A CEO?

Chapter 5.

A CEO?

Present day…

(Later that evening)

Spinning.

Marie could feel her whole world spinning before her. The more she tried to make sense of her life, the more complicated it became.

As she padded barefooted on her cold tiled floor towards the kitchen, her phone rang. Thinking it was Ammon again, she ran to pick the call. She wanted to see him again!

Taking the phone from the table, she saw it was an unrecognised number. Had the press already gotten a hold of her phone number?

"Hello?" She said cautiously as she picked the call.

"Hello," the female voice was cool, calm and collected. "Marie Nicholas Stevenson, am I correct?"

"Yes," she continued cautiously. "Yes, you are speaking with her. Please, who's this?"

Was this a family member from the Delacano family?

"I'm Magdalene Dupont, your grandfather's lawyer. He left something in his will for you and your sister, although I can't get across to her…"

Marie did not let her finish before cutting her off.

"I'm sorry, what?" Marie plopped herself into the nearest couch, even more alert than she was some seconds ago, "Grandfather? Will? I don't understand,"

Her heart started beating erratically as she tried to calm her now raging thoughts. Her grandparents were alive to this day? If they knew who she was, why didn't they reach out since? Were they just finding out of her existence now?

"I know this may come as a shock to you," the woman continued professionally, "But yes, you do have a grandfather. Had." she paused. "I hope we can schedule a meeting to fully discuss the mystery of your parent's death and about your family as whole,"

"A family? I have a full family? A family that abandoned us when our parents died?" Marie let out a mocking laugh, "That's epic," she could feel the anger begin to bubble within her.

"I know, and your grandfather took that pain to his grave, but everything is not what it seems like,"

"A joke of the universe. Please, if you don't mind, you can share whatever is in the will with the rest of the family, I am not interested." Marie stated sharply, even more angry.

"You see, that's the problem," the woman said much more slowly and still calmly which added to Marie's vexed state, "The will can't be distributed to the rest of the family because of what you and your sister hold from it. If anything, you and your sister could come over and share the will however you see fit." The woman tried to reason with her.

"Oh, really?" Marie huffed in annoyance. "What exactly is it that we hold?"

The woman sighed a little before replying. "Do you know about the Stevenson's Group Of Companies?"

Marie rolled her eyes with more annoyance plastered over her face. What did this have to do with anything?

"Yes, duh. Who doesn't know them? They are like the second largest, you know, corporation or something of the sorts in America. What about it?"

"Haven't you connected the dots yet?" Magdalene Dupont asked in wonder.

"Look," Marie calmly said. "If this is one of the pranks you guys just pull on people these days, I'm really not interested. I've had a really long day and I would like some rest. Okay?"

"You and your sister were left the largest portions of the will," the woman continued as if she did not just hear Marie speak.

"So?" Marie said as she stood up to get herself a glass of water. Her throat was parched and she was really thirsty.

"I don't think you understand what I mean by the largest portion of the will. Also, haven't you connected the dots that you are a 'Stevenson'?"

Marie paused in her steps for a while, thinking of such possibility. She smacked her head a little, that was silly to think of. It wasn't just possible.

"Oh, please. If I was a Stevenson, as in, the rich and well known Stevenson family, my life would not be this way. My sister would still be alive. My family would still be running smooth. My nieces would not be motherless, and my sister and I would not have lived thinking we had no one who could raise or protect us as kids, okay?" She was rambling now, more hurt than she was since her sister died.

She was really pained at how unfair life had been for them, now this?

"If we were really their family, I'm sure we would have been found by now and taken care of… Since we were little…" her voice cracked and she couldn't go any further. Her chest hurt and there were tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

Magdalene replied. "I know about all you've been through, and I'm sorry about the death of your sister. I think it's best we sit down and talk things out. There's really a lot of things you need to know about. Your births, your parents, your grandparents… We need to sit and talk about all of these before discussing the will." She tried to pacify.

"I don't want anything to do with such family, okay?" she sounded even more tired this time.

This month was just a terrible one for her, and she just wanted to get it over with.

"You will, believe me." There was a pause on the other end before she continued. "Your father is still alive, I'm not quite sure of your mother, but your father is still alive and well,"

Marie felt her heart stop for a moment at that revelation. She could hardly remember her father. She knew he died when she was three years old, in front of her eyes. How was he alive? Why did he not come back for them? Wh-why?

"W-w-what?" Marie's voice was really low and shaky this time, she had to settle down as she could feel her legs getting weaker.

"Yes, I know it's a shock. And coming this way, I know it's really bad. But your father is still alive, and you have step siblings and a stepmother. Your father abandoned you two and fled back to another state. And I'm really sorry you are getting to know it now. And the will…"

"Is what? Compensation? Really? For everything my sister and I went through? Oh, please, save it!"

"But…"

"I stand on my decision, miss Magdalene Dupont, you can share the will to the rest of the family!" Marie voice came out harder this time, her eyes shone as she spoke with a steely resolve.

"That's the problem." Magdalene started slowly, "You see, apart from being left with the largest portion of the will, you've been made the next CEO of the Stevenson's Group Of Companies,"

There was a pause for some seconds, then Marie let out a mirthless laugh. "Is that so? Then, I'll turn in my resignation letter before the night is over, okay? Bye."

Marie clicked the call shut and flung it over the sofa.