Wealth (free and completed)

Chapter 4 - Siblings

Janus

I did not expect my biological father’s adopted children to like me right away.  Okay, I had no expectations of them ever liking me.  However, upon entering the mansion, I found myself immediately seeking Valerie Matthews’ eyes.

It was kind of pathetic.  It was like going inside a classroom for the first time in kindergarten or during freshman year.  Those were two other points in my life in which I was an outsider about to join a group that already had their cliques.  I remembered scanning the group to find a friendly face each of those times.

In kindergarten, it was Justin Marshall who beckoned at me with his little hand.  For him, it did not matter that I came with a blotted-out Milo stain on my shirt or that I was always missing school supplies.  He became my first best friend, and he did not mind sharing his stuff with me.  In third grade, I howled for hours when I found out that he died because of leukemia.  I heard my mom say something to her friend about me channeling all my past frustrations when I found out Justin died.  I did not know what the hell she meant by channeling.  It took me years to find out that she thought I was keeping some pent-up anger about dad leaving – well, that other dad.

She was both wrong and right.  I really thought I would never have a friend like Justin again, and I was right.  I did have some passing friends, but each one thought I was no fun.  I would rather bury myself in a book most times.  I played some basketball, but I was not the sort to go to after-parties.  She was right because while crying, my thoughts moved to dad.  I would get even more worked up.  So, I cried even more.

But I was getting ahead of myself.  During freshman year, it was Rebecca Foster who winked at me as she tapped the chair next to hers.  I found myself in a quandary, then.  Should I just thank my lucky stars that the beautiful brunette wanted me, then, or should I go about my way?

We dated for about two months.  Becky was my first girlfriend, first everything.  We broke up when she got bored with me, but I had already somehow raised myself to the cool group.  Suddenly, my silence became enviable.  They even called me ridiculous things, such as “brooding.”

Looking at the group in front of me now, I suspected that the game would go both ways.  They would wonder about what I was thinking at each given time.  On the other hand, there were depths in them that I could not navigate. They involved siblings who had loved each other and lived together for years.  Even as my eyes seemed to plead to Val’s, I suspected she would choose her siblings over me when the time came.

“Hey,” I said to everyone awkwardly.  I had met them a few times, but we had never really talked.  The wake and the funeral gave us reasons not to.  We were all supposed to be solemn.

“Hey, new brother,” said the slim man about my age.  I could guess this was Rafael.

“Rafael, right?” I said, forcing a smile.

“Yes,” he said, giving me a bear hug.  He was a few inches shorter than me but was stronger than he looked.  He quickly stepped back, frankly assessing me.  “You remembered!  Smart man.  I heard you graduated Magna c*m Laude from your engineering school.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.  I graduated from a state college,” I muttered.  “I know you all went to Ivy Leagues or something like that.”

“Nah. Emilie could not handle that,” Rafael said, ignoring the scowl the honey-blonde sister was giving him.  “But you did well afterward, didn’t you?  Heard about all your certifications, brother.  It’s good.  It’s perfect.  Joseph here thinks he is the only smart one in the family.”

The taller man, still seated on the couch, grunted.  However, I saw he was getting ready to get up.  He made a show of not wanting to get up, though.  And this was Joseph, the only one I was actually related in blood to.  Then, my eyes fell questioningly on Val in her wheelchair.  Rafael quickly caught the glance.

“Oh, you mean what about our little sister?  Yes, she is the most brilliant here,” Rafael said, and I could feel real pride there in his voice.  Perhaps they were not all that bad.  “Double major. Summa c*m laude.  Ha.  But I always tell her I was more interested in how she was able to stay slim in her chair.”

“Look who’s talking!” Valerie finally said, wheeling herself towards us.  She had a bright smile on her face.  Rafael was right.  She looked like the healthiest one among the siblings, with her pink cheeks and bright eyes.  Rafael might be friendly, but there were dark circles around his eyes, and his prominent cheekbones made him a little haggard-looking.  Women would still run after him, though, I could tell.

Joseph was now standing a few feet behind Rafael.  I did not think that he would make an effort to walk towards me.  Standing up was enough strain for him when it came to me.  So, I swallowed my pride and went to him, offering my hand.  He did not look like the sort who would gladly hug me.  He took it and gave it a firm shake.  I responded accordingly.

“Welcome to the family, Janus,” Joseph said grudgingly.

“Thank you.  I am glad to be here,” I said.  Joseph looked the closest to me in appearance, being my only blood relative in the room.  We had the same grey eyes.  When I was young, I often wondered where I got my eye color.  My mom’s eyes were blue, and my father’s own were brown.

After Joseph shook my hand, Emilie approached.  Her eyes were narrowed, but her tongue licked her lower lip.  I was not sure how to react to this display of contradictory gestures.

“Well, hello, brother,” she purred.  Then, she gave me an embrace.

Behind her, I saw a deep frown on Joseph’s face.  I could not blame him.  I was unsure about what Emilie was doing when she hugged me a little too long for my comfort.

Rafael cleared his throat.

“Oh, I will leave him alone.  Don’t worry.  So, welcome to our humble abode, Janus,” she said, making a wide, sweeping movement with one arm.  Wasn’t she a model, not an actress?  It was almost like she was playing a role for me.  A role that anyone could tell was not the real thing, anyway.

“Come sit down with us, Janus,” Valerie said as she gestured to the end of the L-shaped couch closest to her wheelchair.

“What about my things?” I asked.  I turned around to see that they were all gone.

“Don’t worry about them.  All your stuff should be in your room by now.  Come sit with us.”

I was thankful for the invitation.

“So, how are you feeling about us, your new family, Janus?” she asked, a gentle smile on her face.  She looked like a fairy, ash-blonde hair wildly framing her face.  She wore a little crystal headband.  It merely worked as a decorative element, not anything practical to hold her hair down, but I somehow liked it that way.

“It’s strange.  I don’t know how to behave.  I am an adult, not a toddler being ushered in as an adopted child.  It almost did not make sense for me to come here, but I guess I am thankful I don’t have to pay rent.”

“You don’t have to pay rent.  Not anymore, Janus.  In fact, you may just get the whole house,” Joseph said.  His tone was even.  I did not know what to make of it, but I believed animosity was swimming right beneath the surface.  He was seated across from me, legs crossed, where I found him sitting when I arrived.  Emilie sat next to him, leaning on him in such a way that made me even more uncomfortable.  Surely, two people who grew up together as siblings could not sit together that way?  Or maybe I was just not exposed to how rich people behave among themselves.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Valerie watching me with worry in her eyes.  Did she see what I was looking at?

“I don’t think Mr. Sangster would just give me everything, biological child or not.  You have been here longer than me.”

“Oh, I agree with you there, Janus,” Emilie sighed.  There was something very shrill about this woman, but I had to admit she had done nothing to me – nothing directly.  It was Joseph who was starting to come off as openly antagonistic.  I could not blame him.  Without me, he really was Mr. Sangster’s closest living relative.

“We can just wait for the reading of the will instead of making wild guesses here,” Rafael said.  I agreed with him, nodding instinctively.

“You know how it is going to be.  Get yourself ready if I were you, Rafael.  Pay all your debts,” Joseph said, turning some of his brittle anger on Rafael.

“I don’t have debts, Joseph.  Money is just tight because we are all on a salary.”

“Well, things will change after the reading of the will,” Emilie said.  “We will get our shares in full.”

My mind was reeling at how my father’s adopted children discussed the will so nonchalantly.  It was as if our dad had not died recently.  Although I did not even know Mr. Sangster that well, my temper flared at hearing how he was no longer factoring in the conversation.  Only his money mattered to them.  Logic told me that he could have been a good dad even though the circumstances were not ideal.  It made me see that the people with me in that room would have been orphans – poor – if not for him.  The only person who looked as offended was Valerie.  Her face had looked so flushed she almost looked like she had a fever.

“Stop talking about the will!  Let us talk about dad.  His life,” she insisted, her hands gripping the sides of her wheelchair.

“You are only talking that way because you're the only one who's not even legally connected to the family.  You are not even sure why he took you home,” Emilie said.  Suddenly, the fangs and claws in the family were out as soon as the will became the subject.

I looked at all of them, not trusting myself to speak.  After all, who was I to this family?

“Mr. Sangster – our father – has legal guardianship over Valerie.  That’s what Mr. Twain said.  She has every right to an inheritance.  In the end, whatever our father had decided to write in the will would have to be followed,” I said.

“Have you ever wondered why you were never legally adopted, Val?” asked Emilie, intently watching her sister.

“Why are you doing this right now, Em?  We never had problems with this before!  If I turn out to have nothing, I am fine with it.”

“So, you will just take it if you find out you are not meant to live in this house, either?  What if Janus gets everything, and you don’t get a measly cent?  Look at yourself.  You need this house.  You need to be taken care of,” Emilie said.

I could not believe how she could be mean like that to Valerie, but Val did not cry.  She met Emilie’s eyes directly and unwaveringly. I reached out to hold Val's hand, squeezing it.  I hoped she got my message – that I would take care of her no matter what happened.  Suddenly, I felt responsible for her.  Protective. She looked at me and nodded as if she understood.

I looked around the room at the proud Joseph, the outwardly scathing Emilie, and the happy-go-lucky Rafael. I reminded myself not to get distracted by all the drama. One of them could have killed our dad, and I intended to find out.