Mistake (part 1)

Gia was shaking. She was scared and confused. She turned to the part she came out from, to see if the man was still following her, but he wasn't. She walked to the car, trying to watch her step from the broken glass. The car was releasing smoke from the engine, looking thoroughly damaged. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Gia called out, attempting to hide the cry in her voice. She walked to the window and placed her hands on the tinted glass. Using her hands to block the light, Gia leaned closer to see who was in the car. She saw a man in the front seat, his body pressed against the bent seats. A sudden gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes got teary. She walked to the backseat window and saw another man, unconscious. She hadn't just hurt one person, but two.

She quickly tried to open the door, but the collision with the rod from the bus station had made it difficult. Panicking, she bit her fingernails, trying to figure out what to do next. It was already night and no one was around. She didn't have her phone to call 911.

"His phone," she thought.

She hurriedly pushed against the window, hoping it would break since it looked fragile, but it didn't. She walked to the damaged bus station, picked up a rod, and hit the glass with it. The car alarm blared, making her drop the rod to cover her ears. "Fuck," she muttered. The sound was deafening, but she fought against it, picked up the rod again, and continued hitting the window. It broke, shattering inside the car. She used her hands to clear away the remaining glass shards and reached inside to open the door from the inside. It worked. She coughed from the smoke coming from inside. "Hello?" she called out again.

The man in the front seat shifted slightly. She reached into his pocket for his phone. As she pulled it out, he grabbed her hand. "Don't worry, I'm going to save you," Gia said, removing his hand from hers. She dialed 911.

Within minutes, an ambulance arrived. The paramedics worked quickly to rescue the men. It was a struggle to bring out the driver, who was completely unconscious.

"Come with us, ma'am," a paramedic said.

"I can't," Gia replied.

"We need information on how everything happened and information about the patients," he paused. "You need treatment."

"Why?" Gia asked.

"You're bleeding."

It was then she noticed the cuts on her hands and feet, probably from the broken glass. She got in the ambulance, and they drove to the hospital. At the hospital, she was stitched and cleaned. She lay on the hospital bed, replaying the events in her mind. She had saved them, but she was terrified of the consequences that would follow.

Georgina Randolph called in her late husband's lawyer to read his will. The lawyer, a stern man in his fifties, began by calling out the names supposed to be present.

"Mrs. Georgina Marcy Randolph, his beloved wife, Miss Lucy Candice Randolph, his lovely daughter, Mr. Hudson Randolph, his brother, Miss Elyse Randolph, his niece, and finally, Mr. Roderick Randolph, his..." The lawyer paused, "brother."

Georgina sighed.

"Are all family members called out, present?" the lawyer asked.

"No. Can't we just proceed without one person? One person can't outnumber the four present, can they?" she snapped.

"They can," the lawyer replied calmly.

"How so?" Georgina demanded.

"Mrs. Randolph, you of all people should know how this works. I heard you were an attorney yourself."

"I was, but I didn't pursue it," Georgina said briefly to avoid bringing up her past.

"Well, I'm sorry, but we can't read Mr. Randolph's will without the presence of all mentioned persons. There's nothing I can do."

"Oh. My stepdaughter wasn't mentioned in the will, was she?" Georgina asked, there was a hint of joy in her tone.

"She wasn't. Mr. Randolph made a separate will for her. And only she can get access to it."

"Oh", Georgina canned a laugh.

The lawyer excused himself. She walked him to the door and shut the door behind him.

Georgina couldn't understand why Gia was receiving special treatment. She always thought her husband loved Lucy more. "He did, right?" she doubted. The hidden will made only for Gia made her curios. She bit her lower lip in bitterness.

"You said you were going to take care of this," a voice disrupted her thoughts.

She turned to see Lucy, disgust was written all over her face. "Mom, I am tired of sitting in there. That old hag is beginning to get on my nerves. Why didn't he leave his annoying little brat at home as well?" Lucy complained.

"That's your uncle and cousin," Georgina reminded her.

"So? That doesn't mean I can't express how they irritate me," Lucy snapped.

"Honey, take a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay," Georgina soothed.

"When? I'm tired of coming to these gatherings and having nothing to show for it. I want to be behind Father's desk. I want his power," Lucy insisted.

"Save that energy for later. Right now, we have a problem on our hands," Georgina said.

"What could be more problematic than those hooligans in there?" Lucy pointed at the door with her thumb.

"Your father's brother and Gia," Georgina sighed.

Mr. Randolph had a stepbrother, Roderick. He wasn't given any part in their mother's company. The company was run by the late Mr. Randolph. His mother had three sons, one of whom wasn't hers. He was the son of her husband's affair during her chemotherapy. She took in the pregnant teen her husband was responsible for, after he died, and trained the child and mother, but the mother backstabbed her, stealing money and disappearing with the child. When the boy, Roderick, returned at eighteen, she was dying. She told her son, Krester, Mr. Randolph, to give him part of the family assets and businesses. After her death, Roderick betrayed them, stealing from the family. Mr. Randolph cut ties with him, and rumor had it that Roderick lost all the money he stole to gambling and was living miserably. Convincing him to come back would be difficult.