Chapter 15: Furious Family

Shelly's PoV

The lawyer continued, "Now, it is time for me to read his last will and testament. As you all know, Alistair was a man of few words, so I will read the will as he wrote it."

'To all of my children, I will give assets valued at three billion from the various companies I own. You may pick the new directors of those companies. They will have the power to run the company. However, they will still need to answer to the new head of the family. If you have a spouse, they will inherit a smaller share of the assets, but will still have the right to live in the family home.'

I gasped. Three billion dollars?! That was... that was...

"A lot of money," Zara whispered.

"Yeah," I said. "I've never even seen that much money in my life."

"Me either," she said.

'To all of my grandchildren whose parents still live, I will give assets valued at a hundred million from the various companies I own. Note that among these children and grandchildren, I'm also including those I failed to recognize as my children when younger. If any of you stand before this crowd, I'm sorry. You should have been given everything you deserved."

I felt a bit teary, but soon, the room exploded with chatter and whispers.

Cassian's mother was furious. "What?! How dared he include the illegitimate children and grandchildren?! That's outrageous!"

"Indeed," Alexander muttered. He looked at his mother, a woman with black hair that was turning white. She held onto her son's arm, a bit too tight. There were tears in her eyes.

Cassian's sister looked around. "Are any of those bastards among us?"

I backed away slowly, but Zara grabbed my wrist.

"Indeed!" Damien said, standing up. All eyes turned to him.

Cassian gasped as he stared at us. "Wait, those two are the bastards?"

Damien grinned. "Indeed. They're Alistair's grandchildren, just like you! But given their mother is no more, their share of the inheritance becomes larger, just like their aunts. So, say hello to your new cousins!"

Cassian's sister stood up and walked over, glaring at me and Toren. Her eyes were full of hatred. I was scared. She was a petite girl, but she looked like she could kill me with her glare.

"So, you two are the bastards," she said, her voice dripping with venom.

"Rawr!" Toren growled.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you little brat."

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" I said, pulling Toren behind me.

"Or what?" she sneered. "What are you going to do, bastard?"

I glared at her. I didn't like being called names, and I wasn't going to let her get away with talking to my brother like that.

Cassian sighed as he walked over. "Isadora is right, you poor bastards. You are a stain on our family. You should just leave."

"Come on, Cassian, don't be mean to them," Damien said, still smiling.

"Shut up, Damien," Cassian said, glaring at him. "You brought them here to annoy us."

"Oh, come on," Damien said, shrugging. "You know that's not true."

The whole family kept glaring at him.

"T-this is an embarrassment," Grandpa's widow said as she stood up. She shot us a glare. "Get rid of these bastards, lawyer. I want them gone. Now."

"Ma'am, please," the lawyer said, frowning. "If you wish to dispute the will, you can, but-"

"I am the late patriarch's widow! And, I am a proper part of this family! I want them gone! Their grandmother was a tramp, regardless of who she was! All those women were nothing but dirty sluts!"

I gulped. That was my grandmother she was talking about! I was about to walk over and yell at her, but Zara held me back. "Not yet," she whispered.

"Rawr!" Toren hissed.

The lawyer sighed. "Ma'am, the late patriarch made this will very clear. He wanted them to be here. He wanted them to inherit a portion of the estate."

"To hell with his will!" she shouted. "I will not have them in my house! I want them out! They don't belong here! They're nothing but bastards! Dirty, illegitimate bastards!"

Damien sighed and walked over to his great-grandmother. "Ma'am, please, let's all calm down and talk this over like rational adults."

"You're the insane one here, Damien!" She slapped him across the face, sending him stumbling back. The room went silent, save for her shouting. "You were the one who brought those two here! How dare you?!"

Damien rubbed his cheek. "I didn't bring them here. They came here of their own accord. They're Alistair's grandchildren, so they're entitled to be here."

"Lies!" she screamed. "You're lying! You're just trying to make us look bad! You're a disgrace to this family! I want you gone too! You might have the biggest claim to becoming the next head, but I will make sure that doesn't happen!"

I glared at the woman. I was furious. She was the crazy one. For all I knew, maybe she was the one who had my mother killed.

"Please, everyone," the lawyer said. "Let's all calm down and get through this."

The widow glared at him, and then at us. "No! I will not have those bastards in my house!"

Cassian sighed. "Look, we should just get rid of them. They're nothing but trouble. They should go back to where they came from."

"Agreed," Isadora said. "I don't want them in my house either."

Alexander sighed and walked over. "We can't dispute Grandfather's will, regardless of how much we hate it. We can only buy their share of their inheritance. Let's not waste our breath on this. If they want to leave, that's up to them."

The widow glared at him. "I want them gone!"

"Grandma, please," Alexander said, sighing. "The will is clear. They're allowed to be here. Just let it go."

She looked at him, her eyes filled with rage and hatred. Then, she turned her glare on me and Toren. "I want you two out of my sight! Now! I will not have you in my house! You are nothing but bastards!"

Toren let out a shriek, silencing the whole room. His eyes were wide with fear and anger. He was terrified and furious. I wanted to comfort him, but he ran off and out of the room before I could. "Toren! Wait!" I shouted, but he was gone.

Damien gave chase. "Don't worry, I'll get him. Stay here."

I looked at the widow, and the rest of the family, anger in my eyes. I couldn't let them treat Toren like that. He was a little kid, and they were scaring him.