Cinderella's New York Christmas. Scarlet Wilson

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СКАЧАТЬ father had traditionally sat around at Christmastime? Was this the table that his mother and father had intended for him to sit around with his brother and sister?

      Leo had never wanted to bolt from a place so much in his life. He steadied his breathing.

      Giovanni settled in one of the chairs and spread his papers in front of him.

      Sebastian and Noemi sat down with only a glance at each other. Leo took a few seconds then dragged out one of the heavy chairs too.

      Giovanni waited until everyone was settled then gave them all a nod.

      ‘We all know why we are here.’ He nodded again in particular to Leo. ‘I was your parents’ lawyer for the last thirty years, and I loved them, and miss them, and everything I do today is in accordance with their wishes.’

      There was an edge of anxiety in Giovanni’s voice that Leo picked up on. He cast his eyes over his brother and sister again as he shifted in his seat.

      Giovanni started reading from the paper in front of him. ‘This is the last will and testament of Salvo and Nicole Cattaneo. Salvo and Nicole were the sole owners of Cattaneo Jewels, currently valued at around seventy billion euros.’

      Leo blinked. He knew the jewellery line was famous and international, but he hadn’t realised his parents’ fortune rivalled even his own.

      Giovanni kept talking, ‘It was the wish of Salvo and Nicole that in the event of their death, the business should remain with the family.’ Giovanni pressed his lips together for a second, looking decidedly nervous. ‘As such, the controlling stake in Cattaneo Jewels will pass to Leo Baxter, their eldest biological child.’

      ‘What?’ Sebastian’s chair landed on the floor as he stood up and thumped his hands on the table.

      Noemi’s mouth opened, then closed again.

      Giovanni cleared his throat, refusing to fix on Sebastian’s red face.

      ‘No,’ said Leo, shaking his head. ‘I have no interest in the family business. I don’t even know anything about jewels.’ He stood up too. All he wanted was to get out of there.

      ‘I’ve trained for this my whole life,’ raged Sebastian. ‘Who is he to inherit the business over me?’

      ‘Your brother,’ snapped Giovanni. For the briefest second Leo realised why Salvo and Nicole had worked with this lawyer for thirty years.

      Giovanni held up his hands. ‘Sit down, both of you.’

      Leo met his brother’s angry gaze. He got it. He did. And he had absolutely no interest in this business, but his brother’s reaction annoyed him. It didn’t matter that he partially understood it. He couldn’t hide his flare of anger. Sebastian had got to spend a lifetime with his parents—Leo hadn’t even got to meet them.

      Giovanni gave a shake of his head and Leo settled back into his chair, staring pointedly at Sebastian until he did the same.

      Giovanni continued slowly. ‘There are conditions attached.’

      ‘What conditions?’ Leo couldn’t help it. He’d been in business too long to get caught out.

      ‘Leo must hold the controlling stake in the business for a minimum of six months. The shares can’t be sold, or transferred, to any alternative controlling company or family member.’

      ‘What happens if he does?’ Noemi’s voice was shaky.

      Giovanni looked at all three of them. ‘Any attempt to violate the terms of the will mean that the company shall cease trading and will be liquidated with its assets distributed amongst the other existing four hundred shareholders.’

      ‘What?’ Sebastian’s voice sounded wheezy. His eyes were wide.

      Leo sat frozen in his chair. He was a businessman. He had a head for business. He knew exactly what this was.

      ‘This is blackmail,’ he said coldly.

      ‘No,’ said Noemi quietly.

      ‘Manipulation, then.’

      She turned to face him and gave a slow nod. ‘You could be right.’

      ‘But why?’ Leo leaned across the table towards Giovanni. ‘Why on earth would—’ he couldn’t even bring himself to say the words ‘parents’—‘Salvo and Nicole do this?’

      Giovanni sighed and leaned back in his chair.

      ‘Did this just happen?’ interjected Sebastian angrily. ‘Did they just do this because they found Leo?’

      Leo drummed his fingers on the table. He couldn’t get his head around this at all. ‘Were they sick?’

      Giovanni started.

      Leo’s brain was struggling to make any sense of this at all. He asked again, ‘Were they sick?’ He shook his head. ‘This doesn’t make any sense. I don’t imagine for a second that they could have predicted the accident they were in, so the only other thing I can think of was that they were sick. They were trying to find a way that we...’ he paused for a second at that word ‘...would all have to work together. Nothing else makes sense.’

      Sebastian looked pale. His eyes found Noemi. ‘We would have known. They would have told us.’

      She gave a bewildered shrug. ‘They didn’t tell us about Leo until a month ago. And only then because I found his letter.’

      Giovanni cleared his throat. ‘Their will has always said this.’

      ‘What?’ This time it was three voices in unison.

      Giovanni gave a slow shake of his head. ‘They always believed they would find Leo. Initially, the will just named him as “the eldest biological child”. They never stopped searching. Even if they died before they found him, they still wanted him to know he was always part of the family, and to give him the opportunity to know the family business.’ Giovanni took a deep breath. ‘They believed in family. You know that.’ He shook his head. ‘They changed the will to include his name as soon as they found him. But the truth is he was always included. In their eyes, he was always part of the family—whether they knew his new name or not.’

      Noemi blinked and looked between Leo and Sebastian. ‘This isn’t about the business,’ she said quietly.

      Leo could tell Sebastian was still angry. There was a tiny tic in his jaw. But he met his sister’s gaze and gave her the slightest nod. ‘I know that.’ It was the most conciliatory thing he’d said since Leo had got there.

      Leo felt blindsided and he hated that. Every business meeting, every potential deal, he always went in prepared. He would know the background, the finances, the personalities and their quirks before he even set foot in the room.

      But here? For the first time since he’d been a child he felt totally out of his depth.

      It felt as if the room was closing in around him, suffocating him with the heat from the fire, the love from the pictures on the wall, and that horrible feeling of emptiness inside.

      Sebastian’s СКАЧАТЬ