Page 135 of Ice Rebel

I was about to wring my sister’s neck.

“Pat. Don’t be an asshole.”

“Mom!” Beck chastised. “You shouldn’t curse.”

Her laugh was also entirely different. I was going to lose my mind.

“If someone doesn’t tell me what is going on…” I searched my parents’ faces, my dad finally softening.

“You should never believe the worst in people. Any of you. Take this as a strong reminder,” Pops started. “Consolidated Technologies did not purchase a single piece of property in North Bend. However, Black Enterprises did. The rink. All the properties involved, turning around and offering a one-hundred-year lease to every North Bend family. They get the benefit of being paid three times what their properties are worth while remaining in their homes. Plus, the rink is going to be renovated. The only change is that our children have purchased the sawmill and this house so it will always remain in the family.”

“Black Enterprises?” Beck asked, only to have Samantha pop him on the arm.

“You guys are dense. That’s Chelsea. She did this. You have no idea how hard she worked to keep her father from getting his corrupt hands on the properties. She made her father whole and convinced him that he wasn’t interested in the properties any longer. There will no data center anywhere close.” Samantha was beaming.

What?

“You had a hand in this?” Ford asked and I could tell he was as confused as I was.

Our sister blew on her fingers and rubbed her knuckles on her shirt. “Guity as charged. She wanted everything finalized with the city and all the owners before she said anything. She went to the city council. She fought very hard to make this happen.”

“It’s all right here, son,” Dad said, now talking to me. “She had no idea what her father had done or was planning. She did everything in her power to make it right for everyone.”

I slumped against the counter. “With what money?”

“You really are dense,” Samantha told me. “Do you honestly think the daughter of a billionaire isn’t going to have a trust fund? Granted, her father held marriage over her head, which was why she wanted nothing to do with the money or with him. But she figured a legal way of using that and his corruption against him. You should have seen her. You could have if you weren’t such an asshole.”

“Samantha. Don’t talk about your brother that way,” our mother told her, but she also had a twinkle in her eyes.

“A trust fund,” I repeated. “That she wanted nothing to do with.”

“To the tune of a few hundred million dollars.” Samantha waited for the information to sink in. “That she would go without just to be with you. But why bother when she’s rich?”

“This is… amazing. But what about hockey?” Beck asked.

“Son, have you ever heard of delegating? We already have the best people in place to run the operation. Plus,” Dad continued, “we’re not going anywhere except on vacation. Trust me. There is no place your mother and I would rather be than right here. With our family. Including your mates.” He shifted his gaze to me then finished with a glance at Samantha.

I was sick inside, more so because of not trusting her. What the fuck had been wrong with me? After placing my drink on the counter, I walked out, heading to the back door and onto the deck. I definitely needed time to reflect.

On being such an asshole.

I figured my father would join me. Maybe I was hoping he’d tell me just how stupid I’d been, but that wasn’t how my father operated.

“I fucked up,” I told him.

“Yes, son. You did.”

“Have I lost her forever?”

“Well, that’s up to you. Your future is in your hands.”

“You knew about this all along, didn’t you?”

He chuckled. “Not at first. And I honestly didn’t know all the details until she called me earlier today. She was terrified she’d disappoint us all over again. I asked her to stop by and we had a long chat. She’s quite talented, Cole. Maybe one day you can see that and admit it as well.”

“Why didn’t she confide in me?” As soon as I looked at him, I groaned. “She couldn’t trust me.”

“As you decided you couldn’t do with her. That woman loves you. Just in case you haven’t figured that out.”