Inheritance

Chapter 33

When the night of Christmas Eve finally came around, I was genuinely happy to spend time with family and friends at my uncle's villa. Yet, of the many things I'd been looking forward to, interacting with Marjorie could hardly be regarded as one of them. 

She'd initially sent me a text message earlier in the day expressing her excitement to see me this evening, and I all but returned the sentiment. Nonetheless, I promised myself to try to keep things civil between us, for the sake of formalities. Somehow, the notion that Jacob and Taylor would also be accompanying her made me hopeful. Considering that this would be my very first time seeing my younger siblings face-to-face, sans the occasional video call, I was determined to impart a good impression on them. 

That being said, arguing with their mother probably wouldn't be deemed the brightest idea in the universe. 

Though it had been quite difficult for me to admit at first, Marjorie was good to them. She represented a stable, responsible parental figure in their lives. Put simply, she'd molded herself to become everything to them that she'd never bothered to be for me. Truthfully, I was grateful that they would never have to experience the feeling of abandonment by both of their parents. 

It was a morbid feeling that I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. 

Though their father had been out of the picture for some years now, Marjorie had impressively managed to step up to ensure that they'd never feel his absence. Being so, she was still a recovering drug addict who'd only been sober for a short period of time. That fact alone worried me, as I often found myself pessimistically anticipating the day she'd finally relapse. 

My siblings had no idea what that woman was truly capable of, and I wasn't sure whether their professed innocence was a good or bad thing. They clearly thought highly of her and I didn't want to taint that endowed image. Still, that didn't stop me from pitying the naivety of their unwarranted trust. My hope was that her actions wouldn't leave them disappointed or, worse, hurt. If they did, I wouldn't forgive her or allow her back into any of our lives. That, I could absolutely guarantee. 

Kendall, on the other hand... 

I didn't know what to make of us going days without talking. We had left the date on rather awkward terms. The car ride home was filled with complete silence and, when he followed me into my building, we remained wordless while waiting for the elevator to reach the lobby floor. 

Once it did, he left. And, I let him.

From the brief glances I'd thrown his direction, it was obvious that he had a lot on his mind. His inability to communicate with me was starting to become frustrating. So, that night, I effectively decided that I was done chasing after a grown ass man. Particularly, in a predicament like this, where he was angry about a situation that had absolutely nothing to do with me. 

As far as I was concerned, he'd come to me when he was ready. If he didn't, I'd cross that bridge when I got there. Although, I'd made the impulsive decision to send him the address to my uncle's holiday gathering tonight, that had been the extent of our communication all week. Given that he still hadn't bothered to respond to the message, the ball was officially in his court. 

I refused to let his prolonged decision to spend Christmas with me, or somewhere else for that matter, linger on my mind any further. Though I did have questions, I would allow him the opportunity to willingly answer them in his own time. But, that didn't mean I wasn't becoming warily impatient with each passing moment.

"Sasha, I think you should wear this dress. It'll match perfectly with your earrings." Coco advised, as we stood facing the bathroom mirror in her two-story apartment.