THE HEIRESS

CHAPTER SIX

               Barbara entered her son's room and she found him on his bed reading a book. She sat down on the king - sized  bed with him while he placed the book on the bedside table.

               "Mom, where did you go?" he asked her. "I went to see Miss Richards" she smiled. "You went to see her?" he surprisingly raised his eyebrows. "Of course, I went to see her. That girl is not going to walk all high and mighty into our lives just like that!" she yelled. "Mom, just calm down" he embraced her tightly.

             Gareth was in his hotel room when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in" the door opened and Marley entered the room. "I need to talk to you." "Sit down"he pointed to the sofa against the wall.

  "Mrs Catrell came to talk to me a while ago" she drew in a long breath of air. "A while ago?" He asked her and she nodded. "What did you two talk about?"   "She knew that my mom and her husband had an affair. She was angry and even tried to buy me off" she explained to him.

  "She really did that?" He got up from the bed and started walking back and forth across the room. "I understand that she is hurt but, I'm  not a gold digger and neither was my mother" she dabbed the tears on her face with her palms.  "Hey, don't cry" he bent down infront of her. "You don't have to feel this way" he tried to make her feel better.

    "Yes, I have every right to feel this way" she got up from her seat. "I'm not happy. I feel worse and worse each day when I think of the fact that my birth wasn't planned. Actually, my birth was because of a cheating and unhappy man and a confused country girl."  "Don't say that" she turned around. "You were born out of love. You may not believe it but, it is true" he held her hands.
 
"Yeah right, love. Thanks, that makes me feel better already" she said with heavy sarcasm. "Believe me, you shouldn't be hurt. You may have not been planned but, you were the fruit of love at first sight" he looked at her and smiled. "Right now, you have to think of other things because the will is going to be read today at 6pm."   "Today?" She raised her eyebrows up in surprise.

    
Marley closed her door behind her and threw herself up on her bed. She allowed tears to flow from her eyes as she gradually fell asleep.

She was already out in the clouds dreaming of love by the countryside when she suddenly heard a knock on the door. She opened her eyes slowly and noticed that the sky was dark. She got up from the bed and looked up at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was already fifty two minutes past five.
 
"Oh my God" she slipped on her flip flops and ran into the bathroom.
 
  Gareth waited outside of her hotel room with a look of intense worry on his face. He looked down at the rolex watch on his wrist. Time was already past and It didn't help that they were not even out on the road.

     The door opened and Marley hurriedly came out wearing a black chrocheted mini dress with a denim jacket and black leather boots. "Come on" they both walked inside the awaiting elevator.

  At the mansion, Barbara Catrell sat down on the couch beside her son. The lawyer was already seated on the couch.  The door opened and Gareth walked in followed by Marley.
  
"We're sorry for being late" he sat down beside Marley.
 
"I, Mansen John Cartrell being of good mind and sound health thereby state that these properties be allocated to my family members. To my wife, I leave my mansion in Florida. To my son, Ethan....."  "... Wait, that is all he left for me?" She asked with an annoyed look on her face. "Mr. Watson, please continue" Ethan held his mother's hand.

"To my son, Ethan, I leave my architectural
firm in San Francisco,  a mansion in San Francisco and forty percent shares of the Catrell group of industries. To my daughter, Marley Richards, I leave my mansion in Los Angeles, my ranch in Mexico, sixty percent shares of the Catrell group of industries and a trust fund" he ended and slipped off his cylinderical glasses.