Bratva Mother

The Russian *edited

After the reading of the will, the rest of the Robington family waited until the lawyer left to hash it out with Carol. James didn’t really care, of course. George and his wife started to scold her.

“You did this on purpose to get the family money. You don’t deserve the portion left to you!”

“Did you not hear the part where your own mother apologized for the way I found out that I have a share in her will? Or did you deliberately go deaf there for the letter reading?” George isn’t used to people talking back with him and was a little taken aback. She did it. “You will call up Mr. Bennett and tell him you do not want it!”

Carol laughed “Oh? Did you not hear that if you bully me your share will be liquidated and sent to a charity? Or the sheer fact that mine too will go to charity rather than be redistributed?” Again George was stunned and she counter argued with him. He looked at his son, who remained aloof.

Obviously, he wasn’t going to get in the middle of the argument. “What did my mother mean she might know of your plans? What are you planning?”

This made Carol pause and really look at him. “I do not wish to stay in the Exporting and Importing business. I have already talked to James about resigning and getting into medicine. My last day at the company will be Friday. Why do you care if I am at the company or not? I will make my own money without touching the family wealth.”

She was starting to make George furious and James noticed. He said, “Dad, what does it matter what happens now? Grandma has put enough safeguards on her will. Not even the best lawyer can dispute her iron clade will. Besides, we could use someone in the family who could do medicine. Just leave her be and stop making demands. She is right, Mr. Bennett can dissolve your portion and give it to charity. The will has enough witnesses and safeguards to keep Carol safe.”

Which left Carol bereft and anxious. She wasn’t sure she could continue with the wake and staying in the estate. James insisted they stay and mingle. Again, there weren’t many people there outside the family, so Carol wasn’t sure why they stayed. Until there was a group of people coming in from the front door. There were at least ten people there.

Most looked like security men complete with earpieces. The three in the middle were trying to appear as mourners wearing black and discrete clothes. But Carol is no fool and is observant. The people who came to Grandma Jenn’s funeral were the Russian mafia family they do business with. Carol sarcastically whispered to her husband, “Is this why you didn’t want to leave earlier? Your out-of-town friends decided they wanted to crash grandma’s funeral, and you allowed it!?”

He grimaced at her but replied,“They did not do business with grandma because she didn’t want to. But they knew her and respected her all the same. They were supposed to be here for the whole funeral and not just the wake. Something most of happened.”

Carol continued to glare at him but walked up to the Russians and spoke to them. “I know you do business with the Robingtons, but what relationship did you have with the late Mrs. Jennifer Robington? If you haven’t noticed, this service is for CLOSE family and friends.” She looked them dead in the eye and didn’t bother lowering her voice.

The guy who looked like the leader of the group came forward, reached for her hand and kissed the back of it, then replied, “It is true the late Mrs. Robington and I didn’t know each other well. However, she saved my life once. She never allowed me to repay her and her thoughtfulness. I would have arrived on time, but our flight experienced issues. It delayed us a bit longer than I would have liked. My apologies for just dropping by for the wake. We did not mean to interfere. My name is Mikhail Sokolov. My travel companions are my brother Demitri, and my sister Elana. I do believe I have answered all your questions.”

Before he could continue, Carol then asked “The ‘flight issues’ didn’t happen to be Interpol or homeland security would it?”

James was trying to get Carol to stop talking but was not successful. However, Mikhail looked thrilled and amused by the little spitfire. He laughed, a full belly laugh that stopped the whole room. Carol pulled her arm free from her husband and stood there waiting for the big guy to finish. He then said, “Well *Kukolka, there is no… what's the word? Cutting? Words with you are there? Yes, the government was very interested in my plane and my family. However, when they could not find anything, even with their little pets, they let us go, very reluctantly, by the way.” Carol was speechless but composed herself well.

*Note: Russian word for little girl

James’s parents came forward to pull the Russians away to talk while James finally managed to move Carol from the room to a more private area for a conversation. He was furious with Carol for her little stunt. “Why did you do that? Do you know what you could have done?”

Carol just stood there with a cold look of her own. “Grandma wasn’t part of what you and your grandfather started with them. So what right do they have to be at her funeral? His, I can understand, but grandma had nothing to do with them or, at least, what she told me anyway. She never mentioned saving someone before. Then again, I didn’t know she knew my paternal grandmother either.”

They had a stairing match right there and neither wanted to relent. James then said “you will apologize and excuse yourself from the wake. Make any excuse you need to get away, I don't care.”

Carol squared herself and thrust her chin forward. “I will excuse myself to leave but I will not apologize for trying to make Grandma Jenn’s wake about HER and not your shady dealings with the mafia family.”

James looked taken aback and shocked. Carol rolled her eyes and said “You honestly don’t think I didn’t see through the rouge? Why else would three family members of the Russian mafia show up to a funeral for a woman they barely know even if she saved one of them? Especially how heavily guarded they are. I may be your secretary for the remainder of the week, but I am fully aware of everything going on. Give me more credit than that, James.”

She stood there a moment more to see if he would reply to her, but he didn’t. So she grabbed her things and went off to find Charles to drive her home. Both parties were unaware they had a silent observer in the shadows watching and listening.

Once Carol got in the car with Charles she waited until they were a few minutes from the estate before saying “Charles, can I trust what I tell you will stay with us for as long as you can keep it to yourself?”

Charles didn’t take his eyes off the road but replied “I will always keep your confidence, Mrs. Robington, what is on your mind?”

Carol took a deep breath and said “I will be that no more soon. I am hoping to have papers by Friday, setting me free.”

Charles didn’t flinch or blanch at the news. He was as cool as a cucumber with his reply. “Miss Carol, the will said you will get the late Mrs. Robington’s possessions soon. What will you do with all of that?”

Carol thought about it and said, “Can you ship it to my friend in Seattle? She’ll keep it safe until I meet up with her. I want time to myself and will go off the grid once I get those papers.”

He nodded, “Of course, Miss Carol, I will ensure it will be sent to your friend. You will have to provide me with a new address to have it all shipped there though.”

Carol smiled at Charles and said “I’ll miss you Charles, you are a good man and a great friend. The Robington family doesn’t know how to appreciate you.” After that, the car ride was silent.

After Charles dropped her off at her penthouse, Carol decided that she needed more work to keep her occupied. She dropped the box of letters on her coffee table and went to the office space. She looked around the office and realized she had never personalized anything here. She thought of the work she needed to get done but also the farce of the funeral. She was angry on grandma’s behalf about business being discussed during her time. So she composed a letter for her husband to be delivered with the divorce papers.

James,

Being served must be a shock for you. That wasn’t my intention. However, your views and my views are different. You never wanted a wife, let alone children. I refuse my child to grow up in an environment where they are a commodity and not a valued member of a family.

The whole reason for our arrangement was for you to get your inheritance and shut your father up. Well, we secured the inheritance. There is nothing for me to do about your father being down your throat, however. So I want to serve ties with the Robington family and find a man that will love not only me but any child I will have. Do not fret, the divorce papers that will be in this letter are very cut and dry. I do not want anything from you, but the wages I earned working for you. No spousal support or anything like that.

I have reviewed the NDA I signed along with the prenup and noticed there were discrepancies. I have drafted a new one that will cover everything and signed it along with the divorce papers. You will find I am no longer in the penthouse you set up for me or anywhere else you would think of. If you need to get a hold of me, my lawyer will deliver any messages I need to know about.

I ask that you not drag this out and make us both suffer. I have informed the lawyer that if you contest, then I will make sure it goes to court, and you will not want your dirty laundry out for the whole world to view via an open court hearing. By the time you receive these documents, I will be long gone.

You will not be able to find me at all. I have gone to great lengths to disappear. The phone you provided me will be left in the safe in the penthouse along with the jewelry and anything else provided to me. They aren’t mine but the family's items. Do the right thing and just sign the papers.

Carol

Once the letter was drafted, she started working on projects and other tasks. She wants to get everything done sooner rather than later. Once her eyes started to hurt, she got up and made her way to the kitchen for some food.