MY LAST WILL

AFTER OUR PLEASANT CONVERSATION, reality once again came crashing back, and we were forced to remember the fact that we're driving away from the mansion, not because we're eloping, but because Cyrus is about to kill his "mother."

"How long did your boss expect you to finish this case?" Cyrus asks out of the blue while we were driving our way to the main house where Talia was waiting for her sweet death.

"Agent Carlos gave me two months max," I answer him.

Cyrus continues to stare at the road as he says back, "You have to finish earlier than that."

I look at Cyrus with a confused expression and ask him, "What do you mean?"

"In two months, Tobias will be twenty-five," Cyrus explains to me, and I honestly didn't understand it at first until I remembered something that Detective Hans explained to me before I started this mission.

"They're going to declare Tobias as the head of the family!" I practically shout, "B-But isn't that a good thing? Once there's a head of the family, you guys can leave, right?" I ask next, but the expression on Cyrus's face already gave me the answer.

"No one really leaves the family. They leave the mansion, but everything else stays. I want to end all this, and that includes the system. The secret that Luis told you about can automatically do that, and I am willing to disclose everything to everyone myself. But I have to finish something first. I can't just end it like this." He explains to me.

"When you said you have to finish something first, does that include killing Talia?" I ask him next, and Cyrus sighs heavily upon hearing it.

"Killing her will temporarily stop the Gentleman Punishment. Her next replacement would be Tobias's wife, but that will still take long. I think she knew that too, which is why she wanted to be killed." Cyrus explains further.

I wanted to ask if the family chooses the wife, but then I remembered what Talia told me before we left her yesterday.

"Adam was a wildcard. Someone picked him as a punishment." I tell Cyrus, but it was obvious that he wouldn't even be surprised about it. If someone would know about that fact, it would most likely be him. Cyrus doesn't say anything for a couple of minutes. It's like he's thinking about something, and he's debating on whether or not he'll share it with me.

"You okay?" I ask, and Cyrus takes a deep breath and finally asks me, "Do you want to know who initially got that punishment?"

The question was so sudden that it almost made me jump off my seat even though it was physically impossible. I never knew that he'd willingly tell me about it like this.

"Who?" I ask, hoping that Cyrus isn't bluffing about this serious matter. Cyrus stops at a red light and looks back at me seriously before answering, "I did."

"W-What?" I ask from shock.

Did Cyrus just indirectly tell me that he killed Adam?

"But I didn't end up doing it." Cyrus immediately adds, destroying the conclusion that's already forming in my head.

"And I reckon you're not going to tell me the reason why," I tell Cyrus with an annoyed expression, and Cyrus suddenly gives me a small smile that made my heart skip a beat. He just fucking smiled. Why the hell am I acting like a teenage boy who's madly in love?

"You're good at what you do. You'll know the answer without me telling it to you." He says with confidence.

It's my turn to sigh as I look out of the car window. I can see my reflection, and it makes me realize how tired I look. And I'm tired physically, I'm tired mentally. I just want something to help me escape, even if it's just temporary.

"Hey, Cyrus," I call out.

The streetlight turns green, and Cyrus starts driving again before asking me, "What is it?"

My face starts feeling hot. And without looking back at him, I continue, "Tonight...sleep with me."

Cyrus doesn't answer back, making me realize how that sentence sounded. I immediately look back at him and tried to save face, "I didn't mean it in a sexual way. I meant sleep beside me, like really sleeping and-" I stopped trying to explain myself when I suddenly saw Cyrus's ear turning red.

I gulp and look out of the window again. Because of his reaction, I start feeling embarrassed now too. Why are you blushing like that Cyrus Delton? Now you're making me feel like you're the teenage boy who's madly in love.

...

After the awkward drive that made me want to kill myself, we finally arrive at the main house. I glance at Cyrus who looks calm and collected. Well, he's actually TOO calm and collected that I almost forgot why we're here in the first place.

Without saying a word, Cyrus suddenly leans close to me. I thought he's going to kiss me so I close my eyes because of panic. A few seconds pass by and I open my eyes back just to find Cyrus taking something out from the glove box instead. He takes out his gun and uses it to gently hit me on my head. My entire face burns up and Cyrus laughs from my reaction.

"How fucking horny are you?" He asks.

I wanted to say something to at least defend my pride, but I was stopped when Cyrus leans forward to give me an actual kiss. When he pulls away from me, he smirks and licks my lip before saying, "Just a little taste before tonight."

My face burns up twice as much as before. I don't know how to react so I just hurriedly step out of the car so Cyrus won't tease me anymore. He follows after and starts walking towards the entrance of the main house. Naturally, I would follow behind him since I'm his bodyguard, but when we arrive in front of the door of Talia's office, Cyrus stops me from going any further.

"Stay here." He tells me.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

Cyrus takes out his gun and reloads it, "She's my mother," he says.

"That you're about to kill." I then remind him.

Cyrus takes a deep breath and pats my head, "You've already seen and done enough. Just stay here. Please?"

Okay. How do you expect me to oppose now?

"Alright. Take your time, I'll wait here." I tell him, and Cyrus nods his head and goes inside.

Cyrus opens the door, and I instantly catch a quick glimpse of Talia. She's sitting in front of her desk with relaxed eyes. She's ready for what's about to come.

Cyrus closes the door, and I'm now left alone outside.

"Mother?" I could hear Cyrus say inside the room.

I don't want to eavesdrop, but I can't let this opportunity pass either. They might say something important. And besides, Cyrus could have made me wait at the car, but he made me wait right outside instead, so it's pretty obvious that he wants me to hear their conversation too.

"My sincere condolence for Luis's death," Talia says back.

The room is silent for a while that it's making me uncomfortable instead.

"Well, I'm ready," Talia says after, and how she calmly said those words made the hair on my skin stand.

"As a gentleman, I am giving you the chance to speak your last will," Cyrus says, and the room falls silent again. I take a deep breath and wait until Talia opens her mouth to speak.

"Nothing but this...avenge your siblings. Maybe they are not truly yours by blood, but they are family through and through." Talia spoke with pride and diction. And those words alone broke my heart in more ways than one. She knows that Cyrus isn't Adam's real son. This also means she's not his real mother either.

"Understood," Cyrus answers, "Now in exchange for your last will, I give you three wills from your children." Cyrus then continues, surprising me. Talia laughs in the background before saying, "I am not sure if I would want to hear that now."

"If you wish not to, then I will not proceed with it," Cyrus politely says, and Talia's laughter dies down. So this is part of the gentleman punishment too. I don't know what would even hurt more. Hearing your children's last request from you, or the bullet that will shoot you?

"Shall I skip your children's will?" Cyrus asks, and I can hear Talia take a long deep breath before her final decision.

"Will it be painful?" She asks him, and Cyrus doesn't answer. But even though he didn't say anything, I know that both of them knew the answer to that.

"Alright, let me hear my children's last wish," Talia says with a soft voice.

I take a deep breath and readied myself. I'm not the one who's going to even receive it, but something about this feels so painful. It's funny because I killed Luis just fine. I don't have any sense of guilt when I did it, but being here now, waiting for Cyrus to pull the trigger on Talia, it makes me feel emotions that I've never felt before. Maybe because I myself love my mother, and seeing a mother get killed by a man who she may have even treated as her own is just too much for me to bear.

This might be the same reason why Cyrus didn't want me to accompany him inside. I might just end up stopping him from doing this.

"Once I am done with all the wills, you will instantly meet your end. Do you understand what that means Ms. Talia?" Cyrus asks her.

"I do. Now please begin." Talia answers him.

I take another deep breath and move closer to the door so I can hear the wills better.

"From your son Chance Delton..." Cyrus starts. I thought Cyrus was going to speak for his behalf, but to my surprise, I hear a recording of Chance's voice being played instead.

How much more painful will this get?

"There is nothing more beautiful than your smile, nothing more assuring than your embrace, and nothing more wonderful than calling you, my mother. I found real love in you, and even with what I am now, you did not see a speck of stain in me. I was always your sweet little Chance, and forever I will be. I hope you become a magnificent butterfly. And if you do, fly over me and sit on my shoulder. Do it so at least I'd know you are still watching over me in this painful paradise."

The recording ends, and the room falls silent once more.

"Shall I proceed next?" Cyrus then asks. I can't hear Talia's answer, but she must have nodded her head because Cyrus plays the next recording.

"From your youngest, Tobias Delton..." He says next.

"Mother, I knew you were in great pain. I could have done more for you, yet there was nothing that I could do. There is nothing much to say, but I hope you find your peace. I will make sure your tears will not be wasted." Tobias says with a low voice, almost as if he was hiding inside a cabinet when he recorded this.

"Now from your only daughter, Catalina," Cyrus says next. But then I start hearing Talia cry in the background. For some reason, I thought she'd keep it in herself until the end, but I guess this is too much for her.

"I didn't want to listen because I didn't want to end up feeling scared. I was prepared to leave my children. I really was." Talia says, her voice now shaking.

"Will I proceed? Or should I end it now?" Cyrus asks with no hint of emotion or guilt. How could Cyrus even do this without breaking down? It's obvious that this pains him too, but he's keeping it together better than Talia. This just goes to show how strong Cyrus has become. Imagine the things that he had to go through just so he wouldn't break down in front of people?

"Will I proceed? Or should I end it now?" Cyrus asks again since Talia isn't answering anymore.

"Okay. Let me hear my Catalina's last wish." Talia finally says.

I touch my aching chest and ready myself to hear what Catalina had to say. Out of all the siblings, Catalina is closest to their mother. I don't know what Talia had done to them, or what she had to go through, but Catalina still loved her deeply. And like what Luis told me before, Catalina is Talia's favorite.

"From your only daughter, Catalina Delton..." Cyrus finally says.

The recording plays, and I instantly hear Catalina sobbing. I was expecting to hear a long message like Chance, but what I heard broke my heart more than anything I've heard before, "I love you...very much."

And that's it.

The recording ends.

"May I request you play it again?" Talia asks.

"I love you...very much."

Catalina's sincere yet short message echoes inside the room, and Talia's cries follow. Cyrus said that after hearing all the wills, he'd be ending her life. But Cyrus hasn't pulled the trigger yet. This must be his way of giving her the last chance to at least hear her children's voices again and again. Even though Cyrus hasn't said it out loud, I knew he'd be willing to play the recordings over and over again with no complaints until Talia was satisfied.

"Kill me now! Please!" Talia suddenly shouts in between her loud sobs.

"There is still one will left." Cyrus suddenly tells her, and my eyes widen upon hearing what he just said.

He can't be...

"Will you allow me to share with you your eldest son's wish?" Cyrus says, and I could have sworn his calm façade fell down a little because of how his voice shook.

The room is silent, and I can tell that Talia looked back at Cyrus with the same shock that I have in my face. I guess I was wrong after all. Cyrus isn't as strong as I thought. He's actually the weakest among all of them. I should have known better after everything he's shown me.

"Of course. I would be devastated if you didn't." Talia tells him. I can't really see them, but I feel like she's giving him a reassuring smile when she said those words to him.

Cyrus doesn't say anything for a second. But after a while, he finally speaks, "From your eldest son...C-Cyrus Delton."

I gulp and close my eyes.

"This is my last will." He tells her.

"Please be happy...my dear mother."

And just a second after, I hear a loud gunshot. And everything fell silent once more.