Chapter 245 Wishing the Solomon Line Would End
The crowd processed Anniston's words, exchanging varied glances, until at last the loud-voiced woman shouted, "Well, we've come all this way, can't waste our time for nothing. Let's go!"
She took the lead and marched out the door to find a sharply dressed young man holding a stack of checks.
"Please come this way for your checks, one per household, and each for the same amount," he directed.
"These are just peanuts," the woman grumbled, scrutinizing the check. "You're writing checks like we're beggars."
But when the young man handed her the check, her eyes nearly popped out, "One hundred thousand?"
The news of a hundred thousand dollars sent a ripple through the less affluent branches of the Solomon family, who now clamored to get their hands on the checks. The distribution complete, they each left with their own piece of unexpected fortune.
The young man's meticulous hairstyle was now disheveled.
He exhaled deeply, smoothed his hair back into place, and continued with a smile, "Mr. Solomon has a few more words for the family."
Eyes lit up around the room as they turned their attention to him.
The young man spoke calmly, "This hundred thousand you've got in your hands is real, tangible. But if you let some sly troublemakers stir you up and you keep making a scene, the 'big bucks' they promise you might never hit your pockets—but this hundred thousand will surely be gone."
"Cut the crap! The jewels and antiques Darwin walked off with are worth billions. You think you can fob us off with this?" jeered Anniston.
"According to probate law, even if Miss Woods has passed away, those jewels and antiques don't belong to you folks. All the commotion in the world won't put them in your pockets, and will just waste the precious time you could spend making a living," the young man said with a chuckle, his eyelids lowered. "And if you really get on Mr. Solomon's bad side... well, then we're talking about more than just money, aren't we?"
A ripple of shock passed through the crowd as they pondered Darwin’s notorious reputation.
Then they looked down at the crisp hundred thousand in their hands.
The choice seemed crystal clear.
After all, they weren't even mentioned in the will to begin with. Darwin's willingness to give them anything at all was a stroke of luck.
To keep following Anniston's lead would only mean their loss.
Indeed, Anniston was Darwin's mother. Blood ties were hard to break, and they were nothing to Darwin but distant relations.
Once this realization set in, the decision to stay or leave became simple.
"Look, we're reasonable people. The will is the lady's own wish; it's not our place to go against the deceased's last desires and squabble over this," someone said.
"Exactly!"
Anniston, overhearing this, grew frantic.
"Have you lost your minds? Are you that desperate for money? You're settling for a measly hundred thousand when there are billions in jewels at stake! Billions!"
The others looked at her as if she were out of her mind.
"The kid already said it—what the will stipulates is what goes. Those billions aren't ours, and we have no right to shamelessly claim them," said another.
"Anniston, don't be at odds with Mr. Solomon. We're all family here; why make such a fuss?" another implored.
"Yeah, and we understand that what the old lady left you might not seem like much, but I just checked—that villa you inherited is in the capital and is worth about a billion! That's quite something!"
"Seriously, compare that to our little hundred grand; you've got a billion!"
The chatter from the crowd was incessant.
Anniston turned pale with anger.
Then, reluctantly, she had to watch as the very people she had summoned paid their respects to the deceased matriarch , before leaving in cheerful droves.
As the night deepened, she was left stewing in her own vexation.
A sigh wafted through the air, heavy with resignation. "Anniston, why are you doing this to yourself? Darwin may not be your flesh and blood, but you're the one who brought him into this world. If you'd just step up and be the mother you're supposed to be, you could've lived the rest of your life in luxury, with no worries. Isn't that a good life?"
"Me, causing trouble?" Anniston's eyes, bloodshot with fury, latched onto her husband. "I could have had my own children! It was that conniving old hag who planted someone else's embryo inside of me. Tricked me into thinking I was pregnant with my own kid, and by the time I realized, it was too late for IVF! The Solomons have stolen my chance at motherhood. How can I not loathe you, wishing your entire line comes to an end!"
"In a place of worship, could you refrain from going mad?" Her husband's voice dropped, laced with an exasperation that teetered on the edge of tolerance. "The way you're acting now, maybe you really should be committed and have your head examined!"
With that, he stormed out.
Anniston clenched her fists, waving them furiously in the air before letting out a piercing scream. Afterward, her gaze flickered towards the chapel, eyes seething with resentment.
It was all her fault!
She ruined her life and left nothing behind but an old, decrepit house. The old woman's blatant favoritism toward her firstborn son was so ingrained that even after her death, she bequeathed her stocks and properties to Darwin.
The more Anniston thought about it, the angrier she became, striding toward the chapel with vehement intent to smash it to pieces and scatter the ashes within the urn.
But...
While the rest of the Solomon family entered unobstructed, several imposing bodyguards blocked her path.
"Ma'am, Mr. Solomon has instructed that you don't need to pay your respects."
"How can I be denied the right to mourn my mother-in-law? Darwin! Come out, you monster! What gives you the right to stop me from honoring her?"
Anniston's cursing echoed through the premises.
Fiona had just arrived and heard it all. As she approached, she recognized familiar faces amongst the Solomons, gathering most likely for the will reading. They all seemed quite pleased with themselves, which likely meant the outcome was satisfactory to everyone.
She was surprised, to say the least. Judging by the family's reaction, no discord was stirred, even as the entirety of the jewelry, diamonds, and antiques was left to someone no longer alive—a situation that could've easily unsettled the Solomons.
Had it not been for Darwin claiming his thumb, which had gotten bitten, was inflamed—stubbornly feuding with her all day, refusing hospital care, insisting she deal with it—she wouldn’t have come. Although coming wasn't much of a choice, as Fiona had the child with her, sneaking in from the side.
Anniston did see her.
"Are you the woman from the memorial service?" Her voice spiked as she recognized the shoulder-length cut, and exclaimed, "I'm telling you, don't flatter yourself. Darwin's a heartless monster who doesn't care about you one bit. You're nothing but Fiona's stand-in!!"
Fiona: "..."
Clearly, Darwin's complicated past had rocked Anniston to her core.
She...
She had lost all the poise and grace of the Mr. Potter she once was.
Fiona made her way to the back parlor.
Darwin was waiting at the door.
The moment he saw Fiona, he moved to greet her, "I wanted to pick you up from the parking lot, but I was worried about more photos causing you trouble."
Fiona gave him a sidelong glance.
Without a word, she turned and walked into the parlor with a frosty demeanor.
Darwin followed, closing the door behind him.
Fiona tossed her bag onto the table: "Darwin, tomorrow is the RH Company's pitch meeting. You insisted I come here—was it all for your darling Lilian?"
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