Chapter 91

Along with Grace’s regular visits to the office, Will’s parents started visiting his home. Grace was the happy, courteous, and elegant daughter-in-law society dictated she should be. Will wanted nothing to do with them, but Grace continued to welcome them over and attend to them. She would do anything that it took to solidify her position in the Stewart family.
Will felt it was strange that his parents were coming together. Since they’d been separated, they had lived their lives apart. They used Will as a weapon against each other, claiming that the other one was abusing him. He was in and out of the tabloids as a child. They were so busy fighting each other that they never bothered to love him. They had a deep, and passionate hatred for each other. So, them coming to see him together was suspicious.
“Hello, darling,” Julia gushed as she walked in. She greeted Grace with exaggerated double air kisses. “You are such a lovely new bride.”
“Hello, Mrs. Stewart.”
“Oh, honey no. Please call me Julia,” she enthused.
“Well, then,” Grace giggled. “Hello Julia.”
Franklin entered a few steps behind her.
“Hello, Mr. Stewart.”
“Hello, Grace.” Franklin’s greeting was more subdued. “How are you?”
“I’m feeling great!”
Will rolled his eyes at the exchange. It was so contrived, and he wanted no part of it.
“William!” his mother called out with glee when she saw him. Her arms opened wide towards him. They did this every time they came over. Both acted as though they were loving parents visiting their newlywed son and his wife. He was losing his patience with them.
“Enough,” Will sighed. “Drop the act, already. Why are you here?”
“We just want to visit,” Franklin deadpanned. Julia had no intentions of being that nonchalant. Her hand flew to her chest, and she gasped as though someone had slapped her.
“Is it a crime for a mother to visit her only son? I thought we raised you better than that!”
Will threw his head back in pained laughter.
“I fail to see the joke,” Julia scoffed.
“The joke is that you think you raised me.”
“Don’t speak to your mother that way,” Franklin scolded him.
“That’s rich. What the hell is going on with you two? For years all you can do is talk shit about each other, destroy the other’s image in my eyes and now you want to present some sort of united front? Get out of here. I’m over it.”
“Will, they are your parents,” Grace tried to intervene.
“And you better than anyone should know what that means,” Will turned on her.
“I do, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change. Give them a chance.”
“We want to try and be build a relationship with you,” Franklin said.
“Please let us try,” Julia added. Something about that one word stirred something in him. I wanted to try. Those words would haunt him. It was deemed too late for him to try. Who was he to tell someone they couldn’t have a chance to try?
“Stay for dinner,” he said. Julia squealed and threw her arms around Grace.
“Thank you, dear! You’ve given us our son back!”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I said, ‘stay for dinner’. We’ll see from there.”
The four of them walked into the dining room and were served by the mansion’s staff. There hadn’t been guests there since before Conrad’s passing, and they were thrilled for the change of pace. Dinner was mostly silent. The conversation was dominated by Julia and Grace. Julia’s affected voice and laughter was grating on Will’s nerves.
“Grace, I really think you should update this home. My mother-in-law was a lovely woman, but had such old-fashioned taste,” Julia commented between bites of food. “I do hope you redecorate. The whole house could use a refresh. Especially that overgrown. I hope you just rip it all out and start over.”
“No one is going to touch Gram’s garden,” Will said, trying hard to conceal his disgust. “Or the house. Everything stays.”
“This house has been the same since I was a kid,” Franklin said. “You don’t think it should—”
“Everything. Stays,” Will repeated, his hands tightening around his utensils.
“I actually love everything just the way it is,” Grace laughed nervously.
“Well, that’s nice. How good it must be for you two to agree on that,” Julia said with a fake smile. “It’s great that you two are married.”
“It is great,” Franklin said. “You must be very happy.”
“There’s nothing like young love,” Julia simpered. Grace giggled along with her new mother-in-law and opened her mouth to speak, but Will spoke before she could.
“We’re in an arranged marriage. We’re not in love.”
Grace looked contrite, and Julia was affronted. Franklin, as usual, had no expression.
“That’s no way to speak to your wife,” he said.
“Okay, I’ve had enough of this,” William slammed his cutlery on the table. “What do you both want? Why do you keep coming here and putting on this charade?”
“Well, I never!” Julia gasped.
“Out with it!” Will yelled. Everyone at the table flinched, but Julia’s doting mother façade melted away. Her face twisted into her signature bitter mask.
“Your grandfather’s will needs to be revised. What he left us was ridiculous. You need to allocate more of his assets to your father and me.”
Will stared at them, his eyes blank and empty.
“Your position in the company is in better standing since you got married. Grace’s family is powerful and influential in high society,” Franklin stated. “The board is pleased by this union.”
“And it was your father that arranged the marriage. We should be compensated for securing your standing in the company. His brilliant idea and quick thinking saved you.”
Will laughed, but the sound was cynical and sour.
“Of course. I should have known,” he shook his head, and a sad smile stretched across his face. “For a moment, just a moment I let myself believe that I meant more than dollar signs to you. But I should have known better. And now I see that you trapped me in a marriage I didn’t want so you two could secure your fucking pay day.”
“Your grandfather left you everything, and only gave us some stupid cottage that no one wants,” Julia screeched.
“You have to take care of us now,” Franklin added.
“Oh, the way you took care of me my whole life? I don’t owe either one of you a damn thing, and neither did Pop! You,” he pointed at his father. “were a horrible son. You never engaged with him or ever had any interest in the company. And you,” he pointed at his mother. “were an opportunistic, gold-digger. All you ever wanted was my grandfather’s money. You two disgust me.”
“Will, I think you’re being harsh,” Grace tried to say.
“Why are you taking their side? You know what growing up with them was like for me.”
“As executor and inheritor of his estate, you can change his will,” Julia scoffed. “You’d leave us destitute?”
“You will not get a hair more than what Pop left you. Not a single cent. You received what you deserved. Now do us all a favor and stop pretending to be my parents. Get out of my house.” Will threw down his silverware and walked away. Grace got out of her chair and rushed over to Julia who was dramatically crying.
“What did I do to have such a hateful child?”
“Shut up, Julia,” Franklin sneered
“I’ll talk to him,” Grace assured. “I’ll try and get him to soften up and change his mind. He’s emotional right now and didn’t mean any of what he said.”
“Oh, bless you,” Julia said, grabbing Grace’s hands. “You are such a great person. You’ve always been there to guide William in the right direction. If anyone can make him understand that he had to help us, it’s you. You’re so much better for him than that little gold-digging bitch, Emma. She was just horrible.”
“I met her once before,” Grace commented. “Will brought her to my wedding with Denis as his date and announced his engagement to her there. It was then I knew that Will was the only one for me. He may not be in love, but I am. I’ll remind him of how much he loved me.”
“You have to get pregnant,” Franklin asserted. “It’s the only way to keep him with you and cement his image with the board.”
“He doesn’t want to,” Grace hung her head.
“Oh, honey. Men don’t know what they want. You have to tell them what they want. Have his baby, and he’ll always be yours.”
“How can I do that if he won’t touch me?”
“Figure it out,” Franklin said as he stood up. “You don’t have a choice. Will has to have a child. You two need a baby. Soon.”
Julia mopped her crocodile tears and stood.
“Save us, Grace. You need to convince to him to get your pregnant and to change the will.”
Her in-laws left, and Grace felt an overwhelming pressure. She knew that having a baby was the solution to all of her problems. A baby would save her marriage with Will, secure his position as CEO, ensure his parents could maintain their lifestyles, and that she could as well. A baby was the key. And she had an idea of where she could find one.