Neil shook his head, then said gravely, “Mr. Taylor is doing fine. I’m sorry, Ms. Kate. Mr. Taylor didn’t ask for any of his family members.”
“Why doesn’t Father want to meet us? Even now, why is he still refusing to meet us?” Kate cried hysterically and stomped off in frustration.
I watched her departing figure rather curiously but said nothing.
Right then, Neil brought Ashton and me to a separate room, apart from the rest of the house. He had a few cakes and drinks brought in, then left us to our own devices.
I turned to face Ashton. “Shouldn’t we get going? We’ve already met Mr. Taylor, after all.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? What about Mr. Fuller’s matters?” A voice rang out just as the door burst open. Alarmed, I froze in my seat. When I looked over to the speaker, I found myself staring at Holden.
Holden was leaning against the door frame, clutching a sheaf of documents in one hand. He wore the same careless attitude with an accompanying smirk on his face, looking utterly irresponsible.
Ashton had also turned to look at Holden. However, he pursed his lips and said nothing.
Holden strode in casually, then placed the documents he’d been holding onto the table before us. Fixing his gaze on Ashton, Holden said, “Dad got me to hand this over to you. Everything’s written clearly inside. If you’re concerned about any missing details, you may invite a lawyer over right now to take a look at it. If not, then sign it.”
A quick glimpse of the documents revealed it to be a contract by the Moranta Foreign Trade Association.
Ashton merely cast an unworried glance at it, then signed it without a second thought.
Holden raised an eyebrow. “Impressive,” he remarked, examining the contract. “All right then. If there’s nothing else, I’ll look forward to working with you, Mr. Fuller.”
Ashton nodded and replied solemnly, “Please thank Mr. Taylor on my behalf. I won’t let him down.”
At that, Holden nodded in response. “Mr. Fuller, at the rate your business is expanding, are you planning on achieving a complete monopoly?”
Ashton remained silent.
Just as Holden was opening his mouth to speak, Neil charged into the room. “Mr. Holden, Mr. Taylor has just passed away.”
The news landed like a bolt of lightning. Holden stood as if rooted to the spot, then roughly shoved the stack of documents towards Neil. “Hold this!” he muttered brusquely, then sprinted out of the room.
Neil flashed us an apologetic smile. “Mr. Fuller, I’m terribly sorry. Mr. Taylor’s sudden passing has thrown the Taylor family into a frenzy. I’m afraid we won’t be able to continue hosting both of you. I humbly seek your understanding.”
Ashton waved away his apology, then said soberly, “We’ll head upstairs to say a final farewell to Mr. Taylor then.”
Neil agreed.
The entire crowd had since migrated to Archie’s bedroom, spilling over into the hallway. Some family members were fussing by his bedside, while others were wailing with grief. A few stood stoically in the shadows, their faces ashen as tears streamed quietly down their faces.
Upon seeing Neil approach, Kate once again stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. “Neil, has Father’s will been written yet? Did he leave any instructions before he died?”
Kate’s voice penetrated through the fog of sorrow that lay over the room. Besides, the impending answer to her question was of great interest to everyone present.
Neil’s calm gaze swept over the room. Then he said mildly, “Mr. Taylor did say that if anything happened to him, Mr. Holden would be left in charge of his affairs. The lawyers will be over to read out Mr. Taylor’s will in a while.”
“What?” Kate scorned, evidently displeased. “Why did Father ask a fool like Holden to take charge of his affairs? The Taylor family isn’t short of members. Why did Father choose that bastard? Isn’t his existence enough of an embarrassment to the Taylors?”
A murmur spread across the room. The other members of the Taylor family gradually rose up with one voice to oppose the appointment of Holden.
Neil, however, looked unfazed. Placidly, he announced, “I know that there may be some disagreement to Mr. Holden being in charge of the Taylor family. However, this is Mr. Taylor’s last wish. He has already transferred all of his belongings to Mr. Holden. If anyone opposes this arrangement, they’re free to leave the Taylor family and thereby cut off all ties with the household. If you wish to stay, you’ll remain under the head of the Taylor family. You’ll have to obey Mr. Holden then.”
Neil’s proclamation immediately quelled the Taylor family’s desire to revolt. Kate, however, remained looking rather vexed. She looked sourly at Holden.
Not long after, the lawyer arrived.
At the sight of his dark suit, the room seemed to light up in anticipation. Each one seemed eager to find out what Archie had bestowed upon them with his passing.
The lawyer seemed to be on familiar terms with the Taylors. After a respectful bow to Archie, he settled down, retrieving a set of documents from their briefcase. He then addressed the waiting room in a measured tone. “My condolences to all. Archie lived to a ripe old age and was able to get all of his affairs in order before he passed. I have here in hand Archie’s last will and testament. I will read it out to all of you shortly.”
A hush fell over the bedroom. After glancing at his audience, the lawyer continued, “Dear members of the Taylor family, if these words are being read to you, I would have already departed. Having been the head of the Taylor family for decades, I’m well aware that all my things must be in order before I leave. I won’t have any of our family members behaving disorderly in my passing and becoming a laughingstock to the media and other families.” The will opened briefly with these statements, emphasizing Archie’s responsibility and the Taylor family’s wellbeing without much emotion.
