I was quivering from the aftermath of that encounter. My entire back was drenched in cold sweat. I looked out the car window, focusing on the light of the street lamps flashing past. After I’d calmed down considerably, I turned back to look at Anthony. His face remained as grim as it had been the entire night. I was compelled to ask, “Just what was going on tonight?”
Anthony and Abe had clearly planned for their meeting in advance. I didn’t know the contents of their discussion, but by entrusting me to Holden, Anthony must have been confident that Holden would ultimately fail Abe.
Anthony gave me a sideways glance. “Are you afraid?”
I shook my head, then nodded, conflicted. Upon seeing my confused expression, Anthony broke out into a delighted laugh, shattering the tension that had hung delicately over the car.
“Are you afraid or not?” he repeated, teasing.
I thought for a while before answering him solemnly, “A little of both, I guess. I’m afraid because I don’t know anything. If anything happens to you, I don’t know what to do. I’m not that afraid yet because I know that you always have a firm grasp of the situation. Besides, you’re responsible. You will never put me in danger.”
Anthony drove on, looking straight ahead. His gaze was unfathomable. “What if I tell you that everything’s out of my hands now?”
I stiffened, but Anthony continued while glancing at me, “Sienna, no matter what happens, you must ensure your own safety first. Forget about me. No matter the situation… just look out for yourself.”
Anthony’s sudden announcement startled me. What exactly does he mean by that? I wondered, disconcerted as I watched him intently. “Anthony, is there something that you’re not telling me?”
Yet the man merely drove the rest of the way to the hotel in silence.
I had intended to continue questioning Anthony, but weary from the entire day’s proceedings, I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.
When I next opened my eyes, it was already morning. Anthony was already up and on the phone out on the balcony.
When he noticed that I was awake, Anthony hung up the phone, then called out to me, “We’re heading over to the Taylor residence in a while. We’ll leave once you’re done washing up.”
I nodded. After all, I had been expecting this ever since we’d arrived at Moranta.
On our way to the Taylor residence, Anthony filled me in on them. The Taylors were a distinguished family dating back generations. They’d made a fortune producing arms during the war, and Anthony’s grandfather had remained in the country, enjoying relative peace. On the other hand, Archie, Holden’s father, had instead been conscripted. Both George and Archie met through a group of mutual wartime comrades, one that also included Channing. Having stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the face of death, the bond between this group of men remained unbroken even with the passage of time.
After the war, Archie had returned to Moranta to inherit his family business. The other Taylors had passed away due to illness or accident, leaving Archie the sole survivor.
Naturally, any contention that ensued in the Taylor household was in large part due to the struggle for a portion of the family’s wealth.
As Anthony and I entered the sprawling villa that was the Taylor residence, the sight of elegant, antique structures greeted us. Resplendent with fastidiously pruned greenery, piping brooks, and flower-filled meadows, the Taylor residence was no mere mansion. It seemed more like a palace to my wonderstruck eyes.
We followed the maid into the living room, where quite a crowd was already gathered. I guessed that they must be members of the Taylor family. Archie was nowhere to be seen. From the ghastly looks on the faces of everyone present, Archie’s condition did not seem optimistic.
“Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Taylor’s upstairs. May I invite you to follow me?” A voice courteously spoke from beside us. We turned to see the Taylor residence’s housekeeper. He looked to be around fifty or sixty years of age and exuded a reassuring air of dependability.
Anthony and I followed him up to the second floor of the house. He led us outside a room thick with the smell of disinfectant and medicine. A doctor was hurrying around, scribbling notes in his pad while giving orders to the maid, probably instructions on how to care for the patient.
“Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone, please,” the housekeeper said again, gesturing towards the open doorway of the bedroom.
The smell in the room was almost pungent. An old man lay on the bed connected to an IV drip that hung from a stand beside him. When Anthony and I entered, the housekeeper announced, “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Featherstone is here.”
Upon hearing those words, Archie struggled to sit up. The maid dashed over to assist him. When he was comfortably resting against the bed frame, Archie focused his attention on us.
The extended period of sickness he’d endured had reduced Archie to skin and bone. His face was sunken and sallow and looked almost like a death mask.
Anthony and I drew closer to the side of his bed. Raising his voice slightly, Anthony said, enunciating, “Hello, Mr. Taylor. I’m Anthony. I’m sorry I’m only visiting you now as I’ve had pressing matters to deal with.”
Archie mustered a weak smile. He seemed breathless, and the maid carefully strapped an oxygen mask around him. After taking several slow breaths, she removed it. Archie then whispered, “I’m glad enough that you’re here now.”
Later on, Anthony and Archie chatted, their conversation mainly revolving around the past. After a while, however, Archie shut his eyes, obviously fatigued.
The housekeeper, who had retreated to the side, sidled up to Anthony. “Mr. Featherstone, I think Mr. Taylor needs some rest for now. May I invite you and Mrs. Featherstone to head downstairs for a while? We’ve prepared some light bites for your refreshment.”
Anthony nodded. We then followed the housekeeper back downstairs.
Not a single soul had left in the interval that Anthony and I had been upstairs. As we descended the stairs, a woman marched towards the housekeeper, demanding anxiously, “Neil, how’s Father? Is he better? Did he ask for us?”
Neil shook his head, then said gravely, “Mr. Taylor is doing fine. I’m sorry, Ms. Kate. Mr. Taylor didn’t ask for any of his family members.”
“Why doesn’t Father want to meet us? Even now, why is he still refusing to meet us?” Kate cried hysterically and stomped off in frustration.
I watched her departing figure rather curiously but said nothing.
Right then, Neil brought Anthony and me to a separate room, apart from the rest of the house. He had a few cakes and drinks brought in, then left us to our own devices.
I turned to face Anthony. “Shouldn’t we get going? We’ve already met Mr. Taylor, after all.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? What about Mr. Featherstone’s matters?” A voice rang out just as the door burst open. Alarmed, I froze in my seat. When I looked over to the speaker, I found myself staring at Holden.
Holden was leaning against the door frame, clutching a sheaf of documents in one hand. He wore the same careless attitude with an accompanying smirk on his face, looking utterly irresponsible.
Anthony had also turned to look at Holden. However, he pursed his lips and said nothing.
Holden strode in casually, then placed the documents he’d been holding onto the table before us. Fixing his gaze on Anthony, Holden said, “Dad got me to hand this over to you. Everything’s written clearly inside. If you’re concerned about any missing details, you may invite a lawyer over right now to take a look at it. If not, then sign it.”
A quick glimpse of the documents revealed it to be a contract by the Moranta Foreign Trade Association.
Anthony merely cast an unworried glance at it, then signed it without a second thought.
Holden raised an eyebrow. “Impressive,” he remarked, examining the contract. “All right then. If there’s nothing else, I’ll look forward to working with you, Mr. Featherstone.”
Anthony nodded and replied solemnly, “Please thank Mr. Taylor on my behalf. I won’t let him down.”
At that, Holden nodded in response. “Mr. Featherstone, at the rate your business is expanding, are you planning on achieving a complete monopoly?”
Anthony remained silent.
Just as Holden was opening his mouth to speak, Neil charged into the room. “Mr. Holden, Mr. Taylor has just passed away.”
The news landed like a bolt of lightning. Holden stood as if rooted to the spot, then roughly shoved the stack of documents towards Neil. “Hold this!” he muttered brusquely, then sprinted out of the room.
Neil flashed us an apologetic smile. “Mr. Featherstone, I’m terribly sorry. Mr. Taylor’s sudden passing has thrown the Taylor family into a frenzy. I’m afraid we won’t be able to continue hosting both of you. I humbly seek your understanding.”
Anthony waved away his apology, then said soberly, “We’ll head upstairs to say a final farewell to Mr. Taylor then.”
Neil agreed.
The entire crowd had since migrated to Archie’s bedroom, spilling over into the hallway. Some family members were fussing by his bedside, while others were wailing with grief. A few stood stoically in the shadows, their faces ashen as tears streamed quietly down their faces.
Upon seeing Neil approach, Kate once again stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. “Neil, has Father’s will been written yet? Did he leave any instructions before he died?”
Kate’s voice penetrated through the fog of sorrow that lay over the room. Besides, the impending answer to her question was of great interest to everyone present.
Neil’s calm gaze swept over the room. Then he said mildly, “Mr. Taylor did say that if anything happened to him, Mr. Holden would be left in charge of his affairs. The lawyers will be over to read out Mr. Taylor’s will in a while.”
“What?” Kate scorned, evidently displeased. “Why did Father ask a fool like Holden to take charge of his affairs? The Taylor family isn’t short of members. Why did Father choose that bastard? Isn’t his existence enough of an embarrassment to the Taylors?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply