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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.”