There were plenty of people who had come to pay their respects. The atmosphere was heavy with pitiful sighs.
After saying our prayers, Holden called for the attendees to line up in two lines in front of the casket.
I didn’t recognize most of the other Taylor family members, but Anthony had told me about their situation before. Archie had four wives. His first wife had passed away a decade or so ago due to an illness and was also from a well-off family. After that, Archie took over the Taylor family thanks to this first wife’s help.
That first wife gave birth to two daughters, much to Archie’s chagrin. These daughters both turned out to be rather outstanding. One of them married into a rich family, and the other owned her own business overseas. With the Taylor family name behind her, she had made quite a name for herself.
That meant that Archie’s first two children were no longer part of the Taylor family.
Archie’s second wife was a famous celebrity from the nineties. She had never been taken seriously by the other Taylor family members because of her background but managed to improve her reputation after giving birth to a son and a daughter. The Taylor family was one step closer to having an heir, but this heir got into a car accident a few years ago and became wheelchair-bound.
Such was the fickle fate of rich families.
As for Archie’s third wife, apparently, she had been a reporter when she was younger and got married to Archie when he was already well into his fifties. Not many people were willing to believe that such a young woman married such an old man simply out of love. One wanted money, while the other wanted youth and beauty. Since they were both already adults, no one could really say anything despite the age gap.
That reporter gave birth to two sons and one daughter. The sons were both Holden’s age, but they were both quite the black sheep of the family and didn’t have a very good reputation among their community. That was why Archie sent both of them overseas. He put in quite a lot of effort to try and set them straight, but it seemed as if that didn’t really happen in the end. Hence, Archie ended up making Holden, who was from his fourth marriage, the heir of the Taylor family.
His daughter from the third marriage was Kate, who Anthony and I had seen before. She was almost forty and quite spoiled due to the Taylor family’s upbringing. As a result, she was arrogant and had never fallen for any sons from other rich families. She had always stayed in the Taylor residence, and it was starting to seem like she always would be since she had no plans to get married.
If that wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t have been so shaken up after hearing about Holden becoming the Taylor family heir.
Archie’s fourth wife wasn’t even his wife. After all, she never even married Archie. She was simply a woman whom Archie had had a one-night stand with. Not every woman who he slept with had a chance to actually marry into the Taylor family.
Anthony didn’t tell me too much about Holden’s mother. All he told me was that she was a woman he had spotted accompanying Archie at Gastronomia once. She was probably a prostitute who accidentally got pregnant.
After Anthony and I finished paying our respects, Holden glanced at me. It was a glance full of disdain, but since he had never exactly shown respect to me, I was already used to it.
Holden then looked at Anthony and said, “Mr. Featherstone, could we have a word?”
It seemed like they were about to discuss some business.
Anthony glanced at me and said, “Wait for me in the yard, okay? I’ll come and find you in a bit.”
I nodded.
The Taylor residence was quite extravagantly furnished. There was an elegant pavilion as well as a large koi pond and even a fake mountain display. The yard was practically designed to look like all nature had to offer was gathered in one place.
I could, sort of, understand why all of Archie’s wives could bear spending their time together so peacefully. As long as they didn’t actually love him, they could have the time of their lives living in an extravagant mansion with the money to buy whatever they wanted. Ultimately, they had all the freedom they needed.
There were so many shows that centered around a bunch of women fighting over some old guy. Now I kind of knew why. Rather than fight over his love, they were probably fighting for his money and power.
To be honest, I simply couldn’t wrap my head around any other possibility.
“Holden is a bastard child, to begin with. If my two younger brothers weren’t situated overseas, he wouldn’t have had the right to be a part of the Taylor family.” A voice rang all of a sudden. I froze for a split second before turning toward the source of the voice to see a mother-daughter pair sitting in the courtyard.
It was Kate and her mother, Archie’s third wife, who was approaching sixty years old, but she probably took great care of herself because she only looked to be slightly over forty.
On the contrary, it was Kate who looked older than her years, probably because she was often plagued with worries and problems which then reflected on her appearance.
Her mother looked at her calmly and chided, “You should be focusing on running those companies in your hands. It doesn’t really matter who’s managing the Taylor family. We’ll still live our lives as they are. Don’t tell me you’re afraid that Holden will drive us out of the family?”
Indignant, Kate scoffed coldly. “You’ve always been so passive. If only you fought harder, my brothers wouldn’t have been stuck overseas when Father died. Holden is a nobody. His mother was just a filthy escort who used her body to conceive him. What’s more, she’s such a promiscuous woman. Who knows whether Holden really is Father’s child? But Father handed the reins over to him just like that. Wasn’t he afraid that he’d destroy our family? We’ll be a laughing stock to everyone from now on. They’re going to say that the Taylor family is being controlled by an outsider. Ugh… I really can’t stomach the thought of it, Mom!”
Her mother sighed softly and looked at her with a small smile. “My child, why are you so quick- tempered? It doesn’t matter whether or not he’s a Taylor anymore. He’s only in his twenties. How long do you think he can keep his position? Be patient, alright? You’re not the only one who can’t accept him as the head of the Taylor family, and you’re certainly not the only one who wants to see him go down.”
Kate was taken aback and whipped her head to look at her mother. She was silent for a while before asking, “Mom, do you mean there’s someone else who’d take action?”
Her mother maintained her gentle and pleasant smile. “The Taylors family business is far-reaching. Besides, we’re not the only Taylors. There are still your uncles, all of whom are waiting for your father’s funeral to create a scene, so be patient and just take care of the companies in your hands. Your brothers will be back soon. Your father mentioned before to let them join Taylor Corporation to help Holden in running the company. You’re all young and have a whole future ahead. Don’t wear down your own potential by being impulsive. Wait out the storm, and you’ll be able to reap the most benefits because brute force is not always the way to go!”
As though realization dawned on her, Kate nodded subtly and looked at her mother with awe. “Mom, as always, you’re the calm and rational one. Thank God you reminded me, or I would’ve attracted unnecessary attention to myself by kicking up a fuss.”
I watched the mother and daughter with mixed emotions whirring in me. This was probably the power struggle in wealthy families. It seemed like money and influence were all that mattered to them.
Realizing that I shouldn’t have eavesdropped, I turned around to leave. Upon seeing Holden standing behind me, I was so startled I instantly broke out in cold sweat.
Then came Kate’s voice from behind. “Mom, I think there’s someone there!”
I froze in shock. Crap. Did they discover that I’m here?
Right then, Holden abruptly grabbed my arm and led me around the yard, taking me straight to the loft. After making sure that we weren’t followed, he released my arm and said with an expressionless face, “Anthony’s waiting for you in the lounge room.”
Seeing as that was all he said, I nodded and was about to leave.
Right before I stepped out, his voice rang again. “Regardless of what you heard, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll watch what you say.”
This was a reminder as well as a warning.
I nodded in understanding and replied, “Don’t worry. I didn’t hear a thing.”
After all, I had no interest whatsoever to participate in the internal strife between the rich.
He looked at me impassively and chuckled mirthlessly. “I hope so.”
Pursing my lips, I spun on my heels and left.
The Taylor residence was enormous. Hence, it took me a long time before I found my way to the lounge room. Anthony was chatting with someone, so I approached him quietly. Glancing at me fleetingly, he tugged me closer and introduced me before ending the conversation.
He studied me and asked, “Where did you go?”
“The backyard garden. I was just taking a stroll.” I paused and queried, “Are we going home yet?”
“According to the rules here, the guests who are here to mourn should stay back for lunch and send Mr. Taylor out together with his family.”
I nodded and didn’t comment.
After having lunch, Archie’s coffin was finally brought out of the Taylor residence. It was a grand and large-scale funeral. Many guests made their way to the cemetery to pay their final respects. Only after the coffin was lowered into the ground did everyone go their separate ways.
I was slightly taken aback to see Abe at the cemetery. Dressed in a black suit, he was shrouded in his usual cold and sinister aura. The somber atmosphere and gloomy weather only seemed to amplify that bleakness in his eyes.
When Holden saw him, other than exchanging customary pleasantries, he didn’t have much of a reaction.
Seeing him approach Anthony and me, I subconsciously hid behind Anthony as fear clutched at my chest.
“Mr. Featherstone, what a coincidence. We meet again!” he said with a minute smile on his face.
Anthony kept a poker face as he met the other man’s gaze. “Mm, we meet again. I thought you already left Moranta.”
Abe released an abrupt laugh. “Of course not. This land is where I was given a new life. If I left just like that, how would I be able to see the two of you again?”
Anthony shot him a chilling glance but remained silent.
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.
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