“Foxton?” Seffi’s voice quivers.
“He’s my great-great-grandfather,” Scott states.
Seffi’s eyes fly wildly to everyone in the room, searching for some explanation – some other meaning– but I don’t have one.
My eyes drop to the death grip she now has on Scott’s hand, looking at the cuts and scrapes on her knuckles.
“What does that mean? That we’re related?” she asks me, but I still don’t have the answers. Or at least, I don’t know what I can say to take away the initial shock.
“Distantly,” Ivy interjects. “You’re like third cousins. You have less than one percent DNA in common. Even the Queen and Prince Philip were distantly related.”
“Can we have … I want …” The tears well in her eyes, and they slay my heart. This shouldn't be a problem – it shouldn’t matter that there’s a connection. But I can see in her eyes that there’s doubt and unease where there was once only love and hope.
Ivy stands and goes to sit next to her, something that I want to do, but I can’t bring my body to move. Her hand is still in Scott’s, and he’s not moved. He’s like a granite statue.
He’s meant to be the enemy – or rather, he has been the enemy for years. We were fighting about a betrayal, apparently, although it’s all been vague. Maybe somebody did know? Maybe the fact that our families hate each other is all because of the affair all those years ago. It would make sense. But then I look at Scott and Seffi and realise I’m just guessing at facts.
“Does Landon know?” Scott breaks the silence.
“Do I know what?” Landon walks in, announcing himself in a way that only Landon can.
My stomach lurches at what might unfold.
“That the real fucking reason that we’ve hated each other all these years is that you’ve been hiding the fact that you’re an illegitimate family, with no right to the Broderick name.”
Landon levels a glare at Scott. “I now know that there was an alleged affair between our great-great-grandparents, which was, for whatever reason, covered up. I also know there are a plethora of other reasons why we hate you.”
“Landon!” I scold.
“No, Neve. Let me make one thing clear. I don’t care what scandal or what history our family tree was uncovered. The facts are simple. Broderick Media is our company. Mine actually, if we're getting fucking technical.”
“And you’re not even a Broderick.” Scott stands, confronting Landon.
“There’s no claim, Scott. So I suggest you get any ideas of what you’re owed out of your head. This changes nothing between our companies or families.”
“Isn’t that the arrogant view that got your father shot?”
Seffi stands and shoves Scott back, forcing him to change his attention to her. “How could you? How could you use my father’s death like that? Are you more interested in what this could mean to your family and the company than what it could mean for us?” She shows no signs of the teary-eyed girl I was worried about just a few moments ago. This is the Seffi that conquered her world and followed her heart above all else.
“It doesn’t change a thing between us. Ivy said so. Nothing that anyone can say will change the way I feel about you. And it shouldn’t change the way you feel about me, either.” He runs his palm against her neck and cups her cheek. It’s an intimate move that makes me draw breath.
My own eyes mist with that declaration, and I wonder if Noah and I had met under different circumstances, would he feel that way about me?
Seffi’s temper softens under Scott’s touch, and she turns to face Landon, whose expression still says he’s ready to murder someone.
“This secret. This scandal has nearly torn this family apart. I’m not willing to let that happen,” she declares as if it’s as simple as that. “We’ve lost Daddy, and Landon’s shot a man,but we’re still here. We are still standing, and I won’t let this destroy us any further. Ivy, you need to make amends with Neve.”
“Hey, I’m not the one-”
“Shut up, Ivy. No. We are going to mend. We are going to forgive, and we are going to move on. If I can move past everything that’s happened over the last few months – all the heartache, the lies and secrets, and now this? If I can do it, you all can, too.”
She looks at each one of us in turn. My heart squeezes in my chest at how proud I am of her. I’ll play along, hoping that the others pay attention to her words. Although, I’m not sure it’s that easy to forgive and forget.
I cast my gaze towards Ivy, and she gives me a slight nod, which I then return. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
“Now that everything's out in the open, what next?” Ivy asks nobody in particular.
“Scott and I are going to head back to Earlwood. I’d like to spend some time with Mother. She’s flying in from Chicago soon.”
