Not everyone took the news of Frederick’s passing well. The mansion was mostly silent that evening, the only sounds were that of quiet weeping. Nurse Tyco was trying to counsel everyone that had gathered, giving warm gestures to them all. Meanwhile, Vinoria stood near the entrance of the room, with the same expression she would have any other day. To some, this may look like she doesn’t care about what happened, but deep down, her sadness and sorrow is the reason for her behavior.

“Hey, it’ll be okay… This is a natural part of life,” Nurse Tyco told the staff present in the room. These felt like empty words to them. The silence continued before she spoke back up to break it. “Why don’t we talk about Frederick then? I’m sure there’s plenty of good memories we can all share with each other.”  

Adam cleared his throat, being the first to speak amongst them all. “He always enjoyed some of the craziest meals I would make. Most of the ideas were his own anyhow. Still, he always said ‘as long as it doesn’t make me sick, go wild’!” He chuckled a bit, sighing. “I don’t think there’ll be anyone else who enjoys my cooking as much as he did.” 

Curtis followed up with a small chuckle of his own, taking a moment to speak his mind. “I knew Mr. Redcrown from before, back when he worked at the university. I worked security and he was one of the nicest people there. He left, and after a while he came to me, asking if I would work for him. It was the best decision I had made.” Curtis took a moment to collect his thoughts, the tone of his voice lighting up as he continued. “He was always a kind man, took care of me as I protected him. I’m going to miss him.” 

Following the trend, Thomas smiled weakly, having thought of something to say as well. “I remember how when I would take him anywhere, he had the best jokes to tell along the way. Sometimes, they’d be so funny, I would catch myself swerving for a moment.” He laughed a bit almost to the point of tears, wiping them away. “I am going to miss hearing those jokes from him. It’s not going to be the same with me telling them.” 

Twirling a flower within his hand, Robin sighed as he held it. “He always admired my creativity for the garden, and was glad to see his favorite flowers amongst the rest of them. Frederick always appreciated me taking care of them, as he loved nature as much as I do. I…” The man took a pause to stop his voice from trembling. “I know he would’ve liked it if some of those flowers were planted close to him.”  Adam patted Robin’s back, comforting the groundskeeper as he buried his head into his hands. 

“If I may also bring up… Frederick appreciated our hard work,” Gale spoke, tearing up as she did. “He knew the girls and I did everything to make sure the house was clean. Every family visit, every social gathering- we worked hard and he knew it. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. Who’s going to have the mansion? What will we do now?” The question lingered in the air. Even Vinoria, who was emotionless to everything at the moment, pondered the question. No one knew what lay ahead. 

As Jazmee spoke up, Vinoria left the room, curious about what the family was discussing. “I’m not sure what may happen,” started the nurse. “But sharing these memories we’ve had with him will help us feel better. Thomas, why don’t you share that joke he would always tell you? I’m sure it’ll help lift the mood. He was always a jokester with me, so I know this has to be a good one.” 

As Vinoria left the room, she could hear the laughter from the joke that Thomas told, but she didn’t have the capacity to even process whatever was being said. The entire event has clouded her mind; too many things happening so quickly, there wasn’t even time to process it all. First it was Frederick’s death, then it was the mortician, followed by the family’s sudden arrival, then the police and detectives. The lawyer arrived shortly afterwards, and now, it was about the plans the family had for Frederick’s property. 

Dany Halconis, Frederick’s personal lawyer, was a small framed man with white hair and glasses. He was often seen wearing an open suit with a long tie underneath. While his face was always stern, he was good friends with the old man.

As Vinoria entered the living room, the rest of the family had gathered along with the investigators. Pola was asking them plenty of questions that mostly went unnoticed. Most of the members were crowding the detectives, explaining why they think foul play was involved. However, from the look on the investigators' faces, Vinoria could tell that none of them believed it was the case. Though to her, the idea of foul play was not off the table. 

The conversations between the family and police about a potential murder, had the servant on edge. She remembered back to the scary story she told the kids during their holiday visit, and all of this felt all too familiar. She tried to listen carefully to every detail in the conversations happening around her, though most of the words slipped her mind. Too much was going on to keep track, and by the looks of things, it was only the beginning.  

Pola and Athenia were bombarding one of the officers with their theories and speculations of what happened. The man couldn’t do much to calm them, other than to take down notes of what they were saying. But even then, it wasn’t enough to get them to stop raising their voices to him. “I’m sure it was murder!” Pola exclaimed, waving her finger, “He was a healthy man and nothing was wrong!” 

 Marcus, Thiago, and Nicholas were trying to even go with some of the investigators into Fredericks room. The three clambered against each other to see who’ll enter first. Lucindia had the children, trying to comfort them in some way. 

Vinoria watched as the chaos filled the room. She almost felt sorry for each of them. Almost. Each one of the family members had their own grudges. Not only to the staff and herself, but with each other as well. 

To the servant, they were all vultures. All of them were waiting for the old man to drop since they knew he made it big. The family never cared about what Frederick said, or what hoops he jumped through for them to get what they have now. He tried to care for his children and they ignored it for the spoils of what he made. All of the in-family fighting between Frederick’s children had left them little to no time for their own children.

Tensions between them were high, with each of them being on the edge of losing their temper. Their fangs were showing, and it was only a matter of time before they would be at each other's throats. They’ve been itching for a fight, and Vinoria knew they would as soon as the terms of Frederick’s will were read.

Dany then marched out of Frederick’s room with an envelope in his hand, and an officer following behind. The old man had a safe in his room that the lawyer knew how to get into. Frederick once told Vinoria the combination as well, but she felt like it was not her place to open his private safe.

“Alright, enough of this! Miss Miao, can you please gather all of Frederick’s children into the study?” Dany looked tired; bombarded with legal questions the moment he stepped foot in this house, questions that didn’t even matter. Upon the family’s repeated request, he went to get the copy of the will. Vinoria did as she was told and politely asked them all to attend.

While the room Dany had gathered the family in had plenty of space for them all, they crowded around the desk, eager for what the man had to say. Vinoria was about to leave after she was sure every single family member was present, but Dany then called out to her. “Actually, Miss Miao, I think you should stay.” 

Vinoria turned, curious, and saw the family looking back at her. She froze, confused as to why her presence was needed for the occasion, but she didn’t argue. The woman then quietly took a seat near the door, leaning against a small bookshelf.

She sat there, with her legs crossed, while the chaos of the room slowly turned to white noise. Vinoria’s mind started to drift off, the sun caressing the side of her face, as she watched everything unfold. Finding herself lost in thought, the servant remembered Frederick and the kindness he gave her.

“Everything that we may do, live through, and anything that may happen to us, happens for a reason. They aligned when I made my success for the family, they will align for you when it’s time as well.”

Vinoria hoped that he was right. Despite her cold and distant expression in the given moment, she missed the old man already. He never treated her like a servant, more like a friend who so happens to take care of him. From the jokes and pranks, to the rant filled nights, she was there for him. Even taking her advice, though she never thought he would go along, considering her background.

She was often told not to be so serious, but her past had always made it difficult to do so. Vinoria was then reminded of the first time she came to this mansion. Frederick took her in from the streets, despite his family’s disapproval , but eventually they came to an agreement to let her work for him. They changed her clothes and style to fit a butler rather than a maid. 

She recalled Marcus forcefully scheduling an appointment for the tailor, hair stylist, and tutor to come into the mansion. Not allowing them to leave until the family felt okay with how she looked and acted. Frederick wasn’t happy, but he reluctantly accepted it in the end. Vinoria did not mind though, as she found her new image more comfortable.

Her mind drifted further with the thoughts of each family member and how their behavior will affect their children. Generations of bad habits, passed down not by blood, but by choice. She didn’t want much to do with the family anymore. Perhaps with the skill sets that she has obtained throughout the years of serving the Redcrowns, she can find another decent family to look after, even if her role is not as high of a position as a butler. She can’t see things going well in this mansion, either. In the past, it was only busy and chaotic during the holiday’s. With the family inheriting the house and all, the problems and demands coming from them are going to be an everyday thing. 

The family started to speak over the voice that read the will. Vinoria didn’t pay any attention at first. There couldn’t be anything that would concern her in that piece of paper. She was mostly minding her own business, gazing out the window and peeking at the peony flowers. The room was filled with mumbling voices, and she only perked up at the mention of…

“Vinoria Miao.”