His jaw was tight as he spoke, like he was straining to keep a leash on the anger he felt toward his grandfather. It was clear he’d been bottling these feelings up for a long time. “But there’s one thing I will never forgive him for…”

He glanced at Matthew, and I couldn’t tell if he was seeking my father’s approval to continue or if he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to go on. It was clear from the look they shared they both knew what came next. What weren’t they saying? And why did my heart twist with concern?

“What did he do?” I repeated my mom’s question.

Noah nodded at my father, and Matthew exhaled as they broke eye contact. He slowly leaned forward and grasped my hands in his. If I wasn’t concerned before, I certainly was now. Especially when I saw the pain radiating from his eyes.

“What is it?” I whispered.

“There’s no easy way to say this,” Matthew said. “But the fire that killed my sister and Noah’s father.” He drew in a breath. “William was the one who started it.”

My mom gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. I drew back from my father in shock. “But you told me it wasn’t him. That William would never hurt his own son.”

“When I told you that, I didn’t know. There was no evidence that suggested it, and I honestly didn’t think he was capable,” Matthew said, wringing his hands as he leaned back in his seat again. “But Noah discovered the truth.”

“Why would William do that?” my mom asked.

“Money, of course.” Noah spat out the words. “The company needed it, and he got a huge insurance payout on the building.”

“But, his son was in that building…”

“We can’t be sure William knew that at the time,” Matthew added. “But we can be sure he started the blaze.”

“Have you told the police all this?” my mom continued.

“No,” Matthew replied. “William covered his tracks well. A lot of the evidence Noah found wouldn’t hold up in court. But, while we might not have enough to put William behind bars, it’s enough to ensure there’s no doubt in our minds he’s guilty.

“And since we knew we couldn’t bring William the justice he deserved,” Noah added, “we had to seek another means to make him pay.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was all so horrible. But it made sense based on everything I knew about the history between our families and the kind of man William Hastings was. Still, it was hard to know what to think when my emotions were still rioting inside me.

“So, we took the one thing he cares about,” Noah continued. “The thing that feeds his greed. It’s going to kill him to see the Hastings empire absorbed into The LaFleur Corporation.”

“So, this was all about revenge?” The word felt harsh and bitter on my tongue.

“It was more than that,” Matthew answered. “It was also about doing some good with Hastings Labs. Both our companies focus on cancer treatments, and if we work in tandem, I believe we can really make some breakthroughs. If Liam was still alive, he would have been in charge, and the company would have been going in a very different direction.”

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