Chapter 6: The Will

It was already six in the morning when Mrs. Gladdis woke up to resume her usual routine; always going to check up on Tardrain. Not because she cared, but because she relished seeing his spirit break under her taunting gaze.

However, today was different, she made her way up the stairs to Tardrain’s room. She tried to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge; it was locked from the inside. 

Which meant one thing. Ivana wasn't in the room.

She let out a loud hiss of disappointment, she’d come to check if Ivana had spent the night in Tardrain’s room.

Without hesitation, she strode down the corridor to Lilico’s room and pushed the door open without knocking. Inside, she found Lilico applying a facial mask, her fingers smoothing the creamy paste over her skin.  

Lilico turned around immediately, dropping the remaining mask on the table. She shifted her full attention to her mother, wondering what had brought her this early.  

“Good morning, Mom,” she greeted, standing up from her chair to sit at the edge of the bed.

“Why isn’t she sharing the room with Tardrain?” Mrs. Gladdis demanded.

A soft chuckle escaped Lilico’s lips. “Easy, Mother. Even you couldn’t crack Tardrain in one night,” Lilico said, rolling her eyes. “I gave her a separate room for now.” Lilico disclosed.  

Mrs. Gladdis stepped closer, unable to resist the thought that had been bothering her since last night. “Lilico… can we really trust her?” she finally voiced, her worry raw.  

Mrs. Gladdis doesn't want any mistakes just like in the past. She needed to seize these opportunities and get rid of Tardrain as soon as possible, and wouldn't let anything or anyone get in her way.

Lilico’s shoulders dropped in a heavy sigh. This was the same question she kept asking herself. However, she had to dispel those thoughts, after sitting with Ivana, talking and laughing, she knew Ivana was on their side.  

“Mom, you have nothing to worry about. Ivana can be trusted. Just let me handle everything,” she assured Mrs. Gladdis, forcing confidence into her voice.  

Lilico knew she had everything wrapped around her finger. She had vowed to leave no stone unturned to control Ivana. If it was money, she wouldn’t mind giving her loads of it; anything for a smooth job without complications.  

Lilico raised her gaze to her mother and froze. Mrs. Gladdis’s face had fallen, anger and sadness had replaced. Lilico hastily grabbed her hands and pulled her to sit beside her. “Mom… what’s wrong?”

Mrs. Gladdis let out a ragged sigh. Suddenly, a few tears escaped her eyes, as she recalled the envelope she had collected from her late husband's lawyer just moments ago.

The contents were heart wrenching, and she wished she could just snap Tardrain life away from him. 

“Mom!” Lilico called out again, shaking her arms.

“I found your late father’s will,” she whispered. The sadness weighing her voice was evident, her heart breaking anew as tears streamed down her chin.  

“I-I thought, there was no will.”Lilico’s voice came out barely a whispered.

Mrs.Gladdis heart was beating hard against her ribs. She knew it would hit Lilico harder, but she couldn't hide it from her.

Mrs.Gladdis slowly nodded.

Lilico’s jaw dropped in shock. This was what she and Mrs. Gladdis had been searching for months after Mr. Grey passed away, but couldn’t find it.

When he was alive, he had refused to show anyone the will, claiming there was none, that everyone already knew who’d inherit everything.

“Wh-what did you say?” Lilico’s voice cracked, trying so hard to control her emotion, but tears began to pool in her eyes.

This had to be her most dreadful moment, the air thickened, because the insecurities and gnawing anxiety she had tried to bury long ago finally surged to the surface like a storm.

‘Do I have a share in his property?’ These had been Lilico’s worries.

This had been her silent, suffocating fear, and that fear had turned her into the monster she’d become. 

What if Mr. Grey hadn’t included her name into his will? What if he’d excluded her name, simply because she was adopted. What would become of her? 

The terror of oblivion was why she’d taken matters into her own hands to kill Tardrain, even without seeing the will’s contents months back.

Mrs. Gladdis hesitated, her fingers trembling, because she knew this would shatter Lilico’s heart. She knew her heart would ache by the betrayal from the man she called a father.

“He willed his duplex at Mainhills Residence to you, and a cash inheritance of 4 billion dollars,” she said, the words hanging in the air.. 

Lilico’s eyes widened, her trembling hands instantly still. “Only?” Lilico exclaimed,“That’s a pittance compared to a whole empire, Mother” disappointment, wavering in her voice.

Mrs.Gladdis let out a bitter laugh, her heart tightened in pain. “The same goes for me, his wife.” Mrs. Gladdis retorted, swallowing down her own pain. 

The room was dropped in silence, as both of them were lost in their thoughts. Everything was too hard to comprehend; the pains in their heart was wrenching, as Lillico was pacing around the room.

She stopped and pointed at the door, “Tardrain, that bastard. What about him?” Lilico sneered, even when her heart already knew her answer.

Mrs.Gladdis’s shoulder dropped weakly. “As for Tardrain, your father willed everything. Every company built, every share, every stock. The remaining houses and wealth, all of it, were willed to Tardrain.”  

“Tardrain,” Lilico whispered the name like a curse.

“Everything, Lilico. Your father willed his world, achievements to a crippled man. He left us with nothing” Mrs.Gladdis’s voice hardened in rage.

“Impossible!” Lilico’s scream tore through the room, raw and feral, as if the walls themselves would crack.

Knock! Knock! 

Their gazes snapped at the door. Lilico stormed to the door and yanked it open. There stood Ivana, blinking with a clueless expression. 

Lilico quickly forced a nervous smile to mask her rage, stepping back to let Ivana in.

Ivana peeped into the room first. She saw Mrs.Gladdis sitting on the bed, who didn't bother to hide her fury. Ivana didn't think much of it; she was used to the woman’s permanent scowl.

“Come in,” Lilico urged, leading her inside.

Mrs.Gladdis stood abruptly and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the frame rattled. That was the moment Ivana let out a long breath of relief. That woman’s presence always made her skin crawl.

“I just woke up,” Ivana said, looking around the room curiously. She noticed the atmosphere in the room was thick enough to choke on, but she shrugged it off.

Lilico walked towards her and sat at the edge of the bed. She didn't speak at first; she simply stared at Ivana with an intensity that made the young girl shift uncomfortably.

“W-why are you looking at me like—-”

“How do you intend to make Tardrain fall deeply  in love with you?” Lilico cut her off sharply.

Ivana cleared her throat, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “There are so many ways to make a man fall in love," she said, scratching the back of her head to avoid Lilico's piercing gaze.

Lilico scoffed, “And what is your brilliant plan to achieve that?” She raised her eyebrows up.

Ivana stood up, a sudden spark in her eyes. Lilico watched her, wondering what she was up to. 

“I have a husband to wake, bathe, and feed!”  Ivana suddenly whispered-screamed, giggling like a child. Without another word, she ran out of the room toward Tardrain’s corridor, already mapping out the drama she was about to cause.

Lilico sat in the silence of her room, stunned by the girl’s erratic behavior. She just hoped this “clown” could actually get the job done. 

“She’s so unpredictable.” Lilico murmured under her breath, shaking her head.