The visitor could hear the lilting music as it bounced on the walls and resound throughout the manor bringing small sparks filled with life. The last time Patricia came here, all furniture had been covered, the curtains were drawn on the large windows and most of the rooms were locked. The music continued and had no indication of stopping until the last note.

Patricia frowned, thinking whether the butler properly announced her arrival. If he had, Sena would have stopped abruptly to come and greet her. Ten minutes later, Sena eventually decided to show up. She hasn’t changed out of her riding clothes, still with leather gloves and boots on. 

“Patricia, you came.” She greeted the woman with a smile. 

Dressed impeccably austere as ever. 

Patricia was momentarily taken aback by the joyful greeting that she forgot to speak. 

There is so much change… 

“Oh my, how you have grown!” 

Sena shrugged, “We all have to grow eventually.”

“Exactly.” Patricia agreed and reached over for a cheek to cheek salutation before Sena could avoid it.   

Sena stepped back and subtly distance herself. “I’m surprised by your sudden visit. What brings you to Stonecraft?” 

The woman waved her hand off and sighed, “If it wasn’t for the news of your arrival how would I have the time to come?” 

“Did you miss me?”

“Ah? Yes— of course. Had there been any callers, dear?”

Sena just smiled. They stood in the foyer along with Patricia’s secretary Heath who looked rather out of place in the ladies’ conversation. 

“Look at what you are wearing.” The woman gave her a quick once over and made a look of disapproval. “A lady should be modest.” 

“You don’t expect me to wear a skirt when riding a horse, do you?”

“For heaven’s sake, it’s as if you haven’t been trained on a side saddle. It’s the most elegant way to do things.” 

“Nope, not to me. Come, come, be seated.” Sena invited them to the nearest drawing room but Patricia held her hand. 

There are servants all over the place either cleaning or on standby making the whole house busy. 

“Sena, dearie. I suggest we move somewhere else private to talk.” 

Sena paused, looking at her quizzically. “The drawing room is a good place. It is as private as any rooms of the home and there is a beautiful panorama of the lake there.”

“Yes it is magnificent indeed but I meant a quiet place. Preferably somewhere more private like the conference room.” To emphasize her point she reached for the folders on Heath’s hand. “I brought you something. It’s extremely important.” 

Sena’s eyes went to the documents, her thoughts hidden. A long pause later she spoke.

“Very well, if you insist.”   

As soon as she agreed, Patricia’s smile grew deeper but she hid it seamlessly before anyone could notice. The three of them moved into the office at the left wing of the manor. 

On the twenty-seater long table, the folders were spread and opened. 

Sena sat on the top seat with legs crossed over the other as she pored over the papers page by page. Printed in dense letters, are the listed company assets, big and small under Nexus Global.  

“Looks tedious.” She said lazily. 

“We have talked about this. Your mother entrusted you with all of the Erde family properties. It’s been a couple of years since she left and it’s time for you to manage them.”

“I don’t know, I feel inadequate somehow.” 

“But dear, these cannot stay unmanned for long or everything your ancestors have built for years will be in vain. You are the sole heir and already of age, completely capable of taking charge.” Patricia said as if oblivious to the girl’s tightening frown. 

Sena put her feet up the table and swiveled her seat from left to right making Patricia frown. Her lack of finesse was slowly getting on her nerves. 

“Yes, you once told me this.” Sena sighed. “Say, did mama manage them remotely when she was away?”

“But of course.” Patricia’s smile was as perfect as the ironed pleats of her skirt. “Even when Paula was out of the country often she remained hands on. I personally did not know how she did it but she did it quite splendidly. Honestly, I never thought she would be able to make it possible. When we were in Oxford she had always been a little too nitpicky. She would not feel at ease unless she stays close to her project and monitors it point blank.” 

Sena tapped her hand on the thick stack of papers listing all of her properties. She observed Patricia out in the corner of her eyes. 

“Who knew she was able to run a multi-billion company in an unknown part of the globe?”

“Thanks to technology and an army of reliable assistants I suppose.” 

“Yes.” Patricia said unnaturally.  

“You and mama were like sisters, weren’t you?” She said softly. “You should also know that I am different from her.”

“We all have our very own merit. You have yours.” 

Sena looked at the thick pile of documents and showed obvious reluctance. 

“Don’t be intimidated by this amount of work.” Patricia coaxed in a laughing manner. “You are not going to be alone when dealing with business, trust me.”

“Mama trusted you so much that she even left you these important documents.” 

Somehow, Patricia hinted that her words seem to be laced with mystery but she brushed it off quickly and thought she was just being paranoid.  

“Well, your mother and I treated each other like real sisters.” She replied. 

“Are you going to help me aunt?”

Patricia had been waiting for this and would like to volunteer herself but that would be too obvious so she smiled reservedly. “My dear, of course I will not abandon you but you have more than capable people in your hands.” 

“Every time I think about taking over the company, I feel uneasy. Fearing that I may not be able to do it alone…”

Patricia then implored in a gentlest tone. “All of us have trepidation when facing the unknown but don’t be afraid, if you really need help, you can always come to aunty. You know, your mother entrusted you to me and I will make sure to fulfill that. Sena, we all love Paula but we need to move on. Nexus Global cannot be without an owner.” 

Heath stepped in time to hand over another folder and pen. 

Sena was not surprised by the secretary’s suggestive action. After all, he did the same before. 

If she hadn’t known of their motive she might have just sat there and shed tears while listening to Patricia’s sappy story about her and her mother’s younger years. She wouldn’t know when her company had changed its ownership then. 

This meeting should have happened a year ago if the set up drug scandal occurred. It should be around right after she was bailed out. 

The concerned Patricia appeared several days after a delay, as she explained, and whisked her off to a vacation in Bali. There, she came to also convince her to accept the inheritance. However, when she was faced by a mountain of responsibilities, which Patricia deliberately planned, she felt overwhelmed, frightened and decidedly stepped back. 

Patricia continued to persuade her not to give up and suggested she divide the work. In the end, Sena, who had too much on her plate and too much trust on the wrong person, signed a special power of attorney granting Patricia the authority to handle all assets and properties under Nexus Global. 

So there she was vacationing in Bali trusting Patricia to help her manage her inheritance and clean up the drug accusation when in truth it was her intention all along to get her maimed by public opinion, destroy her credibility and force her out of her own industry! 

It was too late when Apple found out, so were her grandfathers. 

But things were bound to change after she was reborn.  

Sena stared at the unlabeled folder and nearly laughed at Patricia’s obvious impatience. 

Inside is the good old special power of attorney waiting to be signed. She purposefully left her hanging for another year neither speaking nor disclosing her location. She thought Patricia would give up yet here she is like a character on a script. The action and speech they used were the same as before. Not a thing deviating. 

She picked up the pen but still refused to open the folder. She leaned back on the chair, opting for a relaxed posture as she let the silence build. 

“Sena…?” Patricia looked at her eagerly. 

She could not stand the suspense. It was as if cat nails were clawing her heart and guts. 

“Do you think it would be selfish of me to abandon everything?”

This was a question Patricia did not anticipate. The sheer weight of it made her shake. Is this damn girl thinking of giving away billions of properties?! It can’t be! 

Rather than have those outsiders reap all the benefits, it’s better to let her take over. Anyway, this fool is so easy to coax. It would be as easy as taking candy from a baby! 

“Are you scared you might fail?” 

Damn it, if coaxing does not work, how about ridicule? Patricia hated to be on tenterhooks anticipating every word coming out of her mouth. She could barely maintain a decent expression when looking at her.

“I don’t know…” Sena sighed dramatically as she threw her sights outside the wide window. Towards the prairie. “Mama’s absence makes me so insecure.”  

“Think of Stonecraft Park, this is your legacy. Your ancestors were born and raised here, it’s your roots. Where will you go once it's gone?” Patricia reasoned with the urgency of a person about to lose a lottery jackpot. 

Seeing her jump uneasily lessened Sena’s simmering resentment by a fraction. And all honesty, she quite liked torturing Patricia mentally.

Dangle a huge tasty bait in front of her and watch her go crazy. Sena hid the sarcasm in her eyes. Under that veil of lady-like class is a face rotted with greed and jealousy. How dare she defile Paula's sincerity and repay it with betrayal? 

“You’re right.” Sena said, looking back and giving her a wry smile. “How could I even think of doing such a ridiculous thing.” She pretended not to notice the sweat glistening on Patricia’s forehead and droned on, “Even if I feel insecure about running the business it shouldn’t be an excuse to just leave it away. There are thousands of people working under us and I must not disappoint them—” 

“Yes, that’s it.” 

“I know I’m still young but my time is long. There is no use prevaricating when I could learn the things I lack. I’m sure Aunt Patricia will not leave me vulnerable and hanging as well.” 

Paricia was all smiles now, “And like I told you, you are not going to be alone. Just ask and we will provide you with the best assistants to help familiarize yourself with the workings of Nexus Global.” 

Little bitch, Patricia seethed inwardly. She had never felt so furious and humiliated like a dog begging for a bone until today. Wait when she gets all the properties! 

Sena tapped the folder on the table, “Thank you for telling me this, I would not know what to do if not for your enlightenment. Fortunately you came,” she then stood and twirled the pen between her fingers. 

Meanwhile, Patricia’s eyes were about to stick on to the folder. She had been eager for Sena to sign the special power of attorney. Once Sena appointed her as acting CEO, she will be able to move freely as she wished within the company and no one, not even those old bastards can get in her way! 

“Leaving it to a more capable hands while I’m learning is the best option. This makes me relieved after deciding Apple as my trustee to represent on my behalf.”

The words came out too quickly. Patricia’s triumphant smile fell and she lost her composure. 

“What— what did you say?”

“Apple, you remember him right?”

“Y-Yes.” Patricia said shakily. “Yilmaz Adin.”

“Hm, he is a hardworking person, and his loyalty is unquestionable.” Sena spoke as she looked into her eyes. “Aside from that my grandfathers also trust him so I can very much put my mind at ease.” 

“Him?” Patricia asked in both disbelief and shock she almost choked, “But Apple left, he left the country a year ago!” 

“Yes,” Sena confirmed with a sweet smile. Then, like a sharp knife plunged into Patricia’s black heart, she added, “He left Beldane under my request so I can start learning early.” 

To Patricia’s horror, the door from the adjacent room opened, letting in Yilmaz Adin and the three grim-faced old men. 

“Why… they were here?!” She asked Sena in complete panic. 

As naturally as she could, Sena shrugged and smiled brightly, “Ah, yes I forgot to tell you.”

She forgot?! Patricia suddenly felt lightheaded.  

“Well, I intended to talk to you in the drawing room but you insisted we come here. It so happened that my grandfathers were visiting and we were about to catch up on some missed events.” She added innocently.

Patricia, who did not know which hole to hide, froze on where she stood. She was completely and utterly mortified as the men looked at her as if she were a criminal trying to swindle a child. 

“C-Chairman Rossi, Mr Adin, President Troy… Chairman Ye. How have you been?” 

All the while she thought Sena had cut ties with them. What is going on?! 

No one has ever known she had been trying to contact Sena privately, she tried her best to be discreet in order to avoid alarming these people only to end up getting caught! 

“Quite fine but most definitely surprised.” Chairman Rossi said with undisguised chill in his words. “I remember Miss Patricia Larsson, you’re a lawyer. A friend of Paula’s?” 

Situ Ye followed with narrowed eyes, “For what reason did Ms. Larsson come to Stonecraft manor?”

One moment Patricia was shivering, but she quickly collected herself and was able to answer flawlessly the next. “I came to deliver some documents Paula entrusted for Sena while I still have the chance. It was hard to catch her after all.” 

“Documents…” Oslo Troy mulled over it and nodded, “I was wondering who Paula sent the duplicate to, it turned out she left it in your care.” 

What did he mean by duplicate??? Patricia’s panicked expression fell into their eyes. 

Heath began collecting the folders on the table including the special power of attorney, making sure it was squeezed out of sight. 

“You are very thoughtful, however, this won’t be necessary anymore.” Chairman Rossi told her flatly. 

They heard everything from the moment the ladies entered. Although Patricia did not blatantly ask Sena for involving her with the industry, they are not fools not to read the scheming woman’s intention of subtly coaxing their granddaughter to delegate power on her, an outsider and a complete stranger.  

Patricia stiffened. “W-What do you mean?”

“Unnecessary because NaNa already penned her signature on the inheritance document. She already accepted it and she had been staying on top of things since last year. With Apple’s unrelenting guidance she has learned a great deal and even contributed to the twenty five percent of the company’s annual growth rate.”  

The revelation hit Patricia like icy water from the lake. 

She subconsciously turned her eyes to Sena. The other flashed her an harmless innocent smile. 

She’s been managing Nexus Global herself? And it’s been a year! 

Patricia tried to act concerned, “You child, why did I never hear of this?” 

“I’m sorry aunt, this is after all confidential matters involving the company. But thank you for coming to advise me as a friend of my mother’s. It helped to soothe my nerves and I no longer feel as conflicted as before. I couldn’t be more grateful for your support.”

Apple resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If he did not know firsthand how she planned to set up Patricia today he would have believed she was sincerely thanking her. 

"Ms. Larsson, since the formalities are finished may I ask for the duplicate papers Paula left you?" Pascal Rossi said in a cool, authoritative tone.

Patricia had no choice but to hand it over. 

The three old men read them one by one and confirmed it is indeed the duplicate Will. It was then handed over to Apple.

"Although this no longer held any effect it still had to be collected. Thank you for bringing the documents." Apple said professionally. 

Poor Patricia who suddenly lost her purpose no longer made any excuses to linger. She made herself scarce as soon as possible before the truth about the documents she brought were dug out. 

For what position does she take the cheek to stay? Paula’s friend? Old classmate? No, she has no place here at all. 

“Thank you for visiting today Miss Larsson. You can rest assured Sena will continue her ancestor's legacy with the best of her ability.” Oslo Troy said bluntly. 

Patricia felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet. There is only one thing occupying her mind right now. They knew. These old men definitely knew what she was planning! 

“I cannot believe that woman’s audacity.” Apple sneered after Patricia packed up in haste.

“Any moment now.” Sena looked away from her wrist watch and followed the figure walking to the lawn like a scared mouse.

“Didn’t you frighten her enough?” 

“Not enough.” Sena said. 

As the grandfather clock sounded the ten o’clock bell, the nearby lawn sprinklers spurted out jets of water catching Patricia and her secretary into a wet soggy mess. 

Yelps of anger erupted from outside along with occasional cries of surprise. 

“She often told me stories about how she came to visit the manor and play with mama but she couldn’t even remember trivial things such as the conference room not being entirely soundproof and the schedule of the lawn sprinklers in the morning.” 

“Heartless.” Apple shook his head. “But compared to what she wanted to do to you, this harmless prank is nothing.”