“Your car is fine, sir.” Tomás blocked the other side of the hallway.
Cindy touched his arm. “I’m sorry to trick you, Mr. Hall, but Patricia has blocked contact between us for the last two years.” Her heart pounded so loudly she wondered if she’d hear his response.
“Cindy?” He leaned closer and squinted.
Excitement trilled through her veins. “I would very much like to take ownership of Knight Studios, Mr. Hall.”
“What do you mean,blocked contact?” He folded his arms.
“I mean I didn’t know about the trust or anything until just a few minutes ago.”
“I’m confused.” He looked over his shoulder at Patricia standing just inside her office door, hovering like a snake about to strike. “I was led to believe that you walked away from your father’s company and were estranged from your stepmother. And you wouldn’t even speak to me after the funeral.”
Cindy held up a finger. She stepped to her desk and pulled open the top drawer. “This was taken a week before Daddy passed at a release party. I’ve kept it in my desk so I can look at it every day while I work here.” She pointed to the swivel chair. “We can turn on the computer and I’ll show you documents I created less than a week ago.”
Mr. Hall contemplated the image.
“And I can assure you…,” said Beau, as he joined the group. Cindy stared at the rip in his shirt and the claw marks on his neck. Despite his rough appearance, he was all swagger and confidence. “She’s been actively working for the company as a scriptwriter.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “And she’s excellent at what she does.”
Cindy glowed. In all their conversations, he’d never told her if he liked the script. She kind of assumed he did, but having an actor at Beau’s level praise her work was empowering.
Patricia pounced. “Don’t believe a word they say, Hall. They threatened to do this unless I gave Cindy a lump sum of money. She’s playing you for a fool.”
Hall’s head swung back and forth like a lone cameraman on a reality television show.
Drusilla ran down the hallway, holding a phone. She threw it at Beau, who stepped in front of Cindy and snatched it out of the air.
“I deleted your post.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “Go ahead and marry her. She’s just a bug Mother’s going to squish, and then I’ll be the big star.”
Cindy glanced at Patricia before speaking to Mr. Hall again. “I’m sorry I didn’t respond to you after the funeral. I had just lost my family. My father meant the world to me, and legal issues were the farthest thing from my mind.” Her voice caught.
“You see how emotional she is. She is in no shape to run a company,” said Patricia.
Mr. Hall waved her off and motioned for Cindy to continue.
“Since then, I’ve realized that I do have a family.” She looked at Tomás and Daphne, who had joined the group. And Billy from accounting and Sarah from casting and the dozen other people who had stayed through Knight’s darkest hours and gathered to hear the outcome of this true reality show. Behind them were the actors and actresses, directors and producers forEgypt’s Gold. “This place is full of people who care about me and whom I love very much.”
Beau nudged her. “Does that include me?”
She nudged him back and winked. They’d get to the fishing later. “I’ve done all I can to keep this family together, and I would love nothing more than to assume the responsibility of running this company.”
Mr. Hall put his glasses back on. “You want the trust? If you want it to transfer to you, I need to hear the words.”
Cindy took a deep breath. “I want the trust.”
He smiled. “It’s yours.”
Patricia screamed. “Nooooo!” She lurched, claws bared. Cindy threw her arms over her face.
Beau stepped between them, Patricia’s nails dragging down his flesh, leaving behind nasty red welts. He grabbed her wrists, holding her arms out to the side. She gnashed at him with her teeth, but he was able to keep her far enough back that she didn’t connect. When she realized she was overpowered, she sagged.
Cindy spoke low, her voice menacing. “I want y’all out of my office.”
“You own the house too,” added Mr. Hall.
Cindy’s hand went to her forehead.Herhome? Herhome! “And my home,” Cindy added.
Patricia’s head came up. “But, but we’re family,” she backpedaled. “You said so yourself.”
