Page 67 of Quiet Confessions: Part Two

“Ki will drive me, but thank you,” Patience says with a smile. Her body is stiff with tension, and I can only imagine how the reading will go down this afternoon.

“They’re not family,” Tae says harshly. I don’t know what his deal is, but he won’t speak like that to my girl.

“They’re my family,” Patience corrects him, her chin rising stubbornly. She’ll be polite to a fault, but she is done mollycoddling people. “I’ll go with them, thank you.”

Stephanie’s eyes widen in anger, but Cal sweeps Pay into his arms. “We'll see you there,” he tells them, walking around a puddle.

Following them, we ignore the tantrum that Stephanie throws as we leave her behind. There’s no one in the cemetery except for us now, so she can do what she wants. Tae murmurs calm words as they walk behind us, but I can feel the daggered looks he’s giving.

What is it about money that sours relationships?

Thankfully, the lawyer’s office isn’t far and it has its own parking lot. Patience walks with purpose as we cross it into the office.

“Patience, why are you walking so fast?” Stephanie complains, trying to keep up with us. I don’t know why, but I refuse to let her corner Patience again. We’re going straight in to listen to the reading and then leaving.

Fuck waiting so that she can yell at her daughter over things that she has no control over. The lawyer’s secretary rises from her desk as we walk in, looking calm and friendly. She must see these happen often, and it doesn’t faze her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Waters is waiting for you in the conference room. Please follow me,” she murmurs. The little plaque at the front of her desk says that her name is Desiree Merchant.

She appears to be in her fifties, portly, but calm and collected. I would much rather have a secretary like this than the one that my father has.

Please be competent, and stay away from my dick.

“We have quite the group today,” Mr. Waters says with a smile. “I’m glad I booked the conference room for today. Please take a seat, everyone, so we can get right to it. Richard was a good friend as well as a client, and I’m very sorry for his loss. It’s been very tragic indeed.”

I’m not quite sure how he manages to say that with a straight face, but I have to say that I’m impressed. We make sure to sit around Patience, leaving no room for Stephanie or Tae to sit next to her. Kian glances at his father before gluing his eyes on Mr. Waters' face. There will be a confrontation between the two of them, but hopefully not today.

“As you know, Richard made certain that he had a will prepared. Over the years, he’s made changes to it, but overall the contents have remained privileged information between he and I,” Mr. Waters begins, pulling out his glasses.

He works slowly as he pulls out a hard copy of the will from a file. I want to snatch it out of his hands just so we can get the fuck out of here, but I curl my fingers into the fabric of my pants instead.

I can manage a little patience. It won’t be much longer.

“This will has not been tampered with or altered after the death of Richard James and is a legal document. Now, let’s continue,” he murmurs.

I pay attention to his words, but honestly, his voice makes me sleepy.

“…. I, Richard James, am of sound mind and body. It is my decision to leave my company, the house, and all of my assets to my granddaughter, Patience James. My only stipulation is that she marry or still be married to Cal Reynolds, as their union is important to the growth of my empire…”

My lips part in surprise, and I glance at Patience. She’s pale and trembling as Mr. Waters continues to list all of the different properties that she now owns. There’s a shit ton of zeros that will be attached to her name, more still as soon as she’s married to my brother.

The wiley old bastard is still getting the last word in, even though he’s about to be worm food. Pay isn’t the only one who is shocked. Ki is having trouble breathing as he looks at his father.

Rooke leans over to him, rubbing his back and murmuring in his ear. I’m glad it’s helping, because Stephanie looks apoplectic. I hope this place has good insurance, because she looks like someone who likes to break shit.

“I understand that this may be a bit of a shock to some of you,” Mr. Waters says, staring pointedly at Tae and Stephanie. Richard left them a fixed amount of money annually from the trust that will allow them to live comfortably, but I’m sure they were prepared to get more than they are. “I’ll give you some time to talk; however, the will can not be changed. Again, I am sorry for your loss.”

Smoothly, the lawyer leaves the will on the table, though I’m sure there are several copies of it. Stephanie grabs it, looking over it as if it’ll say something different than it does.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Patience says weakly. “Mom—”

“I should have aborted you!” Stephanie screams, throwing the will at her. We’re in shock as she continues to scream obscenities. I know that she wasn’t always the most loving mother, but holy shit! “You ruined my body, you ungrateful little whore. Philippe wanted to have his perfect princess, but you destroyed my body coming out. Your huge head got stuck in my vagina, and I had to have a c-section in order to get you out. Do you know who your father was the most worried about?! You!”

“Stephanie, you’re making a scene,” Tae says softly.

“Tae, you know it’s true. She’s never wanted to spend any time with us—”

“Mom, you’re never home,” Patience intervenes, standing. “Traipsing all over the world isn't conducive to being open to spending time with me. I was kidnapped and held against my will and you never even noticed!”

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