Your Fierce Love (The Bennett Family)(37)

Shepperd narrows his eyes. Meyer jerks his head back.

"I'm going to make this simple for you, gentlemen." Both gape at me as I  push two stacks of papers in their directions. "You're going to sign  these, and if you ever talk or write about my family, you're going to  pay for it."

The two men look too stunned to speak for a few moments, then Shepperd starts.

"Freedom of the press-"

"Does not give you free reign to lie," I say coldly. "Do libel and defamation ring a bell?"

Shepperd smirks, but Meyer starts reading the document in front of him.

I have a team of lawyers who can build a solid case of libel and  defamation on short notice, which is how fake stories usually die. Some  have a very wrong idea of what freedom of the press means compared to  what the law actually states.

If all that fails, good old threatening and bribing shuts people up, at  least for a while. It's my least favorite mode of operation because not  only does it feel like rewarding those bastards, but it also leaves the  door open for them to try to extort us later down the road. That's why  bribing usually comes with some solid threatening and intimidating.

Right now, they are both reading the documents in front of them, and I can practically see the color drain out of them. Good.

"You can't-this is insane," Shepperd mutters. "I run a gossip segment-"

"So glad you brought that up. You aren't running it anymore."

"What?"

"Ring up Sheldon," I say, referring to the person right above him in the  hierarchy. "You'll find out he's waiting for your resignation." Turning  to Meyer, I say, "The same is true for you."

"Are you insane?" Meyer exclaims. "Horowitz-"

"Hates your guts, as does half the network." As do I. Just imagining  this slimeball making Clara's life hard is enough to make me want to  punch him. His willingness to sell out my family only adds gasoline to  the fire. "So, don't let the door hit you on your way out. But before,  you'll both sign those documents, or I will make your lives very hard."

I pull myself to my full height, glaring at both of them. My bet is they  will cave within thirty seconds. They cave after twelve.

***



"Hello, fellow Bennetts," I say two days later, stepping inside Sebastian's office.

He sits behind his desk, while Logan paces around. They both look at me  curiously. I asked them to meet me for lunch today, which is why I  brought burgers for everyone.

"Double cheese." I put one brown paper bag in front of Sebastian, then hand the other to Logan, saying, "Extra pickles."

"Why did you want to meet?" Logan asks as we start on our lunch.

"To give you a heads-up about a few things. I got wind that the slimebags from We See You plan to trash Sebastian."

I start by telling them everything I know from Clara and then everything I found out through my own digging.

Logan swears; Sebastian just leans back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the desk.

"These people never give up, do they?" Logan asks through gritted teeth.  "If they don't have fodder for tabloids, they make it up."

"Exactly," I confirm. "But I killed the entire story. Just wanted you two to know in case anyone contacts you about it."

"Blake," Sebastian says slowly, "I appreciate this, but I don't want you  to get caught up in this fight. You can waste your life fighting the  tabloids, but there's no winning here."

"Sebastian, you're too cerebral for your own good," Logan says. "I'm with Blake on this one."

"It's the reverse of the medal," Sebastian continues. "The press spent  years building me up to be some kind of superhero, now they want another  angle. After all, there are only so many articles you can write about  the success of a company and its founding family. After a while, you  want some dirt, something to prove their life isn't perfect either.  People like a success story, but they love a scandal and tearing others  down more."                       
       
           


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"Lucky I like tearing down people who try to tear down the family," I  say dryly. I lost count on how many stories I've killed over the years.  Daniel and I started doing this to stop our own stupidity from damaging  the family. In our early twenties, we went from one wild party to  another, and that's fodder for tabloids. As the years went by and Daniel  and I appeared less in public, the type of stories the press was after  changed. They wanted dirt especially on the oldest trio-Logan,  Sebastian, and Pippa-since they're the pillars of Bennett Enterprises.

In the beginning, we mostly had to kill facts that leaked out, such as  details about Pippa's divorce, which leaked because of my own big mouth.  But as Daniel and I became more careful, the press was fabricating  stories-one in particular was a painstakingly detailed fake account of  Logan making deals behind Sebastian's back with the goal of seizing  control of the company. I remember feeling sick to my stomach about the  lengths to which people would go. Finding out about these things and  killing them before they reach the public is a tedious and relentless  job, but someone has to do it. Daniel and I are up for it. We owe  Sebastian so much; this is the least we can do.

Most of the time, we didn't even tell our eldest siblings. They had  enough on their minds without having to worry about such imbecilic  attempts to discredit them. Now I'm thinking that might not have been  the best approach, because I don't think Sebastian actually realizes the  extent to which some people would go, and the damage they can do.

"Look," Sebastian continues, "these types of stories hurt only as much  as you allow them to. As long as you and those you care about know the  truth, nothing else matters."

Groaning, I drag a hand down my face. I can see his point, but what he  doesn't seem to realize is that if your name is dragged in the mud often  enough, people start doubting you, and doubts are the hardest to fight  or disprove.

Logan raises a skeptical eyebrow. "I for one would rather not read accounts of you having a double life, even if they're fake."

"Exactly." Agreeing with Logan so thoroughly on a topic happens so rarely that this is almost weird.

Sebastian shakes his head, shrugging. "In that case, heads-up-it's  possible a story about me trying to take back everyone's shares will be  published next week."

When he set up Bennett Enterprises, Sebastian gave every single one of  us shares in the company-one of the many reasons I'll owe him for the  rest of my life.

"What the fuck?" Logan exclaims, mirroring my thoughts. How did I miss that?

"I want all the details," I say at once.

Sebastian hesitates, then spills it all out, and I already make a fight plan.

"I'll handle this," I assure him, even though it's a bit late in the game to kill a story.

"Blake-" Sebastian begins, but Logan puts his hand up.

"You go ahead with whatever you're planning," Logan tells me,  interrupting him. Then he points at Sebastian with his thumb. "This one  needs saving from his own too-democratic ways."

I grin. "Consider it done."

"By the way, since you're here, we also wanted to talk to you about something else," Logan says. "Clara."

"What are your intentions with her?" they ask in unison. I choke on  nothing at all, then cough up a lung. This took an unexpected turn.

"You've got to be kidding me," I exclaim once I stop coughing. They are  not. That's the Bennett clan, versatile as ever, effortlessly jumping  from planning our attack on the press to cornering me, because why not  kill two birds with one stone?

"She's practically family," Sebastian insists. "And you two have been going at it for a while now."

"Going at it?" I ask blankly. "Who says that? You're getting old, Sebastian."

Sebastian looks at me sternly. I know for a fact this is his boardroom stare, and it would intimidate a lesser man, but not me.

"Stop messing with us." Logan's tone is hard. I could explain it all,  but hazing them is more fun. Besides, this is between Clara and me.

"Easy, Logan. I was getting used to you not riding my ass anymore. I need some time to get back in the saddle."

Logan gives me his own boardroom stare. What is it with these two today?  Did they have a drink or ten and forgot this stare has zero effect on  me?

"Where do you see this going?" Sebastian insists.

"This is between Clara and me," I placate him, flummoxed to be getting  the talk from my own brothers. "My own blood cornering me. I can't  believe it."                       
       
           


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