by Denise Daye
“I know. Sorry. I called you because just a moment ago the strangest thing happened.”
“Dad… if this is about that racoon going through our trash again then I—”
“Walter called.”
“Walter? Who is Walter?”
“Elijah Radcliff’s lawyer.”
She instantly felt her chest tingle, her first clenching. They want to chase us away now that the billionaire’s dead. Out of our home. Her anxious thoughts were cut short by her father’s calm voice.
“Don’t look so worried, my dear. It’s not something terrible, at least I don’t think it is.”
She rubbed her hands on her thighs.
“So, what was the message?”
“You’re needed in there for some reason. I was told to inform you that there was a meeting at the house this afternoon at 4 PM and that you are required to attend.”
Ava’s frowned. “Are you sure they don’t mean you? I don’t see any reason why they’d want me in there in some meeting, I don’t even work for them.”
“He said your name specifically. Ava Burns. I was assured that we are not in trouble of any kind.”
Ava crossed her arms. Just the thought of having to attend a meeting with Lucy and Benjamin Radcliff was more than daunting.
“Please, go and find out, will you? I don’t want us to be ungrateful. We are highly indebted to Elijah Radcliff, you know.”
“I know, I know. He took you in when nobody else did and gave you a roof over your head and so on and so on,” Ava repeated the tale for the thousandth time before her father could.
“Will you go then?”
“Yes, yes. I will. For you.”
“I knew my angel girl would go for her old dad.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Going too far, Dad.”
He smirked. “Nothing but the truth. Now sit down so I can tell you about that racoon before I forget…”
Her frown deepened as she sat down next to him. Her thoughts were running wild. It was truly puzzling to her why she would be asked to attend a family meeting. Maybe they did want them out of the garden house after all. To turn it into Benjamin’s personal movie theater or something. But then, she was almost certain he already had one at the main house. Perhaps he wanted a second one.
She checked the time on her cell screen. It was not even 9 AM yet, so she could still go into work and just leave a bit early. But what in the name of God did they want with her? Something about this whole thing made her nervous.
Her gaze wandered over to the part of garden visible though the small living room window. Admiring its beauty, it instantly calmed her. She always thought her father was some kind of magician, especially with the way he managed to nurture the flowers into such a glorious tableau.
Her father’s loud laughter got her attention.
“And then it ran off, just like that. Can you believe it?” he said hitting his leg in amusement. She smiled at him.
“That’s really funny, Dad.”
What the hell do the Radcliffs want with me? Eight more hours to find out. Dear God please, just this once, let it be something good…
B
enjamin blinked rapidly as if that mere action would push away the image it held. He cast a quick glance back at Walter and again at the door as Ava walked in.
“What is she doing here?” he inquired in an icy tone, shifting his fierce gaze between his mother and Walter, neither of whom seemed to acknowledge his question.
“Ava, thank you for coming,” Walter greeted her and offered her a seat across from him, on the opposite side facing Ben and his mother.
“Thank you,” she said quietly and took a seat. Walter adjusted his glasses, arranged a few papers, and then faced them.
“Now that we’re all here, I think it’s rather appropriate that I explain why Ava has joined us.”
Benjamin folded his arms and murmured ungraciously under his breath, “About time.”
Lucy had said nothing all this while, but a carefully calculated look of profound curiosity was written all over her face. Walter cleared his throat. “Ava here,” he said pointing at her with a pen, “isn’t even aware why she’s here, isn’t that correct?”
She shook her head. “I’m just as surprised as he is.” She sneered at Benjamin who flashed his eyes at her. The will had not even been read yet and it was already getting fiery in the room. Ava had been tempted to look around and take in the beautiful décor of the study, but Ben had his eyes on her the whole time, monitoring her every move – even those of her eyes.
“We are here because of the last will and testament of Elijah Radcliff, and of course this has to be done in front of his last living relatives: Lucy Radcliff, daughter-in-law; Benjamin Radcliff, grandson and -”
“So why is she here?” Benjamin interrupted. Walter pursed his lips, his fingers pressed tight against the paper before him.
“I know this is not easy, but please…”
Benjamin mumbled something inaudible but ultimately nodded to signal Walter to proceed as planned.
“Thank you. Maybe this will help,” Walter said and slid his hand to the side of the desk. He opened a drawer and took out a small box. Now he had their undivided attention, all three pairs of eyes following his hands as he meticulously opened the box and took out an old recorder.
“Your grandfather and I,” Walter explained, “had a series of meetings in his final days. He laid down explicit instructions on how his wealth was to be shared after his death. Now, as far as Ava’s involvement, I think this recording will explain it to some extent, if not completely.”
The silence was electric as they waited for him to push play. It began with a click and some low shuffling noise and then Elijah’s clear voice came up, calm and steady as always:
“This is Elijah Radcliff speaking and if you are listening to this right now then I’m sure my good friend and lawyer Walter has gotten you all together. Benjamin, I don’t have to be there to know you’re the one with the most doubts. I will try and make this as short and easy as possible. As you all already know, my health is failing. I must confess, I have not been a carefree man in my last days. I have lost my wife and my son, but I also was given a grandson. For that I will be eternally grateful and let me guarantee you that everything that will happen from here on comes from nothing but love and the wish to see you happy, Benjamin…”
Elijah’s voice disappeared for a few seconds. The silence was pulsating and the shifting of bodies in their chairs even more awkward as the grave voice hovered around them, almost as if from the land of the dead. Elijah’s words sliced through the tense atmosphere once more:
“I know you are all wondering why Ava Burns is here with…” There was another pause, as if he wanted to give everybody one last moment to prepare for what was about to come. Ava wore a look of total confusion on her face whilst Benjamin focused on the recorder, his eyebrows narrowed, and his forehead rumpled. Lucy was biting her lower lip as her nail buried themselves into her chair’s armrest almost snapping it in half.
Finally, it came.
“My estate, including all real estate and assets, shall be passed on to my grandson, Benjamin Radcliff... provided that he agrees to marry Miss Ava Burns.”
The recorder clicked and the voice cut off.
The reactions came swiftly. Benjamin’s eyes and mouth shot open wide, so did his mother’s. Ava’s expression remained unchanged while she waited for the recorder to come up again and for the voice to laugh and tell them it was all a prank—but that didn’t happen.
Walter dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief, cleared his throat and then looked up at them.
“That’s it.”
The chair screeched as soon as Benjamin shot up, standing tall as he clenched his fists. “That’s it? Are you joking?”
His mother cast a scornful glance at Ava and rose too. “What is going on here, Walter? What does he mean by that? Naturally my son can
not marry this… this girl. Ridiculous!”
Ava stood as well and their eyes locked. “If it makes you feel any better, Lucy, I wouldn't marry your son even if mankind was doomed and he was its only hope.”
Benjamin shot a quick glance at her. It was clear that he didn’t expect her to be the one to refuse.
“I wouldn't marry you either,” he said to her. “You have something to do with this, I know it.” He jerked back to Walter in the hopes that he would confirm his suspicion. But he didn’t.
“I’m afraid this is a legally binding testament drafted by Elijah Radcliff and Elijah Radcliff alone. Ava knew nothing of this.”
Benjamin threw his arms up high into the air. “But how could that possibly be? This sounds insane! Required to marry? Ava Burns?”
“You’re incredibly arrogant, you know that, don’t you?” Ava said, undeterred. “I have absolutely nothing to do with this. I came here in the hope that we would not be kicked out of the gardener’s house. That’s God’s honest truth.”
“Wait… you are living in the gardener’s house? Since when?” Lucy wondered; her brows raised high. Ben and Ava both rolled their eyes. Lucy faced Walter again, her pearl bracelets clacking as she waved with her hands. “Why didn’t you tell him that he was making a mistake?” She slammed her hands down on the desk. “He was sick in his final days, mentally compromised. He needed guidance to do the right thing. It was your job to –”
“I know my job, Lucy. Remember that I worked for Elijah, not you.” Walter tried to maintain a level voice; he had to. He had to be as sane as ever. “I’ve known Elijah for a long, long time. He would never do anything spur of the moment,” he sighed and glanced at the papers before him, “at least not without thinking about the consequences and having a good reason for it. Besides, he had himself evaluated psychologically right before and after drafting this will, so nobody would try to have him retroactively declared incompetent or clinically insane.”
Benjamin let out an exasperated sigh and started pacing. He bumped past Ava and their fiery eyes met briefly.
“Isn't there something in there that can explain better? Another recording… ANYTHING?” Lucy almost begged.
“Yes, let’s skip to the part to where we all agree that this marriage will not happen.” Ava announced.
“Excellent plan. Let’s do that,” Ben demanded.
Walter wore a harrowed expression, “There’s more.”
Lucy and Benjamin drew closer to the table, desperate to hear what ‘more’ there was.
“What else?” Benjamin asked hastily, absently unbuttoning the collar of his shirt.
Clearing his throat and starting all over again, adjusting his glasses with his thumb and mumbling to himself, Walter’s eyes fixated on the papers before him.
“Scrawled on this piece of paper, and signed I might add, is what Elijah has termed ‘The Final Clause.’ It states that both parties must adhere to these rules… wait a moment,” he shifted the papers and took out two copies from the file and handed them to Ben and Lucy.
“Both parties must live together in this estate as husband and wife within one week from now. You may not be separated for longer than twenty-four consecutive hours and no romantic relationships outside of this marriage shall take place. Once a week you are to dine out together. Twice a week you shall spend time together in addition to the dinner. You may spend it in any activity of your choosing, but the activities shall be no less than one hour in duration. All expenses incurred by the couple during these six months of marriage shall be paid for by a fund put aside for you as long as they are deemed reasonable expenses… by me.” He paused for a few seconds and then added: “At the end of the six months, we shall meet again to conclude the will. If all rules are followed according to this will, and the couple splits up, then the entire Radcliff inheritance shall be awarded to Benjamin. Ava shall, in that case, receive a compensation of $10,000,000. However, if one of the two parties breaks this agreement, the entire inheritance shall be awarded to the party that adhered to the rules.”
For a moment, everybody was dead silent, rooted to the ground, being eaten by their racing thoughts. Ava was the first to break the silence.
“So, what happens if we don’t get married?”
Ben looked at Ava and back at Walter.
“In that case, the entire inheritance will be awarded to the Radcliff non-profit.”
“We’ll be penniless?” “All the money gone?” Ben and Lucy cried out at the same time.
Walter frowned, “Pretty much.”
“Ha!” Ava threw her head back in amusement. “I guess that’s settled then. I have no interest in marrying Benjamin Radcliff. My heart is not for sale.”
“Nobody would want to buy that little thing anyway,” Lucy mumbled loud enough for Ava to hear.
Hurt briefly flashed in Ava’s eyes. “I am done here. Welcome to the real world,” were her last words before she strode quickly out of the room, her head held high.
Ben wildly shook his head. “Walter, come on! She’s obviously not going to marry me. I don’t want to marry her either. Can’t something be done?” Benjamin tossed away the paper he’d been given; it floated briefly in the air before gliding smoothly to the floor.
“I’m sorry, but this is his will,” Walter said, pointing at the paper in front of Benjamin’s feet. Benjamin groaned and picked it up before storming out of the study slamming the door behind him.
Lucy stared at a copy of the very same paper in her hands. “Elijah is really serious about this will?”
Walter nodded.
Deep in thought, Lucy placed a well-manicured finger on her immaculate row of white teeth and tapped, her mind busy. She shifted on her seat and her eyes narrowed. “If the girl doesn’t marry my son, we will lose everything,” she said, thinking out loud.
“For Elijah,” she suddenly said, smiling at Walter, “would you mind talking to her again? I am certain there must be something that can motivate her to change her mind?”
“I promised Elijah I would do my best so I will try… Her father has accrued a lot of debt from his wife’s medical bills in the final months of her life, and the girl is rather attached to him. I am certain she will reconsider…”
“Good. Tell her six months will go by quickly and after that she will never have to see my son again.” Lucy narrowed her eyes. “I will make certain of it.”
“C
razy rich people,” Ava mumbled to herself. She marched straight to the house but stopped at the door at the last moment. How am I supposed to tell Dad about this whole thing? I’m sure they will kick us out of the house now for sure! He will be devastated!
She turned to her car on the other side of the gate. It might be better to just go into work for a few hours, come up with a plan to talk to her father and maybe even start looking at rentals.
Ava sighed deeply. Why in the name of whatever was out there would Elijah Radcliff do such an insane thing? Marriage. For six months. To Benjamin Radcliff out of all people.
As she started walking to her car, Ava almost laughed about the irony of the situation. There had been a time when this very scenario would have been nothing short of a fairytale. When she was younger, endless seemed the days when she was sitting by the window staring onto the gardens to see when Benjamin would be out. She would run up to him pretending she was looking for her father. Just to see him, play with him, talk to him. Ava was still a child when she fell in love with Benjamin. He was the prettiest creature she had ever seen. Like a prince, elegant and foreign. It took many years and a certain level of life experience to understand that he was as empty inside as he was handsome on the out. At some point, the excuses she had always made for his self-centered behavior were no longer excusable by the early death of his father. He had been a kind, good-hearted child before that. Proud but fair. But by the time they were in junior high school, that kind boy had vanished, and a new person had emerged in his place—spoi
led, entitled, arrogant. Often, she had wondered if the boy she fell in love with was still in there somewhere. But if he was, he was buried too deep in pain to ever surface again.
She walked out through the small door next to the gate and stopped short, her eyes moving from left to right, and then again to the spot where she’d parked her car. The car was gone. At first, she panicked, but then she reminded herself that her car was a piece of junk—it couldn’t possibly have been stolen.
Her gaze fell onto fresh tire tracks and, looking up, she saw the car far, far away, parked all the way at the far end of the road up the hill.
Ava took a deep breath in. This sort of thing had happened before, and she knew who had given the order. Lucy always threw a fit whenever she found the “piece of junk” parked anywhere it could be seen, even if that location was on the other side of the gate and off the estate’s grounds.
“What a lovely day,” Ava groaned and started the long march to her car. It took her ten minutes to get to the end of the lengthy stretch of road, uphill of course. When she finally got to the car, she realized that the car keys were still at her house. Holding back a scream that was boiling from within her, and most likely directed at Lucy Radcliff, she started her march back down to get her keys. Lucky for her, they were right next to the entrance door on the little key chain hook, so she was able to sneak them out without her father noticing her.
Ava looked back up at the hill. She was exhausted, mentally and physically drained. The last few days had been nothing short of crazy. The hill now almost seemed like an undefeatable dragon out of a fantasy movie.
“There isn’t enough money in the world to let me miss out on seeing Lucy Radcliff having to work a 9-5,” she cursed as each step seemed to push the car further ahead, like some deceptive illusion designed to frustrate.
Not enough money in the world, huh? Not even $10,000,000 that would pay off your father’s debt? Let him retire? Live in peace?
She huffed out of breath as she got in the car. The nagging voice grew louder.