Chapter 18
Cassius
My cell phone rings, interrupting the board game Rosie and I are playing. “Daddy’s just gonna get this, okay? Wait until I get back.” I get up and go to exit the room and see her little hand sneak out to move a game piece. “No cheating,” I call out, and she quickly retracts her hand with a giggle, turning her baby blues on me.
“I’m not,” she says innocently, but the giggle is a dead giveaway. With a chuckle of my own, I shake my head and answer the call. It says private number, so I don't know who it is that’s calling me.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Cassius, my sweet boy.” A soft, musical, feminine voice makes its way through the line. I smile instantly at the familiar, soothing sound.
“Mother, how are you?” I ask. Normally, I would call her and give her updates on Rosie, but since Harlow’s come back into our lives, the thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I feel like a shitty son, but I know she would understand.
“Unfortunately, not too good,” she sighs, her voice having a sorrowful tone to it. “I’m calling with some sad news.”
“Are you okay?” I ask in a rush.
“Yes, my dear, I'm fine. However, your grandfather passed away in his sleep last night.”
My heart is struck with a pang of grief. Our grandfather was a good man. Our grandmother passed away from cancer when we were in our early teenage years, and our mothers all went to live with our grandfather. His wife was his whole world, and losing her changed him in a big way. I’m sure he could have taken care of himself fine, but my mother and her sisters used this as an excuse to get away from the toxic relationships they were in with their husbands.
When they tried to take us with them, our fathers said they would kill them if they did. We told them to go without us, not wanting to see them unhappy any longer than they needed to. Seeing our loving, devoted mothers watch their husbands bring whores into the house every other day and pretend like they saw nothing while never being able to find happiness for themselves hurt us.
Our fathers couldn't have cared less about losing their wives, because it freed them to do whatever they wanted, but they would not allow their heirs to leave. At the time, we had a purpose. No one knew that it would all be for nothing because they fucked it all up with a few bad business dealings anyway. Draining the company, just to get the hell out of dodge, and leaving us to clean up their mess.
We were able to see our mothers during the summers, and those are some of the best memories I have. It was the only time we ever really got to be kids. Our trips slowly became few and far between as we took on more responsibilities in our everyday lives. Our visits stopped completely once we met Harlow because the idea of leaving her behind, stuck in her foster home didn't sit right with us.
“How are you guys handling it?” I ask with a softer voice.
“We knew it was coming. His health was slowly declining, but it still hurts,” she sniffs.
“When's the funeral?” I ask, taking a seat on the couch in the office.
“In a few days. Your aunts and I are getting everything settled with all the arrangements and the lawyers. But I saw his will, Cass. He left everything to Rosie.”
I suck in a breath. “But that's billions,” I say in disbelief.
“He was going to donate it all to charity. But when Rosie was born, he left it all to her.” We already knew that my brother and the others were left out of the will, as well as our mothers. It’s not that he wanted to be cruel, but he knew that our fathers would find a way to control that money and use it for themselves, and we would never see a dime of it.
“She won't have access to it until she's 21, though.”
“Wow. That's just... crazy.” This is a lot to take in.
“We're selling the estate and moving to Ireland. We found a beautiful piece of land there.”
“Well, I'm happy for you. But don't you think you might be happier finding someone you can actually love and grow old with?” I laugh, thinking about how she and her sisters are all joined at the hip.
She chuckles. “Maybe someday, my boy, but for now, your aunts and I have a chance to start over, a fresh new start, away from any reminder of them.”
“You know, we still don't know where they took off to,” I say, wondering if leaving puts them in danger.
“I don't know where they would have gone, but I know it would be somewhere no one would think to find them. I think we will be okay, but thank you for caring.”
“You're my mother, and despite the lack of calling lately, I do love you with all my heart,” I tease.
“About that. What on earth has kept you from me for so long?” she asks with amusement.
“I’ll tell you everything when we get there. I’ll let the guys know, and we will be on our way after getting Rosie settled.” I’m going to have to ask Harlow if she would mind watching Rosie. I hate having to leave her for any amount of time, but this is not the best time to bring her with us.