Ceo's Marriage Miracle. Sophie Pembroke
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‘Maria...you know what it was like for Seb growing up. Our parents were wonderful, loving people—especially to me. But for Seb...our father was different with him. Seb was in training from the moment he could see over the counter in Cattaneo Jewels HQ. He had so much to learn, you see, and it was so important to Papà that Seb know everything he needed to take over the business one day—’
‘And then they left the controlling share to the son they’d not seen since the day he was born,’ Maria finished, surprised at the anger she felt on Seb’s behalf.
It seemed however hard she tried to leave her marriage behind, the emotions it brought up in her still remained.
Noemi pulled a face. ‘Yeah, that’s all...messy. But I’m hoping we can find a way to work it all out. I mean, we’re a family, right?’ The look she gave Maria made it very clear that she was including her sister-in-law in that statement.
A messed-up, separated, bizarre family with history and baggage. But a family.
‘Yes, we are,’ Maria agreed with a sigh. The Cattaneos had been her family long before she’d married Seb. They’d given her a place that had felt like home when her own had felt cold and empty, when her parents had gone away on trips without her, or been too busy with the business to pay her any attention. Despite Salvo’s focus on training Seb, he’d always made sure they’d had time as a family, too. It was just a shame that seemed to be the one thing he hadn’t taught his son.
Salvo and Nicole might be gone, but their children remained—and from the look in Noemi’s eye, Maria knew her friend wouldn’t let them all drift apart without their parents there. And because of Frankie, Maria would always be tied to them, whatever happened between her and her husband.
Noemi beamed, her radiant glow almost too bright to look at. ‘I’m sorry. I just want everyone I love to be as happy as I am.’
‘Trust me, I want that, too,’ Maria replied. ‘But right now I’d settle for just getting through this Christmas without having my heart broken.’ Again.
Taking her arm, Noemi pulled Maria up from the bed. ‘Come on. We’re going to go downstairs and find your gorgeous little boy, pour you a glass of wine, and just enjoy all being together for Christmas. Okay?’
‘Okay.’ Resigned to making the most of her visit, Maria smiled and followed her sister-in-law back down the stairs.
And really, when Noemi put it like that, Christmas at the chalet sounded pretty good. She could enjoy this Christmas. Frankie could get to know his papà again, and maybe they could find middle ground between the past year and the one before it. One that gave them all what they needed to feel content at least, if not the incandescent happiness Noemi had found.
Maria could get back to the new life she’d forged for herself, and even if it never felt totally complete without Seb, perhaps he could still be enough a part of their lives to satisfy him and give Frankie the father he deserved.
It wouldn’t be everything. But maybe it would be enough.
It would have to be.
* * *
Seb felt an icy chill that had nothing to do with the Mont Coeur snow sneak up his spine at his brother’s words. ‘The business?’ he echoed.
This was it. This was when Leo told him that he wanted more than just a controlling share of Cattaneo Jewels—this was where his big brother took it over completely. Pushed him out and made the company his own.
And then what would he have left?
It made sense, in a way. Leo was the hotshot businessman—and he’d made it by himself. All his successes, wealth, everything were down to Leo. He hadn’t had Salvo Cattaneo guiding his every move, telling him when he was about to screw up and helping him fix it. Leo hadn’t had anyone. Not their parents, not his useless-sounding adoptive family. All he’d been able to rely on—and put his success down to—was his own hard work and natural talent.
Sebastian, on the other hand... His father had spent years drilling him in exactly what was expected from the heir to the family business, and Seb had worked like hell to prove himself. But it hadn’t been enough, had it? Salvo had still left the controlling share of the business to Leo, not Seb.
No wonder Leo wanted to shake things up. He’d have his own ways of doing things, new ideas and exciting possibilities.
And, sure, Seb had kept things afloat in the meantime, kept the profits ticking over nicely, thank you. But he had just been building on what was already there, not creating anything new. Even Noemi, as the face of Cattaneo Jewels, had had more influence on the shape of the company, from the outside, anyway. She’d been pushing for more, too, and as much as Seb had known she was capable of it, he’d been holding back on letting her in.
This was his responsibility, Salvo had always told him. It was up to Seb to make the company a success, to look after his sister and his mother if anything happened to him.
How badly must he have failed for things to have come to this?
But then Leo spoke again, and Seb’s understanding of the world shifted once more.
‘I want to sign my shares in the family business over to you.’
Seb turned to stare at his brother in astonishment. ‘You’re walking away? After everything, you’re turning your back on your family?’
How? Leo had admitted he’d spent his whole life without a family. How could he walk away just when he’d found them? Just when Sebastian had thought they might be finding some common ground...
But Leo was smiling. Indulgently, even.
Wait. What was he missing?
Apart from the opportunity to get back what he’d always wanted—control of Cattaneo Jewels. How was it possible that he’d missed the implications of that, even for a moment? He’d been too concerned with the idea of losing his brother when he’d only just found him.
Huh. That was a surprise.
‘I’m not walking away from our family, Seb,’ Leo said. ‘I’m just putting the responsibility for the business back where it belongs.’
‘With...me?’
Leo nodded. ‘You’re the one who has worked so hard to build the business up, to keep it flourishing even when you were grieving for our parents. You’re the one who deserves it.’
‘But our parents... This was their dying wish.’ And as much as Seb wanted to reach out and grab what Leo was offering, now he knew it didn’t mean his brother leaving, and as great as it would be to take back control of his life in some small way, he knew he couldn’t deny his parents’ desires like that.
‘I don’t think it was,’ Leo said, shaking his head. He sat forward, angling his body towards Seb as he spoke, and for a moment Seb could imagine that they were young boys together, plotting an adventure behind their parents’ backs.
‘It was in the will,’ Seb said stubbornly.
‘A will that was written years ago,’ Leo pointed out. ‘Before they ever knew if they would find me. I’ve been thinking about this a lot—hell, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things lately.’
‘Ever since you met Anissa,’ Seb guessed.
Leo laughed. ‘Yeah, perhaps. Anyway, the point is, that will...it was a way to bring our family together if our parents weren’t there to do it themselves. And it’s done that, right? We’re all here, at Mont Coeur, in time for Christmas.’
‘I...guess so.’
‘So it’s done its job. I don’t need those shares to remind me I’m your brother, or that Noemi is my sister. And I hope I don’t need them to earn my place in this family.’
‘Of course not!’ However badly he might