The Blood Heiress

Making it Official

Adella

Sleep was hard to come by after dinner even after a warm bath and cuddling in my cozy new bed. It was plushest, coziest bed I had ever encountered. But that didn't seem to ease my mind into the abyss of slumber.

Instead, my mind was buzzing with every word Ben had spoken at dinner. The information just rattled around trying to find its footing but most of it never really stuck. One piece did though: I wasn't unwanted.

When sleep finally did visit me it wasn't until the wee hours, and it came with a vengeance. I dreamt of blackness, of fire, of red splotches. Blackest black and brightest red etched forever in my subconscious. I awoke to the sun streaming in the oversized windows and its warmth felt good on my clammy skin.

I let the sunshine dance around warming me up as reality comes back to me in fits. My first night in my new home had just passed. I live here now, in a giant house. I am an orphan, but not a homeless, unloved orphan. My parents wanted me, loved me, left everything to me in a will. There is a will. A will that needs to be signed today.

I found it easier to forget about the twisted dreams from last night with my new purpose in place. I was going to sign papers today, so I could inherit what my parents held for me in their will. Untangling my body from the inviting bed and cushy pillows, I made my way to the closet of dreams. I never made it though, because as I passed by my old things unceremoniously dumped on the chair, I remembered my old journal and decided I should probably write down this monumental information before I didn't have the time. So, I dug through one of the plastic bags the orphanage had gifted me to pack my things into until I found my purple-bound book. Then, I plopped in the other chair and got to recording. This is how I still was sometime later when Maria knocked politely on the door.

"Come in," I responded without much thought.

"Oh, Miss you aren't quite ready yet, shall I give you a bit more time?" she seemed a bit flustered but tried to keep it out of her voice. The disappointment at my state of preparation, plainly bled through her words.

I closed my journal and set it under the chair. I then proceeded to grab some leggings and one of my well loved t-shirts from another bag. These were perfect, familiar, comfortable, and quick.

"Well, you see Miss..." she started taking one glance at my choice.

I turned to her and interrupted. "Is it alright, if you call me Addie instead? Just as Ben does"

She sighed a bit sadly. "I will try Miss…uh Addie…"

"Thank you" I left to go change in the bathroom, but Maria halted me once more.

"Please, you really should wear something more suitable." Her eyes glanced at my chosen attire pointedly.

"More suitable how?"

"Ah well, give me a moment." With that, she disappeared into the closet and returned almost instantly with a blush pink colored belted dress and matching pumps. "I think that this should work quite nicely."

"Thank you," I set my first choices down and went into the bathroom to change. "Maria?"

"Yes...Addie?"

"Why is what I wear so important for today's signing? Does Mr. Costas care so much as the butler of the house?"

"I believe he only wishes for you to make the proper impression as it is a legal matter. The lawyers are here for the signing and afterward, you will need to address the entire staff."

Fully dressed, I left the bathroom only to have Maria usher me back in after taking one look at my hair. "This won't do. Here sit." I tried not to cringe at her treatment of my scalp as she brushed and twisted my dark locks into submission.

"Address the staff?" the hefty meaning behind those words started my stomach lurching.

"Yes, it is important that they see you and know now that you are in charge. It has been almost two decades of Mr. Costas running things in your stead. It is going to take a bit for them to get used to a new boss."

"So, a good first impression," I smiled at my changed reflection. A far cry from the lady of this house but better than the orphan Smith of yesterday. "Thanks, Maria."

"Of course," she smiled at my reflection and then snapped back to her scheduled self. "Now no more time can be wasted let us get moving." I matched her hurried pace and as a result, missed any landmarks on the way to be able to find the study again later. This place desperately needed a map or a really good tour guide.

"Alright dear, the study is through those double doors. I will wait out here until the end of the meeting and then go gather the staff for you. Mr. Costas is inside as the former custodian and the lawyers will help guide you through the process. See you soon."

With a squeeze of my shoulder, she stepped back and left me alone in front of the door. I took a deep breath and centered myself, then opened the left door and squeezed through. Inside awaited me three older gentlemen gathered around a very stately wooden desk. Two of which were, I presumed, the much-anticipated lawyers and the other, of course, was Ben. I hoped that my outfit was approved as I stepped into the room further to approach the desk. At the movement, the three all looked towards me at once. Before I knew it Ben was at my side and introduced me to the others.

"May I introduce Miss Adella Beatriz Russo, the heir apparent."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss," only one of the lawyers responded, and he smiled too. The other simply nodded with a faint wisp of a smile.

"This is Mr. Whitcomb and Mr. Sprattle the Russo family lawyers."

"Pleasure to meet you both," I bowed my head at both of them in what, I hope, was a gesture of respect as intended. I felt Ben guide me forward by placing his hand on my shoulder. Once we were all around the desk, Mr. Sprattle, the one that didn't smile, spoke up.

"Let's begin." His droll voice cut through the air. "This is the last will and testament of Armand Russo and his spouse Madeline Harrier Russo. It names a sole heir, their daughter, Adella Beatriz Russo to all properties and assets."

Mr. Whitcomb chimed in. "For those assets to be kept safe until such a point that she is of age and skill to inherit, a trust was created upon their deaths detailing the care needed for the properties and assets. Today, with your signatures, we will fulfill the will and dissolve the trust so that things may be as Mr. and Mrs. Russo wished them to be."

Mr. Sprattle turned to me. "Are you ready to accept that which your parents intended for you?" His voice was serious and excited all at once. He was a confusing person.

"Yes," I met his eyes and nodded my affirmation as well.

"Mr. Costas, are you ready to transfer your duties as described and relinquish your claims?" Mr. Whitcomb asked Ben.

"It is time for things to be made right," Ben responded solemnly. The two lawyers slowly removed the will and placed it off to the side of the remaining pile. They shared a look and Mr. Sprattle began again.

"With your signatures on the following pages, you are indicating that you agree to the terms outlined in the Russo's will, specifically that Miss Russo is the sole owner and proprietor of all encompassed properties and assets going forward, and all terms set forth by the trust." He took a breath looked at both of us purposefully and then continued.

"You also agree to dissolve said trust to create a new one. Upon dissolution of this trust, a new trust is formed that will be in place until such a time that it is found that Miss Russo is found to be capable of managing all aspects of the finances regarding the estate, businesses, and other properties or turns twenty-eight, whichever comes first. The new trust will be jointly managed by Mr. Costas with advisement by Mr. Whitcomb. This newly created trust will be in place to meter out financial support monthly for the running of the estate and other ventures as well as supporting Miss Russo as she trains to take over. Do you both agree to these new roles?

At this Ben showed signs of some other emotion beyond stoic neutral. This information seemed to be as new to him as it was to me. Regardless, he responded with a confident "yes"

They looked to me for my answer. I had no complaints, so I also agreed. Mr. Whitcomb continued for Mr. Sprattle as he placed papers in front of each of us with a pen.

"With your agreement, we continue forward to the signing. The first page is for the will. It is an acknowledgment of the inheritance and rightful heir." He looked at me and Mr. Sprattle gestured to the paper itself. They both waited while I read the page. I went to sign and paused, remembering I was no longer Adella Smith, that name sounded laughable now, who named their child such an ill-matched name?

"Miss Russo, Adella, are you alright? Do you need some direction?" Mr. Sprattle drew my attention back to the document at hand with his words.

"Oh, no I understand," I bent over the page and quickly ran the pen over the line.

I felt a lump lodge itself in my throat at the sight of Adella B Russo proudly filling the signature line. Ben placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. And the lawyers started up again.

The rest of the signing continued much the same. The two lawyers were as similar as they were different. But both were very singularly focused on the task at hand. It seemed that time had slowed to a crawl during the whole ordeal and if it hadn't been for the fact that I was keenly interested in what was going on because it directly affected me, I don't think I could have stayed awake. When all the lines had been filled with our names in cursive and properly notarized, the Whitcomb and the Sprattle packed up and said their goodbyes. As soon as the study doors shut behind them, I sat down in one of the leather chairs and take a moment to collect myself. Ben, however, moved to the doors.

"Addie, you have done well. We have some time before the staff will all be gathered to hear from us. Let's have a cup of tea."

"Thank you, Ben, that was quite a bit more involved than what I expected. What with all my experience."

Ben chuckled and walked out of the room for a moment to put in our tea order with the maid outside. I continued when he returned.

"You seemed a little surprised when the lawyers mentioned the new trust. Is that not something you knew about before?" There was a knock on the door and then the maid entered with the tea. Ben sat down across from me, and we shared a small table.

"No, I cannot remember any mention of such trust from before. But your parents didn't share everything with me. It isn't permanent. I…" he trailed off for a moment. "I was ready to go back to my responsibilities." Now he looked directly at me, "I suppose I always knew it wouldn't be that simple. I would still be guiding you through all this, legally written and bound or not."

I blew on the tea hoping to get a drink or two before needing to address the staff. I stared at the steaming sepia-colored liquid and wrapped both hands around it. "I am sorry Ben, that you have to babysit me."

"No," he firmly stated and felt that there was no arguing. "None of that, Adella. It isn't your fault you didn't grow up learning all this. I promised your mother. I will see it through."

"Well, thanks then." I quietly regained my courage as I munched on some tea cookies and sipped the calming tea for a bit.

A knock signaled the end of the break as Maria entered and announced that the staff had gathered in the main entry hall. As the study was on the upper story, we were going to address the group from the mezzanine at the top of the stairs. That way, I would be seen by all and hopefully heard by all. I was informed on the way there that Ben would be talking for the majority of it, and I was only expected to give a nice little speech at the end about my plans. I had all of two minutes to form such a speech and to say that I was close to hyperventilating for the third time in two days was accurate. Maria held me back a bit from the railing as Ben approached and began addressing everyone.

"Now, don't get overwhelmed by how many there seem to be down there when it is your turn. Here, wipe the crumbs from your face and dress." Like a robot, I did as she asked. "Many of the staff below are not here at all times or even in the building during normal circumstances. You will be dealing with their supervisors on a normal basis but not every single one of them usually."

"Who, who are their supervisors?"

"Mr. Costas, Mr. King who you have yet to meet and myself", she responded.

"That's a relieving piece of information. When will I meet Mr. King?"

"Soon, now go on up there, and don't worry too much." With that, she prodded me towards Ben's position.

"So, now, good employees of Russo Estate let me introduce you, your new boss, Miss Adella Russo." Ben gestured to me to move forward as he stepped back, and I did with wobbly steps. I plastered a smile as best I could and somehow muddled ahead after their polite applause for Ben.

"Thank you, all. Thank you for your service to this estate in my family's stead as I was away. I was absent for too long. But you would never know from the amazing care taken to keep this place running and looking its best. I look forward to learning my new home and your faces so that we can all move forward together to continue to enhance this estate's greatness." I took a breath and hoped my words were enough.

I didn't have any more to give, I wasn't quite sure where these had even come from. Perhaps my public speaking classes in school had stuck with me.

It came slowly, but surely. Their applause. They were applauding me. They were applauding my words and suddenly my smile was genuine, no longer forced. I felt for the first time that maybe this was real, this was okay. The applause stopped and it felt like they were waiting for something, something that I didn't know I needed to give them. Ben knew though and stepped forward.

"You are all dismissed." He then looked at me with such approval, that I couldn't hold the weight of everything back anymore. A few tears began to spill down my cheeks. At this display of emotion, his approval instantly turned to alarm and he turned to Maria for help. She came over to me as quickly as she could and took my hand leading me away from the railing.

"Shhhhh, shhh, it is alright. You did wonderfully. Shhh shhh. No need to cry you did well." Her soothing words and tone did nothing for me, I knew there was no stopping this now that it had started.

"I can't stop." I half hiccupped out, the tears had become a river.

"Then, let's get you in the bath. A nice soak will fix this." She steered me away from Ben and he gratefully let her.

By the time she delivered me to my room, I was a hiccupping, sobbing mess. I let her run the bath for me as I stood there watching trying to hold it together.

Come on Adella, you can do this yourself. Let her get back to her job. A week ago, you didn't even have a bathtub, let alone a whole room to yourself. There was no helping it. I was bewildered, overwhelmed and at a loss. Yesterday had finally caught up to me.

"The bath water is just right. It is time to get in and I will leave you to it, "Maria declared, and left to give me some privacy.

I was very grateful for her discretion. The water was comforting in a way that I exactly needed at that moment, but more so was the silence. I could just let myself exist for the first time since arriving yesterday and all the revelations that distressingly came with it.

My emotions were allowed to run their course without unknown expectations and pressure to hold it together. If only the me from a week ago had a clue what was about to come her way.

It took nothing at all to fall asleep that evening. I barely made it out of the tub and into pajamas before I felt my eyes close as sleep claimed me. And best of all, there were no black, bloody dreams waiting for me either, so I slept peacefully all the way through the night.