Chapter 2- Simon’s Will
1212 Words
“Stop it, Mom!” Mandy said, looking pleadingly at Nancy.
There were very few people who knew about the contents of the will. As soon as Elvis saw his father, Simon, Mandy planned to get him away from the house so that he would not be upset by the changes his father made.
However, she hadn’t expected her mother to expose the news to Elvis. Mandy was terrified at how Elvis might react. She thought back to the terrible scene that happened just before he left before.
To her surprise, Elvis didn’t get angry this time. He looked at Nancy calmly, and said, “You have no right to gossip about my family affairs, Mrs. Green. I will take care of this on my own. And as for Mandy, I made a promise to her, and I will follow through to make her happy.”
Elvis turned away, taking Mandy’s hand and walked inside.
Nancy stood watching them as the anger raged inside her. She clenched her fists and followed them to the living room.
A well-dressed woman was engrossed in a deep conversation with her guests and did not notice Elvis, Mandy or Nancy appear in the doorway until others turned to look. The moment the woman saw Elvis, her smile disappeared and her face turned to stone.
“I’m glad that you’re back, Elvis!” The woman exclaimed with a fake smile. She walked toward him.
Elvis looked the woman straight in the eye, his face hardening into an expression of hatred for his stepmother, Shirley George. He met her on his wedding day, she suddenly appeared and declared she was having an affair with his father and caused his already frail mother to have a stroke and pass away.
It was because of Simon’s actions and affair with Shirley that Elvis and Simon became enemies. In a fit of rage, Elvis changed his name to Alexander George and joined the army, only to come home and find Shirley hosting a party while his father lay in a coma.
“Where is my father? Take me to him right now!” Elvis demanded, with his hands firmly clasped in front of him.
The silence was deafening in the room, the authoritative sound of his voice made everyone cringe.
“Your father has been in a coma for two days. It’s not convenient for you to visit him right now!” Shirley forced herself to calm down, and said, “To tell you the truth, I have gathered everyone here to read Simon’s will.”
She turned and faced the guests, and then motioned for the lawyer standing by to read out the will.
Nodding to her, the lawyer took the will out of his briefcase, and then spoke in a clear and loud voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, I have been entrusted by Mr. George to read his will…”
“As the president of Vanguard Group, I am no longer able to manage the affairs of the company. This is due to my declining health and therefore, I am making writing this will so that the company will not suffer the consequences.”
“Elvis George, my only biological son, would be the one to inherit the family business. However, as everyone knows, he renounced me as his father seven years ago. Therefore, I will remove him from my will. After much deliberation, I have decided to leave Vanguard Group to my wife, Shirley George, and my stepson, Daniel George.”
Before the lawyer could say anything more, the entire room was in an uproar.
Simon was in a coma and seriously ill. Yet, instead of being by his side, Shirley was having his will read out loud to his close colleagues.
Some of the guests gossiped about the content of Simon’s will, while others busied themselves by flattering Shirley.
Elvis did not flinch, he just continued to glare at Shirley. He could not understand that just by the reading of a few sentences, Shirley and her son would inherit Vanguard Group. It was a family-owned business that took generations to create. Even before the will was read, Elvis was plotting to make Shirley pay for his mother’s death.
“Calm down, Elvis,” Mandy whispered as she sensed the anger simmering inside of him.
When Nancy heard the lawyer’s words, her face hardened even more. She was not going to let her daughter marry Elvis, he had nothing and she did not want to become Shirley’s enemy.
“The will is not valid until my father is no longer breathing. So, aren’t you a bit anxious to get your hands on the company, Shirley?” Elvis questioned.
Upon hearing his words, Shirley motioned for the lawyer to put the will away, and then said with a sneer she said, “Even the most prominent doctors in Murray City, have said that your dad will never recover. I am just doing what I need to do to keep the company afloat!”
“As a matter of fact, from the day you walked out on your father, all those years ago, you are no longer welcome in this house. I did you a favor by asking the steward to inform you of your father’s illness, but it took you six days to get here. As a son, you have not respected your father! You have no right to question the will or his wishes!”
Looking at Shirley, Elvis said calmly, “I regret that I didn’t kill you at the wedding, Shirley. Because of you, my mom died and now you want to steal my family’s company from me! You don’t deserve to live!”
“You want to kill me? Do you actually think you have the right to talk to me like that? Without your family support, you are nothing! Get out of here right now, or I will have the guards remove you!” Shirley shouted.
“You’re way out of line, Shirley! You can inherit the property, that doesn’t matter. But, you have no right to deprive Elvis of the right to see his dying father!” Mandy said indignantly.
Many people in the room shook their heads in agreement with Mandy, including Elvis. He didn’t want Shirley to have the company but he could live without it, the reason he came back was to see his father.
Frowning, Shirley said, “I’m now the decision-maker in this house. And for Simon’s safety, I won’t let you see him. I…”
Elvis interrupted her, saying coldly, “It seems that you know no fear of death.”
“You bastard! How dare you talk to me like that?” A young man shouted at Elvis, as he pushed his way through the crowd.
The man dressed as a young street punk was Shirley’s son, Daniel George.
“I’m gonna kill you!” Daniel yelled, reaching to grab Elvis by the throat.
- Writer
