Chapter 9: Last Will and Testament

[Cara]

Without waiting for his response I dropped the call and slump back into my chair again. Suddenly felt drained just by talking to him.

I thought he was the one who was going to pick me up, but instead, an armored black SUV was waiting on me on the ground floor of my building. Escorted by a plethora of men in black and another three SUVs tailing the one I was in with.

I just shot Nancy a quick message about where I am going and she texted back, telling me to have fun. Like what fuck? 

What fun would that be?

If not in bed… Oh, gross.

…not.

I’m totally mental.

The trip went uneventful and excruciatingly long. I’m not even sure where this is going and these men sitting rigidly next to me felt more like robots than humans. It was already dark when we were on our way to Damon’s place.

Fancy places and grandeur don’t appeal to me no more. However, my jaw locked in its place when my gaze fell into a glass monstrosity perched skywards on the hilltop. It is double the size of our mansion despite being made mainly out of glass. The architectural design and everything. It exudes luxury, wealth, and power.

It was night so I couldn’t make out more of its details, but it is enough to instill in myself what things Damon could do in just a snap.

The interiors were even more lavish than I had anticipated, far exceeding my expectations. Yet, all that I keep to myself, and my attention snatches from the extravagance towards mom. She was sitting behind a long dining table, and next to her was no other than the king of this place himself, Damon. Wearing a royal blue long-sleeved polo that was casually rolled up to his elbows and tucked into his black slacks, matched with impeccably polished brown leather shoes. 

His dark eyes instantly found mine the moment I walked in. Relief crossed his face seeing me arrive safely. He stood up, pulling a chair out for me to sit on the other side of my mom.

“Hey sweetie,” she weakly greeted, leaning closer and kissing me on the cheeks. She doesn’t look any better than the last time I saw her, and the bags underneath her eyes haven’t faded yet. The most glamorous woman I have ever known suddenly become jaded in less than a week.

“Mom.” I forced my voice not to crack, reciprocating the kiss on her cheek and giving her a tight hug before settling on my seat.

“Mr. Holmes,” Damon called as he sat down at the end of the table.

A man holding a suitcase walked into our vicinity, sweeping his attention to us. 

“Good evening Mrs. Davidsons, Miss Cara. I’m very so sorry about what happened and my deepest condolences again.”

My confusion deepens upon Mr. Holmes's appearance. My dad’s most trusted lawyer.

“So why are we here?” I head on straight without hitting the bushes. Not want the uneasiness settles in the pit of my stomach.

This isn’t good. I could sense it. It’s as if I could taste the foreboding feeling that sits bitterly on my tongue. I don’t like it. All I wanted to do was to take mom and get the hell out of here. 

“It’s about your dad’s last will and testament.” Mr. Holmes’ face turned serious as he set the suitcase on top of the table and sits down on the opposite side before he opens it, taking out a pristine white sheet of paper.

He read loudly what was written on it and my world—as shattered as it already is—all that remains reduced to dusts.

My head started to shake, first slow in denial, a second sooner I was vented. “Fuck! No way!” Shooting up so abruptly that it sends my chair to fall back, crashing to the granite floor with a loud bang. 

“No! This absurd. Why would dad do this?”

Not believing what I heard, hand snatches the paper away from Mr. Holmes and read it myself. It was already crumpled when I held it close to my face. My eyes moved line by line, word by word, making sure there wasn’t any information that had been left out.

“Fuck!” I slammed it down hard on the table, heedless about the glass protesting at the sudden harsh blow nor the pain ricocheting into my arms and up into my shoulders.

The anger flowed inside me like a hot flow of molten lava coursing through my veins. My whole body was trembling, and I fear I would burst into flames with all the mixed emotions bottling up inside me.

“This is all your doing!” I tore the will into pieces and throw it into Damon’s face. He didn’t even flinch or even bat an eye in response to my sudden outburst. Yet, I wasn’t done ventilating my rage and turned to the lawyer who have shrunk on his seat, accusingly pointing my index. “And you, my dad trusted you as his lawyer, and what? You conspired with this bullshit?!”

His eyes were wide, darting glances back and forth between mom and Damon before he pulled another thing from the suitcase.

“Miss Cara, Mr. Davidsons knows you would react this way. He left me this, said you know what to do with it.”

I went completely still, staring at the black phone handed to me. It was my dad’s security mobile phone that can only be accessed with my fingerprint along with a code he only knows. 

At that moment, I knew this matter is serious, and that the will I tore was authentically signed by my dad. This phone holds all the access to everything in our company, and if what was stated in the will is true, then dad only did what he had to do just to secure my future. 

Our family’s future.

“Mom,” I croaked, slowly turning my gaze to her, hoping for an ally. The tears I was holding back earlier came down rolling. “Don’t you have anything to say?”

She just looks up at me. Her eyes filled with guilt. “I’m sorry, baby. This isn’t the way how your dad supposed to tell you.”

Denial, pain, and betrayal slammed like tons of bricks. Coming from all directions unnoticed, catching me off guard and crashing me right in the middle.

I can’t…

I can’t take it anymore.

“No…no…no!” A scream of anguish peeled my throat. Fury takes over my whole being and snapped to Damon who only stares at me with a blank face. 

I hate him! 

Whatever it attraction I felt for him faded.

“I will never marry you!”