Hope and Revenge episode 16

HOPES AND REVENGE

Episode 16

****** A YEAR LATER. ALEXA’S POV.

I pick at my food with the fork,twirling the fries around my plate.
I sigh.
I’m hungry.
Really hungry.
But I can’t eat.
I won’t.
I stare at the food,my stomach grumbling immediately but I ignore it patting it softly.
“Alexa? Hey? Earth to Alexandra!”
Someone yells bringing me out of my reverie and I suddenly remember I’m with Sophie In a restaurant near campus.
We both got enrolled into the same university but Lydia got into a polytechnic which she found quite affordable because of her family’s financial status.
I wish I could help but aside paying for my fees, I wasn’t allowed to withdraw money for a different purpose.
Strange, I know.
I had tried to withdraw money several times but somehow, the stupid bank teller will place a call to my father’s lawyer amd ask for a go ahead.
Why? Because according to the lawyer,my father gave strict instructions not to let me withdraw money unless it’s for educational purposes. And also, I will only be allowed to do whatever I want after my father’s Will testament is read a year after his death, which is precisely today.
Today, my father’s Will will be re-ad and I’ll know who and who will receive a share of his properties.
There are not many people actually.
Just me,the twins and well.. Maybe Alice.
I cringe at the thought of her.
Strangely and miraculously, she’s still not been found.
It’s like she disappeared into thin air.
I must say,that woman knows how to escape the police very excellently.
I sigh again.
I seem to be doing a lot of thinking these days.
“My God! Alexandra! Are you pregnant and thinking of abortion?”
Now, that, totally got my attention.
I wh!pmy head to glare at her.
“Why would you think that Sophie? I’m still a vir-gin, unless I’m the second v!rg!nMary”
I say sarcastically and she rolls her eyes.
“Why else would your mind be so occupied if it’s not about pregnancy hmm?”
She queries.
“Today is the re-ading of my father’s Will”
“And? It’s what you’ve been waiting for right? So the lawyer can st©p checking up on you 24/7?”
“Yes but…
. I don’t know.. I just have this bad feeling Sophie”
“You’re just thinking too much. Everything will turn out just fine, you’ll see”
she @ssures me and I want to believe so.
I want to. I turn my attention back to my plate of fries and start picking at it again.

“Alexa?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you pla-ying around with your food?”

“Nothing. I’m not hungry”

I avoid her eyes.

“You’re not hungry yet you ordered for food because you feel like throwing around cash?”
She spits sarcastically.
I keep mute.
She sighs after some time of silence.

“Look Alexa, I’m not blind. I’ve seen how you avoid food these days. I can literally hear your stomach rumbling from where I’m sitting. You can’t possibly tell me you aren’t hungry. What’s going on with you?”

I’m on a diet.

I want to tell her but I don’t. Instead, I push my chair back as I get up, dragging my bag with me.

“Ive got to go. I’m late. here.”

I hand her money for the bills.

Turning, I pu-ll the hood of my sweater over my head, covering my scars pretty well as I rush out of the restaurant ignoring Sophie’s calls.

***

3:00PM. 15TH AUGUST, 2018.

WILLIAM’S POV

“William Wilson! You’re up!” The chief guard shouts my name from where I’m standing amongst the line of the prisoners who are being freed today.
Some, after completing their jail term and a few others who’s cases were reopened and they were proven innocent and the rest have been set free because of presidential pardon. Eagerly, I step out of the line and walk towards the guard who hands me my clothes, packaged in a transparent bag.

The same clothes I was wearing the day I had come to jail and I was made to change into these ugly non patterned cream colored jail clothes.

“Go change”

he tells me and continues to call out the rest.
In the tiny room that’s supposed to be termed a changing room, i rid the jail clothes and begin to put on my clothes.
I sniff my armpit.. Hmm. Not bad. I don’t smell so had.
Well who cares? I’ll take a long de-ep shower In my small bathroom at home.
Home.

I can’t wait to get home, embr@ce my mother and brothers.

I can’t wait to sleep on my be-d and be wra-pped in the comfort of my sheets.

I remember how I always used to whine and complain about living in a small home and a tiny be-droom that could easily p@ss for a storage room. But then, thinking back to how my back always hurt every morning after I wake up from my h@rd-floor-be-d, I realised I should have appreciated what I had because there was nothing like home.

Zi-pping my jeans and rolling the bands up because,
1st My belt seemed to have miraculously gone missing from my clothes and 2. I’ve lost weight.

Well, so what, I can always gain back the weight after eating my mother’s delicious meals.

Done, Instep out and a guard leads me out of the prison.

I Iook back at the building.

Never am I returning here again.

“Bye Wilson, make sure you don’t come back here”

the guard waves as I exit the hvge gates.

I smile.

Never.

As soon as I’m totally away from the four walls of the hell hole I sp©t them.

My brothers, standing side by side and my mother in between grinning at me.

With quic-kened steps, I rush over to her like the mama’s boy that I am and hvg her.

“Oh my boy. My baby. At last”

she plants numerous k!sses to my face and I don’t whine like I would normally do.

Hell, I miss the woman.

“I’ve missed you mother. I’m back now,for good”

“I missed you too my boy”

“And here we go again”

Rich@rd says with a gr0@nrolling his eyes.

“Oh shut up!”

Mother scolds him and he rolls his eyes again.

I don’t fail to see the smile tugging at the corners of hisl-ips.

“Well hello to you too. I must say, I’ve missed your spectacular way of welcoming a brother”

sarcasm drips off my voice.

“I must say, I’ve missed your spectacular sarcasm”

Michael bites back and I laugh.

“Ah, such loving brothers God gifted me with”

“Look dude, if you’re expecting us to hvg you, but then look elsewhere cuz we ain’t homo.”

Rich@rd says.

“Ewww. I’d rather have a thr££s©methan hvg you”

I lie.

My mother g@sps.

Oops, I forgot she knows what thr££s©memeans.

“Oh dear!!,your br@in have been corrupted. Such dirty talks! Come, come son”

Read – Alpha Institution episode 5 – 8

she gr-abs my hand, pushing the wheelchair with the other.

She’s taking me to the pastor, for endless prayers.

That’s what she does anytime we use a cuss word.

“Mom, Rich@rd and Michael too”

I say earning a glare from them.

“Yes. Come boys, let’s go pray and have you baptised”

We all gr0@nas she says this.

Ah, how wonderful.

****

ALEXA’S POV

“okay shall we?”

“Hmm”

I nod.

“Very well. Here goes, and I re-ad. I, Henry Wallace of sane mind state that….”

He begins but I cut him off.

No time for long talks.

“Can we skip that plea-se Mr Dante? Just give us the details”

I say to the lawyer who nods curtly before re-ading the Will silently. After a few minutes, he looks up.

“Well?”

Marcus questions impatiently.

“Well it says here your father willed seventy percent (70%) of his properties to his only daughter Alexandra Wallace and thirty percent (30%) to be shared amongst his sons, Marcus and Fraser Wallace. Fifteen percent each”

My mouth drops open. What?! Seventy percent? Me? Why so much?!

“What the fv¢king hell!”

Marcus yells springing up to his feet.

Oh no.

Here comes the fight for inheritance.

“Thirty percent? Fifteen fv¢king percent to each of us? Bullsh*t!!”

Fraser shouts, backing his brother.

“Watch your ton-gue boys!”

Mr Dante warns

“Like hell I will! This is scam! A scam!”

“A scam you say? What did you work for? What money do you have to be scammed huh? This money belonged to Henry Wallace and he did whatever he damn felt like doing with his money. His own money got it? So don’t stand here shouting scam. Who scammed you?!”

“it’s cheating! How could she get seventy percent and we get thirty huh? How? We won’t accept this!”

“Well you better boys. In case you didn’t know, all this wealth did not belong to Henry alone. It was a joint wealth. Lorena, Alexa’s mother was also from a rich background in Chile. She owned fifty percent while Henry owned fifty also. And so after her death, it was quite normal for her fifty percent shares to be transferred into Alexa’s name. And the remaining fifty, Henry divided it. Gave Alexa twenty percent and the rest of the thirty to you boys. It’s no ones fault Alexa’s mother had a share in the properties. If Henry owned everything, maybe it would have been shared amongst you differently but it’s not. Henry’s added twenty percent to Lorena’s made it seventy, which is why you think you’ve been cheated but it’s a fair deal if you ask me. It would have been wrong if Henry shared Lorena’s money amongst you especially when she’s not your mother nor related to you. So I think Henry’s decision was good. Gave you thirty from his p@rt of the shares and the twenty to Alexa”

Mr Dante finishes his long speech and I’m left in awe.

My mother was rich too? And she left me her inheritance?

“Still this is bullsh*t! Why don’t you take your mother’s money and leave the fifty percent for us?!”

Marcus spits and I frown.

. Seventeen year olds fighting over inheritance? Wow,that’s new.

“First of all, mind your language. And secondly, it’s not my fault my mother was rich too. It’s not my fault my mother’s inheritance was automatically p@ssesy on to me. I didnt ask for it. I was never interested in inheritance. You’re not even eighteen yet and you’re re-ady to fight me over money? You should be thankful in the least that my father was generous enough to leave his stepsons a p@rt of his wealth!”

My last words earn a sarcastic laughter from them, imfuriating me the more.

“Oh,he didn’t tell you did he?”

Fraser asks with a dirty sm-irk I never knew he had till now

“Tell me what?”

“Oh. So you don’t know? Well news flash Alexandra, we are not your stepbrothers. The blood that runs throu-gh your veins is the same blood that runs in ours”

he spits and I immediately feel my heartbeat accelerating.

“What?!!”

“Exactly what you heard. Your father impregnated out mom while he was still married, seventeen fv¢king years ago and he did so well to hide it from the public’s eye.. We..”

He pauses, pointing between him and his brother

“Are Henry Wallace’s children. And so we have equal rights over this inheritance and I demand that it be shared equally or I swear, there’s going to be bloody war!”

Wait what?!!!

TBC