Jade woke up the next morning to a beautiful love text message from Jake. She couldn’t help but smile sheepishly at the cheesy write up of his text.
“To the love of my life and queen of my heart, I’m saying a good morning and I love you…..
She read the other part of the message with a broad smile and a heavy blush on her face. She’d love to call him, but he promised to come call later. She could tell he was already busy with a lot of things.
She looked at the date, it was just Tuesday, three days to go before she sees him, and that was enough time to prepare a surprise for him.
She got herself ready for work, she made a few plans about how she was going to spend her day. After work she’d pay the Walker sibling a visit, it’s been a while since she last saw them.
With that in mind, Jade walked out of her room to see her mother and her brother having a staring contest.
She squinted her eyes and looked at the duo, doing whatever they thought they were doing. She pulled out a seat and sat on the table, looking from her mother to Kevin. She lolled back on her seat and watched them while they continued their round of foolishness. She was sure they had been arguing about something and they had both decided to settle it with a staring contest. Does this ever get old.
Her mother was actually the one acting like a child and indulging in such childishness.
Looking at the glass of what looked like seaweed juice, Jade was sure Kelvin is trying to fight his away out of taking a glass of veggies.
After several seconds of the intense madness, Jade picked up a spoon and rang it hard against the table, slightly distracting Kelvin, who’s eyes darted towards her.
“That’s enough, Kelvin drink up and let’s have a quiet breakfast” Jade said authoritatively. She didn’t have the time to waste on this, she had left the office early yesterday, and was pretty sure there was a lot to do today.
“Ha I won” Grace announced victoriously, throwing her hands in the air, making Jade look at her like with a slightly disappointed eyes, she sighed and shook her head, while Kelvin glared at their mother, before glaring at her.
“This is all your fault” He accused her, scowling at her intently.
“Stop whining like a baby and drink your milk” Grace said tauntingly.
“That’s not milk, and I don’t know what it is. Milk are not green in color” He gruffed.
“Well then, green is the new milk. Now drink up and eat your breakfast” Grace ordered.
“That’s is oppression. This is against my fundamental human rights” He complained as he reluctantly picked up the glass and gulped it down, before coming up for air with a distorted look on his face.
“I hate all of you” He cried out, while they others snickered at him.
“You look better this morning. Have you stopped fighting with him?” Grace inquisitively asked.
“Hmm?” Jade looked at her mother with confusion.
“Yeah I think so too” Kelvin concurred, while trying to rid his tongue of the bland taste of the awkward juice they had just made him drink. He has always wondered what his mother always put in it.
Jade looked at her mom with an instructable look. What the hell were they saying?
When did she tell them she and Jake were having a fight.
“Mom I don’t know where you got that idea from but Jake and I are not fighting or quarrelling or anything of that sort. We’re fine” She informed them, as she looked from her mother to Kelvin.
“You were not?” Grace asked while Jade shook her head.
“So why were you acting all grumpy and sad all weekend. Especially after your party?” Kelvin inquired. He had been worried that they had broken up before he could get his new game set.
“Well that’s because I had issues at work to handle, but it’s fine now” She lied. She didn’t want to mention anything about Jake’s situation at work, her mom might get worried.
“Really?” Grace cocked her brow.
“Yes Mom really” She assured her.
“Well that’s good to know. I guess I was just worried for nothing then. But please don’t act that way again, you got us worried” Grace told her.
“Sure. I’m sorry if I got you guys worried” She apologized.
“It’s okay”
“Pheeww, thank God, I almost thought i was going to lose out on my new –” He stopped himself when he realized he had almost given himself away.
“Lose out on what?” They asked in unison, as they looked at him intently.
Kelvin met the awkward and inquisitive gaze they were shooting at him. He flashed an awkward smile and said, “On my school bus”
“Huh?”
“Haha, I thought it was past the time for my school bus. Ha, I guess I still have half an hour” He said with an awkward smile on his face.
Grace and Jade narrowed their eyes at him, suspiciously for a while, before focusing their attention on breakfast.
Jade enjoyed her breakfast with her family before heading for work. She was feeling more better and refreshed than she was yesterday. She happily strolled into the company and made her way to her office. She had only walked through the door when a familiar yet annoying figure bumped shoulders against her.
This was a bad way to start the morning.
Jade wasn’t so surprised when Stephanie bumped her shoulders against hers. The girl was pure evil so nothing she does should be of much surprise to her anymore.
“Watch where you are going bi*ch” Stephanie cussed as she turned to glare at Jade. Jade clearly heard what Stephanie had called her but she didn’t want to waste her energy on her. So she simply ignored her and moved ahead.
Stephanie frowned when Jade ignored her. She had expected her to say something, she wanted her to say but she actually ignored her?
She turned livid when she saw two junior colleagues just like Jade herself standing close by. From the look they were giving her, she was sure they had not only seen what she had done, they had also heard her cuss Jade.
She noticed how the ladies looked at Jade in admiration and it irked her out. She hated it when people looked at Jade with admiration in their eyes.
The ladies had thought Jade was going to say something to her, but she had respected herself and walked away. They had heard about Jade’s brilliance at work, and seeing her act that way heightened their admiration for the girl. Unlike Stephanie who despised by all the junior staffs for her cruel and sassy behavior. Many people had always wondered why someone who was this ill mannered would have such the opportunity to work in this kind of company, and hold a significant position.
Wasn’t Xenox by any chance worried that Stephanie would one day embarrass them in public? It was just so unfortunate that she was indeed good at her job.
She glared at the ladies once again, before walking out of the office.. She shouldn’t sweat it, she had a lot in-store for Jade, and soon everyone would hate her.
________
Jake had set out for the location his grandfather had given him to find Mr William. He had headed out as early as dawn. He had a feeling to go about it that morning, no reason why.
He sent out a message to Jade, because he knew he couldn’t call her since it was still early and he might get carried away with this little investigation. He could have hired someone for it, but that would risk exposing Mr Williams location to Hillary. He had to commend his grandfather for doing a good job at protecting the man all these years. He didn’t even want to imagine what could have happened had she found the lawyer all these years. She would have long gotten their family fortune in her hands by now.
Jake looked at the man seated in front of him with an inscrutable look. He wasn’t sure if the man knew much about the will, but he was really hopeful that the man would provide him with adequate information.
“Uncle William I’m sorry for bringing you here. I know it must be tiring for you and your family moving from one place to another. I’m deeply sorry, but I can assure this is only a temporary arrangement” He apologized to the man sitted in front of him. Mr William has been his father’s attorney since he was a child. When his father had joined the company, he had picked Mr William to be his personal attorney, leaving the company’s lawyers. They had been so close till his father’s death.
The man was about to say something when someone brought in a bottle of water for him, as per the man’s request. He waited till he was served and had a fill of the water, before he opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s okay. I’m used to this form of arrangement” He replied. He wouldn’t lie that he wasn’t surprised when Jake had showed up at the beach house which his grandfather had recently moved him to. He was aware that the Beau brothers weren’t in the know about the situation of the will, but when he saw Jake he knew grandfather must have finally come clean.
Nothing can be hidden under the sun for ever.
“But still I’m truly sorry for all the inconveniences we might have cost you and your family over the years”
Jake couldn’t begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for the man and his family staying in one place for a long time with restricted movement, and ocassionally moving house. He had heard from his grandfather that they had moved house a couple of times whenever his restless stepmother was closing in on them. And again he had made the man move from his latest hideout to another.
He had thought it wise to bring Mr William back with him, and arrange a place for him and his family somewhere in the city. It would be easier to access him whenever the need arise, if he was in the city with him.
“It’s no problem Jake, your grandfather had treated me and my family well and has given me the settlement of a lifetime” The man replied with a polite smile, while Jake nodded.
“I’m sure he has, but it must have been difficult for you being kept in one place for a such a long time, and for that I’m truly sorry” Jake apologized again.
“Hahaha, Jake you don’t have to apologize you’re embarrassing me, your family has been more than good to me, and I understand how precarious the situation has been, and I willingly agreed to help your grandfather, I wasn’t coerced into doing this. Your father was more than a friend to me, my firm today was all because of him, and your grandfather has been helping me to manage it from the sidelines. So you really shouldn’t apologize to me. I have done better and try to convince Henry when he was alive” Mr William said with a sad smile. He was helpless at the time the will was signed, because he was an attorney, he had no right to convince or influence his client on how his properties should be distributed, but agreeing to stay hidden was the only thing he could help grandfather Beau when he pleaded with him to help.
He couldn’t do anything about the will, if he did he could lose his license, but staying away was the best way he could delay the reading of the will.
Jake moved to the edge of his seat, his countenance has become serious, as he looked at the man.
“Then please help us one more time. I want to investigate this will. I’m sorry but I can’t accept it. My father wouldn’t do this to his children, so I can’t help but find it suspicious that we get next to nothing. And that’s why I have come to you” Jake told him, while the man nodded in understanding. He already knew why Jake had called him, but he didn’t know he was supposed to tell him other than how he was doing now.
“I’d love to help you, but I don’t know how. This is a difficult situation”
“You don’t have to do anything, you just have to answer a few questions and tell me what happened the day he sighed the contract” Jake told him, Making the man narrow his eyes at him. He didn’t know what the young man was up to, and it made him wonder how answering some questions or talking about what happened that day would solve the situation. But nonetheless he answered, “Okay”
Meanwhile at Hillary’s living room, four burly men were currently sweating their asses off as they stood before the furious lady in trepidation. Her eyes were flashing red in anger and her gaze was murderous.
“You fools!” She growled lividly, throwing the glass of wine in her at them. It’s content came splashing on their faces before shattering to the ground.
“You incompetent bastards! How dare you lose him? How dare you lose a man who I finally had in my grasp. How does he slip past your fingers, you morons” She cussed angrily.
“Boss it isn’t our fault, we told you about his location 2 days ago, you only gave your orders this morning”
“And I expected you to go immediately. So it’s now my fault, that your imbeciles are lost him” She yelled as she picked up the vase from the top of the shelves and lunged it at the idiot who had just spoken. It smashed on his head and blood rolled down his face, but he didn’t dare touch it.
“Get out, all of you get out” She yelled lividly.
The men could only bow and disappear from her sight.
“Morons!”
“Hillary you’ve got to calm down” Shirley said calmly from behind her.
“Calm?” Hillary turned to look at Shirley, who instinctively took a step back when she met the woman’s eyes.
“I can’t be calm. Call that idiot and ask him why his information was wrong? Do it now” She ordered.
“Yes Hillary”
Hillary let out a mirthless and fiendish laugh. It seems grandfather Beau is begging death.. If that’s what he wants she’ll willingly grant it.
*
L
“Who prepared my father’s will?” Jake asked. That was his first question.
“Your father did” Mr Williams replied.
“He did” Jake’s response didn’t sound like a question, but more like a confirmatory one. He had thought about the possibility of Mr Williams not being the one who had prepared the official will, and if he wasn’t, then the question was why?
From his time of working with his father, he knew his father had never personally prepared a contract. What he mostly did was make a draft of how he wanted it to be, and what it should entail. He’d always leave it to Mr Williams or the legal team of the company to prepare an official copy, which he’ll review and probably ask for more improvements if it wasn’t to his expectations or if there were changes to be made.
So why had he personally prepared the will? That was a first.
Mr Williams noticed the contemplative look on Jake’s face, but he didn’t say anything.
“You were there when he signed it” Jake wasn’t asking, he wanted to confirm. Because he’s basking on Mr Williams presence at the time to help solve this problem, and also his signature on the will stated him as a witness, thus he should have been there.
“Yes I was. Naturally I supposed to be there as his attorney and witness, and also as the executor of the will” The man replied.
“Then can you tell me what condition he was in at that time? Was there any abnormality on that day?” Jake curiously inquired. He had a big speculation on his mind, and it was revolving on the date the will was signed and the day his father died, which unfortunately was the same day.
He had noticed this last night, but he didn’t point it out in the presence of Blake. He was hoping there might be someway he could contend the validity of the will, and his father’s health seemed like the closest way to do so.
Mr Williams narrowed his eyes at him. He thought about the question Jake had asked him. As an attorney he perfectly understood what Jake meant by that, and what he was aiming at.
His gaze narrowed at the young man, but he didn’t ask any question, rather he chose to answer the one he had been asked.
“He seemed normal, at the time.” The man replied.
“Normal?” Jake squinted his brows.
“Yes, though he seemed a little tired and sluggish but I narrowed it to be because of his ailment” The man answered. His response made Jake slightly frown.
“You knew he was sick?” Jake asked coldly. Was he the only one who didn’t know his father had been suffering from a chronic heart disease at the time?
“Yes, he told me the day he got his diagnosis. And I guessed that was why he wanted to sign his will. But i didn’t know he’d distribute it that way and die immediately after it was signed” The man explained.
Sincerely, he had want to share his thoughts on Henry’s distribution of his asset among his children and his wife. He knew how Henry loved and valued his children, so he didn’t understand why he had made such a decision. He had hoped to talk to him to reconsider, but who would have known he’d suffer a cardiac arrest hours later, and die because of it. It was almost as if he knew his death was near.
Jake lolled back on the couch, as he raked his hand through his hair. This wasn’t what he had hoped for. He needed something other than this. He needed something tangible, and it seems like he wasn’t going to get it here.
“Jake I don’t exactly know what you’re thinking at the moment, but if you’re trying to invalidate your father’s will by trying to question his mental state of mind, then I can assure you, you’re going to create a whole lot of trouble”
“Like what exactly?” Jake asked interestedly, his gaze on the man became intent.
“Firstly, opting for Insufficient testamentary capacity will affect your late father’s image, and secondly I’ll be charged for delaying the will for such a long time. The main reason I haven’t been charged for that is because your grandfather had kept everything under his wrap.
To the world I might already be dead, because according to the backstory your grandfather created, I had an accident on my way to your father’s house and I’ve been in a vegetative state. The reason why that hasn’t raised any red flag is because the knowledge of the will is minimal, as only a few number of us know about the existence of your father’s will: Hillary, your grandfather, me and now you. Also your father was a well known man, he had done a lot of good deed in his life time, and his will would attract a lot of attention, as we both know. As the executor of the will I can be removed and exchanged with someone else, but only if a member of the family applies for it, and that can only be possible if there is an actual proof of the existence of the will, but your grandfather has taken care of all lose ends. So right now no one knows of the will, and Hillary can’t do a thing about it for now, and that’s why she has been quiet. So doing something like this might not only reveal the existence of the will to many but it might also create an opportunity for her. So I’ll advice you to step away from doing such, except you want the odds to be against you” Mr Williams explained.
“I know as an attorney I’m not supposed to be a part of this, but we’ve all had our suspicion and dislike towards your stepmother, and also before I became an attorney I was Henry’s friend and he treated me like a brother. I didn’t plan to stay hidden for this long but your grandfather promised to fixed the issue but then his health has been deteriorating. I’d advise you not to act brashly, so as not waste all the efforts and sacrifices that have been made” He said in a very calm tone, hopefully the youngster might see reason with him.
Jake paid rapt attention to all that he said, but from what he had said only one thing struck a chord in his heart.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 17
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