They made their way toward the red carpet, but their progress was stopped by Wallace Jagger. She shook Wallace's hand, seeing the nervousness in his gaze. "Don't worry," she said. "I think you'll like the way your relationship with Natasha is portrayed. No matter how it started, she genuinely cared about you."
Wallace nodded. "I loved her very much, even though I always knew her love was never as deep as mine. I'm glad she was able to turn her life around before she was killed. I just wish I'd known that Constantine, Edward and Sylvia were my enemies. They were stealing information from me and using me, and I never knew it. I wish I'd also realized that Ryland had become their target as well, once he took over the company. Although, he did know it," Wallace added, with disappointment in his gaze. "Ryland made some mistakes, but he's trying to make it right now with his testimony."
"I'm very glad he's being cooperative."
"I was such a fool to think any of those people were my friends. I'm embarrassed by how gullible I was."
"You weren't alone," another man said, as he joined them.
"Daniel," she said, giving him a quick hug. They'd become good friends in the last seven months, and he'd been very helpful in filling in some of the blanks of her grandmother's life.
"I was also suckered in," Daniel said. "I had no idea Natasha spied on me, and I never really thought she'd been murdered. But now the truth will be told—at last."
"How's Lindsay doing?" she asked.
"She's going to have a lot to deal with in the next year or two," he said somberly. "While she was being blackmailed, she was also committing treason. It was different for me. I didn't know that Natasha was stealing from me when she was in my office or my home, whereas Lindsay knew what she was doing. She was scared, but that's no excuse. I'm hoping her sentence will be lighter with her cooperation."
"She has been very cooperative," Jax interjected. "That will help."
"I hope so." He smiled at Jax. "You are your father’s son, smarter than most and always a winner. But you still need to work on your chess game."
"Maybe you’ll give me a rematch," Jax said.
"I’d love to." Glancing around, Daniel added, "Natasha would have been thrilled to see this crowd come out for her."
"Yes, she would have," Wallace agreed. "She loved an audience.
Maya stiffened as she saw her grandfather making his way across the sidewalk with the help of her mom and dad. To her knowledge, he had not spoken to either Wallace or Daniel since Natasha's death, and she wasn't sure what they thought of each other.
But as greetings were exchanged, it became clear that they were bonded by their love for Natasha, even though at times they had been competitors for her affection.
As the men made their way into the theater, her family descended upon her with hugs and good wishes.
Her father looked a bit nervous but also resolute. "I thought I'd left all this behind," he said, sweeping his hand toward the photographers and the press. "But here I am again. I never should have tried to outrun my past." He paused. "You were right, Maya. It was better to know the truth, the whole truth." He gave her a hug, followed by her mom, her brother-in-law, and her sister.
"We're so proud of you," Darcy said. "I can't wait to see what you've been working on."
As her family moved into the theater, Jax gave her a smile. "They all came around."
"They did. I wish my brother could have been here, but he couldn't get away. He promised to see the film the first day it opens." As she finished speaking, Jax's team came down the sidewalk.
Caitlyn and Beck were flying solo, while Flynn was with Callie, Wyatt was with Avery, and Savannah was with Ryker. It was fun to see them all wearing suits and cocktail dresses.
She was starting to love the team as much as Jax did, especially since they'd managed to find hard evidence connecting Constantine to the deaths of Jax's parents. Constantine would pay for that crime along with many others, and Jax would get justice for his mom and his dad.
She hadn't been sure about putting his parents into her movie, but Jax had insisted. His father's conversation with Natasha had been pivotal in bringing forth the entire story, and it needed to be in there. She just hoped she'd done a