Chaos

Chapter 6

An hour later, Selena walked into her house with Wave, who instantly ran inside, jumping around. Weird, she thought, alarmed as she noticed the door was open. She walked further into the house. "Wave, Wave!" she called out. "Wave, please come!" she said cautiously, walking forward. Just as she was about to call for him again, she spotted Violet lying lifeless in a pool of blood.

"Violet!" she screamed. "Violet, what happened?" She dialed the emergency number unconsciously, her mind scattered, unable to think clearly.

The ambulance arrived, and as Violet was lifted inside, Selena joined them, still shaken. While they head to the hospital, she called Penelope to come look after Wave, knowing he was home alone.

"Hey," Penelope answered.

"Penelope, please come over and look after Wave. He’s home alone, and there's an emergency with Violet," Selena said, her voice breaking with tears.

"Ma, I won’t be able to. I'm actually out of the city."

"What?" Selena responded, barely hearing her. "You’ll be here soon. Thanks, Penelope," she mumbled, sobbing as she ended the call, mistakenly thinking Penelope was on her way.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, a team of nurses and doctors was waiting to attend to Violet. Selena kept wailing and praying as Violet was rushed into the ICU.

***

"Mom, Mom!" Liam called as his mother passed him, rushing towards her room. He hurried to stop her. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"Nothing," she replied, trying to avoid his gaze. But from one look at her, anyone could tell she looked like someone about to have a heart attack.

"Mom, tell me what happened," he insisted, trying to calm her.

"What happened is that I found out your grandfather gave Violet two conditions to fulfill to get all the inheritance. And guess what," she said, visibly shaking, "she fulfilled them, and…"

"And?" Liam pressed, waiting for her to continue.

"I followed her home from the mall to confront her about stealing your inheritance. We argued, she called me names, and we got into a fight. And then…she fell down the stairs, Liam."

Liam stood frozen, disbelief washing over him.

"I have to go, Liam," Josephine said, still shaking. "I need to clear my head and plan the next step, okay?" She turned and hurried to her room.

Liam couldn't process what he’d just heard. His grandfather was planning to leave everything to Violet, leaving him with nothing. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "I need a drink," he muttered, leaving the house and heading to a bar.

Five shots in, Liam glared at his empty glass. "How dare he?" he muttered. "Bartender, bring five more shots and line them up," he demanded, throwing his arms in the air.

"Sir, you're drunk, and—"

"Shut up. Your job is to serve drinks. I need five more shots," he barked.

Ten shots later, Liam paid his tab and left, rage boiling in his veins. "I'm going to pay that old bastard a visit," he growled, heading back to his car. "How dare he give away my inheritance."

When Liam reached the mansion, he entered, finding the place empty. His grandfather had given the staff two days off.

"Hey, Mr. Grandfather!" Liam yelled. "Come out! We need to talk, man to man. Face me like a man!"

The old man appeared before him, his face a mix of confusion and irritation. "Liam? What are you doing here, and drunk no less?"

"What? You think I'm afraid of you? Think again," Liam sneered, his voice filled with contempt.

"Liam, it’s okay. Go home and rest. We can talk about this later," his grandfather replied, attempting to calm him down.

"No!" Liam shouted. "All my life, I've been told to fear you, but guess what? Today, I’m not afraid." He squared his shoulders, looking the old man in the eye.

"And what's on your mind, then?" his grandfather asked, his voice calm.

"How dare you give my inheritance to Violet? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?" Liam barked, noticing the shock in his grandfather's eyes.

"I planned to wire ten million into your account the moment I stepped down."

"Hmph," Liam scoffed. "Ten million? What’s that compared to the billions Violet will control?"

"You have your whole life ahead of you, Liam. You can build your own empire."

"Wrong answer, old man!" With that, Liam reached out and, in a rage, knocked over a small glass case that held his grandmother’s ashes. The case shattered, scattering her ashes across the floor.

"How dare you!" his grandfather roared, all composure gone. "That was my wife’s ashes, you bloody fool—your grandmother!"

Bitterly, his grandfather continued, "First, your useless father cost me my wife’s life. She gave up her life to save him, and what did he do? He failed me, as have you. And now you desecrate her ashes? I knew you’d be a disappointment, just like your father," he spat.

"You’ll inherit nothing from me, and consider that ten million gone."

"No, you bastard!" Liam screamed, shoving his grandfather. The old man fell, hitting his head against the edge of a wooden shelf.

Fear and shock flooded Liam’s face as he looked down at his grandfather, who lay bleeding on the floor. He whispered, "Old man…" He knelt beside him, lightly touching his shoulder. "He’s not breathing," Liam mumbled, panic overtaking him.

Just then, Alfred, who had returned from running errands, walked into the room.

"Liam, what did you do?" he yelled, kneeling beside Mr. Wells.

"I—I didn’t mean to. Please, believe me!" Liam stammered, trembling.

Alfred turned to him with tear-filled eyes. "Liam, leave the mansion. Don’t tell anyone what happened," he commanded.

Liam nodded numbly and fled the mansion.

Alfred sat beside Mr. Wells’s body, his head bowed as he wept. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "I betrayed you once again." He closed his eyes. "I don’t deserve all the good you did for me. I let your killer go. How could I…when the young man in question is my son? I’m sorry. I’ve deceived you, even until the end."

After a pause, Alfred continued, "About twenty-three years ago, when Josephine and Lucas planned to marry against your wishes, she came here to plead for your approval. You were away, and I told her to leave. But she didn’t." He let out a bitter laugh. "She somehow seduced me, and that’s where my betrayal began. I don’t deserve to live." He covered his face, still crying.

***

Hours later…

Violet was brought out of the ICU and into a private room. Selena sat beside her, murmuring thanks.

"Doctor," Selena called as he entered.

"How is she?"

"She’s stable, but…" The doctor hesitated. "I’m sorry to say she lost the baby."

"Baby?" Selena’s eyes widened as tears fell. "Violet was pregnant?"

"About a month along," he answered, his expression sympathetic.

"When will she wake up?"

"In a few hours," the doctor said before excusing himself.

Selena picked up her phone to call Alex about Violet's condition.

“Hello?” Alex answered.

"Alex."

"Ms. Selena, is everything okay?" he asked, sensing her distress.

"No. Violet got into an accident and is in the hospital, recuperating. I thought you should know," she replied, deciding to leave out details until he returned.

"I’ll book the next flight back to America."

"Okay, Alex."

As the call ended, Selena heard Violet mumble. She moved closer, hoping to catch her words.

"Violet?" she whispered.

“The condition."

Selena leaned in closer. “What condition?”

"The one grandfather offered…I need to get married and get pregnant within a year to take over the company," Violet mumbled, then fell silent again.

A mixture of shock and pain registered on Selena’s face.

What!!