Chapter 28
Sherry
Chardonnay had been preparing for this town hall meeting for so long, I couldn’t believe it was here.
The board rescheduled on her twice, but all that did was give her more time to build her case.
We were all here in support. All the Grasso’s, even Mom and Dad, who flew back from their current expedition in Italy.
Dad had said he trusted us to handle this, and had all the faith, but he wanted front row seats to the takedown.
Apparently, he had a few interactions with Ben’s father over the years and none of them were good.
It amazed me how intertwined our lives were. How fate had been weaving us together long before we met. How the invisible strings pulled us toward each other through tangled family histories that we hadn’t even known overlapped.
We had spent decades unaware of each other, the legacy battles we were born into, and yet somehow, we found each other. Now we stood together, not just as allies, but as something much stronger and unbreakable.
As I looked around the room and saw my family that had welcomed him even when they discovered his true identity, the townspeople who had claimed him as one of their own, I realized this wasn’t just a takedown for Ben, but proof that family wasn’t the one you were born into.
It was the ones who showed up for you, even when you made mistakes.
The ones who would give you a second chance and never expect anything in return.
Years ago, my grandfather made a little boy feel seen. Now that little boy was protecting his legacy, even if it meant going against the one he was born into. Kindness is a virtue, and my grandfather didn’t just preach it. He lived by it.
Lainey was here, too, but this time she didn’t bring cake. All the locals knew that once this was over, they could all head to the tasting room, and Lainey would serve them as many slices of cake as they wanted. She didn’t want the enemy to have any joy today.
Albert stood in the back, arms crossed over his dirt-stained overalls, mumbling about the only reason he showed up was for the cake.
The suits arrived, filing in like a Men in Black convention, one more rigid than the next. Albert turned his nose up at them and barely moved out of their way. They took their seats at the front of the room where Chardonnay was setting up her presentation.
Craig hit the gavel on the podium, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Please take your seats so we can get started.”
There was a shuffle of bodies as everyone got situated.
Ben sat beside me, and I took his hand. It had been a lifetime of being under his father’s twisted games and manipulation, and he was finally going to witness someone fighting against the man who had gave him hope with his label only to strip it away from him.
I wanted Gold Crest to fail in their expansion efforts in Vine Valley and protect my town and the legacy my family had built, but more than ever, I wanted Ben to witness real justice.
He might not have been able to get his own, but at least he could see what it looked like when people came together, and not out of fear or obligation, but out of loyalty, respect, and love.
It was the kind of unity he’d never known growing up. It was more than justice. It was redemption and an insight into what his future could be once he left the past behind.
“What the hell is taking so long?” Albert grumbled from the back and Odette gasped.
“No cursing.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Hell is not a damn curse.”
“Albert!” she gasped again. “Can you behave? We have guests.”
“Guests?” he scoffed. “More like royal pains in all of our asses.”
The Men in Black entourage didn’t even crack a smirk.
Odette glared daggers at Albert. “Language!”
“Albert, are you through?” Craig asked as he adjusted his hold on the podium.
“I was done the minute I walked in the door. You’re the one with the gavel. Hurry this along.”
“Chardonnay, are you ready?” Craig asked.
A smile curled at the edges of Chardonnay’s mouth, going much higher than usual.
She wasn’t just ready. She was ready to destroy Gold Crest. Laurent squeezed her arm and took a seat with the rest of us.
Chardonnay stepped forward, making eye contact throughout the crowd, demanding attention in a way only Char could.
“Today, we are here to expose the truth.” Her voice was calm but cut through the silence.
She didn’t continue right away. She let the words settle in and make their mark.
She held up a remote and pointed to the screen that hung from the wall.
“Gold Crest came into our county with promises of partnership, progress, and prosperity. What they delivered is manipulation, deceit, and destruction, and I have the receipts.”
One of the Men in Black shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and when a smirk appeared on Char’s face, I knew she noticed it, too.
A low murmur rippled through the crowd, and even Albert leaned forward.
Chardonnay clicked the remote. Damaged equipment caught on camera appeared with a timestamp.
Her eyes darted to the front row of suits.
She took her time, looking each one of them in the eye, proving they didn’t intimidate her in the least.
“Sherry,” Char said, and Ben squeezed my thigh for support before I stood, ready for my part. I confidently walked to the front of the room and silently applauded myself when I didn’t trip over air. Char nodded at me, and I nodded back. I stared down the front row of suits.
“Someone canceled a very important rental order I had placed, then rented out the business's entire inventory, so I wouldn’t have a backup plan.” I took a settling breath and let the silence settle in before continuing.
“At first, I thought it was a mistake, a miscommunication, but then I got the voice recording. The voice is mine, except I never made the call. Someone either used old voicemails and clipped them together, or worse, used AI to mimic my voice.”
Gasps and murmurs spread through the room, and I waited for them to dissipate.
I nodded to Char, and she clicked the next slide—an audio waveform and transcript hit the screen.
“This isn’t just unethical; it’s personal. You tried to make my family’s business look bad and tried to destroy everything I have worked so hard for. Unfortunately for you, it didn’t work. Not this time, at least.”
I locked eyes with Char and went back to my seat.
Char stepped in front of the screen, making sure to focus on every single person in the front row.
“You thought you could hide behind money, lawyers, and silence, but you underestimated one thing.” Her gaze cut away, and she smiled out at the rest of the room.
“We fight for our own in this town. I have eyes and ears all over Vine Valley, and those eyes and ears extend throughout the county, as well as across the map to California. This isn’t the first time you’ve tried to use manipulation and sabotage to undermine a competitor. ”
She clicked the remote, and more pictures layered in on top of the first. Countless images of damage from equipment to bottles to furniture. Many of the images other wineries, other businesses that were bullied by Gold Crest.
Ben exhaled a slight laugh beside me. I glanced over at him, and he shook his head. “I recognize some of them. Wineries in California. I had no idea he’s been doing this for so long.”
“Objection!” one of the suits in the front said as he leaped from his seat.
“Objection?” Char said without blinking an eye. “This isn’t a court of law. It’s a town hall meeting, and you don’t get to object to the truth.”
The man snatched at his tie and adjusted it on his neck before sitting down. A rush of pride ran through me. Char was a badass, and I was lucky to not only witness it, but to call her my sister.
She clicked the remote again, and this time a spreadsheet filled the screen. The sound of people shifting to look closer spread through the room.
“This is from Napa. A vineyard that nearly went bankrupt after a deal with Gold Crest mysteriously fell through. Same tactics. Same playbook. Different coast.”
A few gasps sounded around us as Char continued to show proof after proof after proof until she landed on a familiar label. Redmark Reserve appeared on the screen, and Ben stiffened beside me, but before Char could continue, a loud, low applause came from the door.
A symphony of noise echoed in the air as everyone’s attention turned toward the clapping.
An intimidating figure in a black suit moved in, still clapping, attention zeroed in on Char.
Brady shot up, along with Dad, Laurent, Franc, Nero, and Rhone.
Albert closed in on the man as if he would tackle him if it was necessary.
Tension spread through the room, thick and unbreakable.
“Wait. Isn’t that—?” I asked to no one in particular.
Ben’s jaw ticked. “My father.”