Love in the Dark

Chapter Six: The Will

Walking inside the lawyer's office with Carlos behind her, Charlese sighed and felt her stomach turn at the sight of Amelia, who was already present there, engaged in a conversation with Mr. Walter.

"It'll be fine, Char," She heard Carlos's whisper in her ear as he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her towards one of the chairs present.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Wallace," Acknowledged the lawyer, as he stood up shaking hands with Charlese. "Mr. Sainz," He acknowledged, shaking his hands with Carlos before sitting back down.

Amelia smiled at the sight of Carlos and Charlese, she had reached the lawyers office earlier than they had and was more than ready to see the look on their faces once it was finalized that Matteo's daughter would be living with her.

"Without further due, let's start?" Mr. Walter asked to the three people who sat in his office.

Charlese and Carlos nodded, both eager to get this over with and unable to tolerate Amelia any longer. They believed that Matteo and Esme would never entrust their daughter to her.

"Now we are here for the last will and testament of Matteo and Esme Reyes," the lawyer announced, reaching for the document. As he silently read through it, Charlese swallowed, anxiety bubbling up as she wondered what lay in store for Kaia.

Carlos rested his hand on Charlese's thigh, gently pressing it to stop her from bouncing it nervously. She glanced at him, finding some comfort in his presence. He was just as nervous about Kaia's future and adamant that Amelia should have no connection or rights over the little girl. He knew Amelia would likely delegate Kaia's care to a nanny or, worse, send her off to a boarding school, all while taking credit for the noble act of taking in her deceased nephew's daughter.

Charlese took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. The weight of the moment pressed down on her, but Carlos's reassuring presence helped her stay grounded.

"Mr. and Mrs. Reyes have decided that in the event of their deaths, they wish for their daughter, Kaia Fern Reyes, to be placed into the care of her godparents," the lawyer read, his glasses sliding down his nose as he observed the confused faces before him.

"Are you certain?" came Amelia's voice, raw with shock and disbelief. She couldn't believe her nephew had been so foolish as to trust Charlese and Carlos with his daughter when she was sure she would be an excellent guardian.

"I am certain that Mr. and Mrs. Reyes wished for their daughter to be placed in the care of her godparents," Mr. Walter repeated.

Blinking in confusion as they processed the will's contents, Carlos and Charlese shared a look. Charlese leaned closer to Mr. Walter. "Both of us?" she confirmed, her voice trembling. The lawyer nodded in response, and her breaths quickened again. Questions flooded her mind as she internally feared Carlos rejecting any responsibility for Kaia.

Carlos, however, remained still as he still struggled to process what the will read. He didn't know how to feel about the responsibility he now had. However, he believed they would find a way to raise Kaia among them, and was glad that Amelia wasn't involved in any of this.

"However, there are some conditions about both of you being Kaia's guardians," Mr. Walter continued, grabbing the attention of the three of them again. "They wish for you to raise Kaia together, under one roof," he explained, grateful that social workers were present outside since there was a lot of paperwork to be done.

Carlos swallowed as he understood what Matteo expected him to do; he didn't just want him to look after Kaia but be there for Charlese as well.

"The house the couple currently resided in should be put on the market, with the money being used for Kaia's future," Mr. Walter further explained. "The villa owned by the couple in London will be temporarily transferred to Ms. Wallace, and their house in Barcelona to Mr. Sainz. However, both properties should be transferred to Kaia once she reaches the legal age," he explained, reading further. "And lastly, the house owned by the couple in California is to be permanently transferred to Ms. Wallace."

Amelia was left shocked when the lawyer finished reading the will. Not only had Matteo managed to establish himself well, but he had also passed down everything to his daughter, sister-in-law, and Carlos.

Charlese's mind was reeling. She glanced at Carlos, trying to gauge his reaction. His face was a mixture of shock and uncertainty, but his eyes met hers with reassurance.

"How do you expect them to raise her together when they barely know each other?" Amelia interjected, her voice laced with disbelief and disdain.

"We will make it work," Carlos replied firmly, finding strength in Charlese's presence. He wasn't sure how they would navigate this new reality; he wasn't even sure if they would be able to cope with it, however, he was more than determined not to let Amelia reach to Kaia.

Watching as Amelia stormed out of the office, Carlos sighed in relief before turning to look at the lawyer again. "What if Charlese is left here alone with Kaia, but I support them in any way that I can?" Carlos asked, knowing that travelling with Charlese and Kaia throughout the calendar would be more than difficult.

He knew Charlese had a life and routine of her own as did he, and neither of them could think of a solution at the moment.

"Neither of you can raise Kaia alone, Mr. Sainz, that is the condition," Mr. Waler cleared. "If the will is not followed then Kaia's responsibility will be handed over to her blood relatives." He explained, making the pair go slightly pale as they took in the gravity of the situation.

Charlese opened and closed her mouth, drowned in confusion and worry, she hoped Matteo or Esme would have warned her about this; she wasn't sure what decision they would make.

"Could you please give us a moment?" Charlese asked, finally managing to utter some words. Brushing her hair from her face, she looked at Carlos, silently agreeing that they had a lot to discuss.

"Of course, Ms. Wallace, however, the decision has to be made today itself," The lawyer replied, getting up to his feet and walking out of his office.

Carlos ran a hand through his hair, he looked over at Charlese, who looked just as lost as he did. Whatever, the situation may be, Carlos was certain of the fact that a decision had to be made soon before the situation could get any worse and despite the ruckus, he knew Kaia couldn't be handed over to Amelia. 

Kaia was important, and the last thing anyone wanted for her was to leave her with an uncertain future.

"What do we do now?" Charlese asked, her voice trembling with fear at the mere thought of losing Kaia to Amelia. She couldn't bear it and now had to rely on Carlos' decision.

Carlos groaned and got to his feet, pacing around the office as a million thoughts ran through his head. He felt the weight of responsibility pressing down on him, knowing this was the least he could do to make up for not being there for Matteo when he had the chance.

Stopping abruptly, he stood still, dropping his hands to his waist as he looked at Charlese. The look they shared both relieved and scared her at the same time.

"We're not left with much choice," He said, praying that the step they were about to take came out to be positive, for everyone.