‘I, Frederick Redcrown, being of sound mind and body, sign and edit this final will and testament. At the time of editing, my money, estate, assets, intellectual property, and all worldly possessions, are gifted and signed over to one, Vinoria Miao. So from the time of editing, to my passing, the true owner of all that I owned is, Vinoria Miao. With that being said, for my family to split evenly with one another, I give all that I own, in which I have none. This is non-negotiable per agreement with the contracting lawyer and I, signee Frederick Redcrown.’

The whole family was staring down at her as the words entered her ear and the sentences started to make more sense. Vinoria widened her eyes and stared back, just as clueless as everyone else was in the room. A wave of voices were raised as the family got up from their seats and made their way cautiously towards Dany. 

“What does he mean he gifted it all? When was this edited?!”

“He left us with nothing?” 

“Frederick stated that he signed everything to Vinoria?”

“Everything to Vinoria?!”

“Everything? His house, his land, his company and his stocks? All of it?!” 

As everyone spoke over each other, they gradually got louder and louder, to the point where they were screaming in the lawyer’s face. The yelling quickly turned into a fight to see who could get their hands on the copy of Frederick’s will to read first. Eventually, Marcus got a hold of the piece of paper and read it aloud to everyone, repeating every word that Dany said to them. Despite that someone else had read the will, they still didn’t believe what they had heard, and continued to fight for the paper, wrinkling it in the process. 

The staff that had previously gathered in the other room overheard the yelling between the family, mainly the repeating of Vinoria’s name. They got worried and peeked into the study. They would rather steer clear of the family’s drama, but if they were attacking Vinoria, an employee of Frederick, then there may be the need for them to step up and protect a fellow co-worker. 

“What’s going on?” Thomas leaned towards Adam, who stood against the doorframe as he looked inside, being the first to notice Vinoria’s name being yelled out. 

“I think Vinoria did something.” He whispered, but the last word of his sentence had a raised tone. He wasn’t even sure if that was the case. “I don’t know what it is though. I can’t understand their argument, either.” The two men then cautiously stood by the door and listened.

Athenia scrambled to find any book in the study that would help their current situation. As it turns out, Frederick specifically purchased a few books on inheritance. The woman carried the books to the center of the room and dropped them onto the table. Any family member that was within reach of those books grabbed one and started to flip through them.

The more they read through the books, as well as Frederick’s notes, the more they realize that the old man went through the whole legal system to make this possible. This included having this gifting action being done in writing, a letter to address all his children about the situation, and a physician’s statement about him having the capacity to make such a decision.

The question of when the will was changed was also answered within these books as Frederick had put dates on his notes, and it would seem that the last time he made an edit was three months ago. 

“So you knew about all this?!” Thiago roared, directing all of his anger at the lawyer. Everyone followed up with an aggressive comment of their own, even making threats to the man’s life.

“Well, if you would just let me talk, I can explain everything.” Dany cleared his throat, and waited for everyone to quiet down. “I was contacted by Frederick about three months ago, he told me his plan and I helped carry it out.” He then reached for his bag and retrieved a few papers. 

“If you look here, this is for the shares.” The lawyer then placed them on the desk in front of them. “It basically says she owns a share majority, and with the ownership of his intellectual property. She owns the whole business.“ Taking back the paper, before any of the family could snatch it, he continued. “The same goes for everything he owned. I do not know his reason for the change, but I do know one thing; he was of sound mind when he made the changes.”

“And who are you to say ‘He was of sound mind’?!” Pola screeched, as she leaned over the desk to get in his face. “You don’t look like a doctor, and I think us, his family, are a better judgment if he was of ‘sound mind’!” She pounded her fist at the desk, and the noise echoed the entire study. 

“I am glad you brought that up.” He shuffled through his papers and brought one to their attention. “This is the full report of the physician’s statement from the will, and it clearly states, as of the date of the edit, Frederick had the capacity to make such decisions.” Dany showed them at a distance, keeping them from snatching and ripping the paper.

With there being no way to argue with the lawyer, the family turned their fangs onto each other. They tried to recall what happened exactly three months ago and accused one another for somehow upsetting Frederick. 

“It was your failing business, wasn’t it?!” 

“My business? What about your stupid religious movement.”

“Can we not bring religion into this mess?” 

“Why not? Every time he opens his mouth, religious bullshit comes out it and I’m fucking tired of it! I bet you Dad was tired of it, too!”

The room erupted into chaos, as they all found reasons to blame one another. Meanwhile, Vinoria continued to piece it all together, connecting things that the family could not. 

It was simple, really. She was the only one that cared for the man, that was with the man, and would spend time with the man. While his kids were off having a great life spending money that was given by him, Vinoria was the one that helped him with everything. She was reminded of something Frederick said a long time ago, about Vinoria being a daughter he never had.

Vinoira leaned forward in her seat, the sunlight hitting her face less now, casting a rather sinister shadow on the woman's expression. The family then noticed it, and started to question her involvement in all of this. They accused her of having a hand in this will, of drugging the old man, threatening his life, or worse, pursuasion through sexual interactions with him. They all pushed the blame on someone other than themselves.

Vinoria’s smile was wicked and her eyes were sharp. She watched them all scramble like headless chickens running in circles. She felt glee in finally seeing them get what they deserve, and proud of the old man for pulling one last prank. This was justice for how they treated Frederick, the staff, and herself. They misused the money given and now they had to pay the price.

The thought of it all felt so sweet, she started to reminisce the last time she felt this way. The scammers, the ones from her previous position, one by one, choking from the poison. She remembered planning every step, every careful detail, from acquiring the poison to leaving traces in the food. And just like that, Vinoria knew the blame would go to that nasty chef, maybe not as sweet, but justice still awaited. The servant’s smile never left her face as she remembered it all, if anything it grew.

Last time it was her doing, but this time she was not the conductor, yet it still felt just as sweet. She only wished to thank Frederick one last time for this opportunity. Vinoria then leaned back in the chair as the family continued to question her. No words were said, no answers given, and her expression static as she continued to watch them all squirm.

In the past, she was scared to show this side of her, scared of being caught and sent to jail or perhaps tortured behind close doors. But right now, she felt no fear, for she had no fault in this matter. The lawyer and police are here, no one could touch her. She couldn’t care less what the current Redcrown family thinks of her. For all she saw was justice, just like what happened to the previous family household.

They all saw her as an invader, trespassing onto what they thought was theirs to own. But, the family has yet to understand they are now on her property, and she had no intention to go anywhere.

“Vinoria, please. We are his family, isn’t it only right that we keep the Redcrown property, under the Redcrown’s ownership?” Athenia pleaded, as she hoped to get through to Vinoria, but with no avail.

“There is no use, I bet she killed Frederick! She got what she wanted, and had no other use for him!” Pola yelled, as she threw her conspiracies to get any attention from the others.

“Then we will wait for the autopsy, until then we will stay here.” Thiago then cut into the conversation. “Pola, go get the luggage. Tell the kids that we’re staying-” 

“No.” Vinoria finally spoke up. Her voice was soft and calm, yet firm and confident. The whole family paused and looked at her. “You may not stay.” 

“Excuse me? Last time I checked, this was the Redcrown mansion,” Lucindia pointed at the family crest above the fireplace. The silver bordered shield had the Redcrown insignia down the middle with two robins on either side of it. Filling the space between the gaps were the two off colors of red and white going from top to the bottom . “and I don’t remember you ever being a part of this family.” She shouted in a sudden uproar, as she stomped her way up to Vinoria. Anger filled her eyes from the comment.

“Am I not? Frederick seemed to hold me in a higher regard than any of you.” Vinoria replied, with her smirk only growing with delight. The room was left silent, and for once Pola didn’t have anything to say. While Lucindia only grew more irritated, struggling to find the words to fight back. Before she could even say a word, Vinoria cut in once again. “That being said, I would like to ask you all to please, leave my house.” Vinoira was tired of this bickering with no end in sight.

“Lucindia, that is enough. We will come back and prove there was foul play.” Marcus huffed, stopping his wife from advancing anymore. “This isn’t over, we will be back with the autopsy. Until then, I suggest you start packing your stuff.” He then reluctantly left the study, and so did the others one by one.

Behind the door was the rest of the staff. All of them were still confused on what exactly was going on. When they looked into the study, all they saw was Vinoria, sitting there confidently. She had every right to be that way. After all, they were looking at the owner of the Redcrown mansion. Though, she decided to conceal the information from the others until the whole matter was resolved.

A few days passed, and the family came back with some police to back them up. They forced Dany to bring the autopsy to read, and they all seemed eager to take back the house. The lawyer then pulled out the report with a heavy sigh, and the family gathered around him as he read.

‘The patient, Frederick Redcrown, was an 86 year old man with a medical history of high blood pressure, and growing knee pains. The nurse on sight reported a sudden death, and breathing treatments were attempted, and showed no evidence of fluid in the lungs. After an Internal Examination, it has been concluded that this was due to a Heart Attack from natural causes.’

The family went silent once more, unable to believe what was said. Meanwhile, Vinoria watched them all realize that their last hope to get everything back was gone. The feeling of sweet justice came flowing back into the woman’s mind. Just like that, the case of Frederick Redcrown, came to a close; Leaving the family in the position they all dreaded. The police prepared to escort them out.

The moment the family exited the house, Vinoria turned her gaze to the rest of the staff that were, once again, peeking in through the door.  “Nothing needs to change.” She spoke to them softly, as if they were fearful little fawns caught in an open space with nowhere to hide. “You all still have your jobs.” 

“Vinoria, if you don’t mind us asking, what is going on?” Adam was the first to speak up, certifying the confusion amongst the group. “They kept yelling and cursing your name for the last few days, why is that?” The staff all looked eager to learn what happened.

“Frederick has graciously made me the caretaker of the Redcrown Mansion and the land this property is on.” She purred, turning herself to them. The staff slowly inched into the room to hear her explanation. “To aid in this task, he has given me a great sum of money and resources. Which meant that his children were left with nothing.” 

“A-Are you serious?” Thomas’ shock reflected what they were all thinking. “Frederick gave you the mansion, and his money?” The worry in his voice faded, and it was replaced with relief.

“So… That means we all work for you now, correct?” Gale cut in, trying to understand the whole situation more.

“Yes. It has been that way since three months ago, according to the time Frederick’s will was last edited.” The new owner explained. “I hope that isn’t a problem.”
A sinister smirk made its way onto her face as she became delighted at the family’s misfortune. It made the staff feel terrified, and their worry for the ex-servant only grew. Despite their concerns, they all stayed working in the mansion, putting their trust in Vinoria.