Josie and Sweetpea were driving back home, the man was still pissed at Cheryl and he couldn't believe the way she had spoken to him. "That woman is rude, and Toni has a point. She isn't normal," he said in annoyance but when he didn't receive a reply he looked at his wife. "Why are you quiet?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Tell me what you think,"
"You want me to say my opinion about a woman who I only sat with for an hour?"
Sweetpea scoffed. "No one can sit with her more than an hour. Today I was sure that Toni has a point."
"With what?"
"I don't rule out the option that she might have something to do with his death."
"What?" Josie asked with wide eyes and confusion.
Sweetpea just looked at her and said nothing. Josie shook her head and looked out the window.
Toni was in the living room, looking throughout the window as she watched Cheryl head off. She could hear Veronica's footsteps as she stood behind her. "She won't come back now," She said in a gentle voice.
"I'm not waiting for her," Toni said not taking her eyes of off the window. "But I find it weird how could she go out at this time of night. And to where?"
"You want a drink?" Veronica said as she lifted the two glasses and a bottle of wine she had in her hands.
Toni nodded, "Allow me," She said grabbing the bottle and the glasses and making her way to the sofa, followed by Veronica. She opened the bottle and poured wine into the glass. "How did Cheryl meet my uncle?" She asked as she rested her head on the back of the couch.
The nurse looked at her with confusion. "Didn't you uncle tell you?"
The short brunette shook her head. "He didn't tell me that he was married," She said as she was looking at the ceiling.
"Are you serious? You don't know that Larry was married to Cheryl?"
"Nope," Toni said simply. Veronica said nothing as she took a sip of her drink.
"How long have you been living outside the US?"
"About ten years,"
"And you never thought of coming back?"
Toni shook her head. "I don't like to come back."
"Why?"
"I have my life in Canada,"
"Are your parents also with you in Canada?"
The short brunette sighed. "My parents have died." She said softly.
"Oh, i'm sorry.. since when?"
"My mom died when I was a kid, and my dad has been dead about nine years."
Veronica nodded, "My dad passed away too, and my mother remarried. What about you? Are you in love? Engaged? In a relationship?" She said with a small laugh.
The brunette laughed and sat up straight. "In love? Of course not. Engaged? No way, but as for the relationship part, I've been in a lot of hookups but nothing serious."
"You don't want to have a family?"
Toni shook her head. "I don't want to do anything, I just want to finish my stuff here and go back to my house and to my life."
"I want to fall in love, get married and have five kids," She said as she took clung her glass with Toni. "Cheers, do you want me to put some music?"
The brunette suddenly felt weird. She cleared her throat and looked at the woman beside her. "I, uh I'm going to bed,"
"Now?"
"Now," Toni replied. "Goodnight and thank you for the wine," She said as she left to her room.
Josie was removing her makeup in the bathroom when Sweetpea entered to brush his teeth, "What made Toni think that Cheryl had something to do with Larry's death?" She asked with a chuckle and a shake of a head.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I never heard of something that stupid. Larry had a stroke,"
Her husband nodded, "True, but he suddenly got very ill."
"Yeah so why would she kill him? He wasn't going to live anyway, the hemorrhagic stroke he had was going to kill him anyway. If she wanted to do it, she would've done it earlier."
"A person who is in good health and died, people will start talking about it, but if he was already sick and dead no one would think of it. Besides, we are going tomorrow to the doctor that treated Larry and understand everything."
Toni couldn't sleep, every time she closed her eyes she could see the same dream about her ex-wife. Knowing she can't close her eyes, she stood up and made her way to Larry's office. She turned on the light and closed the door behind her, she then walked around slowly to the desk and looked at the office. She sighed as she remembered her father. She poured a glass of whiskey and sat on one of the chairs.
She searched the drawer's and frowned when she saw a pile of folded paper. She picked it up and starting to skim through the papers, she then stopped at a paper and her eyes went wide at what she read. She couldn't understand what's going on, she needed answers and she was willing to do everything in her power to find them.
Toni then came across the safe that was in the office. She was trying to guess the combination to the safe and unbeknownst to her, Cheryl was by office glass door watching her. The redhead opened the door slowly and knocked. Toni was startled and jerked her head up.
"Are you trying to rob me?" Cheryl asked jokingly.
Toni smiled "I noticed that there is a safe here,"
Cheryl nodded, "Good eye,"
"I wanted to open it."
"With all due respect to your cleverness, when a person puts a safe in his house, do you think he will leave it open?"
"Do you want to know what I think?" Toni said crossing her arms in front of her chest. "If by the slightest chance a person has manner he wouldn't put a safe if he knew he was living with..." She trailed off.
"With what?" Cheryl asked as anger started to boil up in her.
"Where's the key?" Toni asked firmly.
The redhead took the liberty and sat on the chair as she placed her legs on the table, "Why do you want it?"
"To open it?"
"And why do you want to open it?"
"Because up until this moment, this house isn't owned by anyone, hence the safe in the house isn't owned by anyone."
Cheryl gave Toni a small smile. "Larry had the ring around his neck, even when he was admitted to the hospital, he didn't leave it not one second. Do you think he was going to take it with him to the grave? Look at him, he died and left the keys," She said with a laugh. "Do you know what's funny?"
"What?"
"When he died in the hospital, they gave me the key, not to your aunts, to me," She said as she continued to laugh.
"What are you, Cheryl? Seriously, I can't understand you. You-"
"I will open the safe for you, so you can be sure." She said as she opened the safe and sat back on the chair. "Take your time, and look around."
Toni nodded as she pulled out a wooden box, she opened it to reveal her mother's ring. She smiled softly. "That was my mothers,"
"Really?"
"I still remember how it looks on her hand," She said in a sad voice, she missed her mother.
"It was your mothers," She said as she closed the box, "Now, it's mine." She said with a smirk of her own as she took the box and placed it back in the safe and locked it. She left the room leaving a sad and angered Toni.
The next morning, Toni and Sweetpea were at Dr. Alex's office, waiting for their name to be called so that they could talk to him about Larry. It was ten minutes that has passed until they heard Toni's name being called. After being greeted by the doctor, the brunette started to ask about Larry's condition. and the doctor had informed them that it was no way that Larry would have gotten better. But what bothered Toni the most is that the way Dr. Alex has spoken about the redhead. The brunette knew that the doctor had a crush on the redhead. She didn't know why but anger began to boil in her body.
They continued to talk for about an hour until they bid their goodbyes to the doctor and left. "Unbelievable." She said with a shake of her head. "Even the doctor?" She asked her best friend. "It's clear they have a thing. You know, sometimes I want to slap her so bad, but I refrain from it."
"Calm down Toni,"
"Take me to Liam's office."
"Why?"
"I have something to discuss with him." She said firmly as they made their way to the car. All the way she kept thinking of a plan that would help her understand what's going on.
It took the friends about twenty minutes to reach Liam's office. They started discussing the will and Liam was starting to get confused about what Toni is asking. And Sweetpea sat there with a frown on his face.
"I'm not telling you to do something illegal. Read the will as it is," Toni said explaining to Liam.
"But you know that the will is 95% correct."
"That's true, but my uncle didn't tell you to inform them about that 5% remaining,"
Liam nodded. "That is correct, but as a lawyer, it is my duty to tell her,"
"You will tell her, but not right away. When I decide that she should know I'll tell you to inform her."
Sweetpea sighed. "Why are you doing this Toni?"
Toni didn't say a word. She just looked at the lawyer and her best friend and shook her head.
Cheryl was on her laptop when Veronica entered her room. "Cher, don't you want to have dinner?" She asked with a smile.
The redhead shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
"But I'm starving," The nurse said pouting. "Come on, let's go eat."
"I'm not in the mood,"
Veronica sighed. "Are you worried about tomorrow?"
"I'm scared that Larry didn't leave the financial bonds," She said in a low voice.
"I am sure that he left them,"
"I know how he thinks Vee, I have a feeling he didn't leave them."
"Where would they be?" Veronica asked in confusion. "It's not like they disappeared, they aren't in his room, nor in his office, I searched every inch of the room."
Cheryl sighed, "I don't know, but I don't feel good about it. Please, Veronica, I am not in the mood for anything, and I am certainly not in the mood to engage in a conversation.."
Sensing her best friend's discomfort she exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry Cher, but please remind me when did you ever have a proper conversation? Because I never witnessed it," She said with a laugh.
"Are you making fun of me?" Cheryl asked sarcastically.
The raven haired girl giggled. "Not at all, just please come and have dinner with me."
"I don't feel okay Vee, do you really want me to join and ruin your night?"
"No!" The brunette said quickly with a smile. "Stay here, I'll go have dinner with Toni." She said as she was walking to the bedroom door.
"Vee, I told you what I saw her doing last night in the office."
"So what?" Veronica asked as she lowered her head.
"She's just like her uncle, they both share the same blood. I don't want you to get involved with her."
"But she doesn't seem like Larry," The nurse tried to argue.
"She's just like him and maybe even worse. If I tell you how she talks to me you'll know how much they are similar."
Veronica sighed in annoyance. "Fine, I'm going downstairs, do you need anything?"
"Yeah, tell Elissa to get me a cup of tea."
Toni was hanging her clothes in the closet when she heard a knock. "Come in," She said as she saw Elissa entering the room.
"Ms. Topaz, dinner is ready,"
"Are the ladies already in the dining room?"
Elissa shook her head. "It's just Veronica, and I just gave Mrs. Blossom the tea she ordered. She didn't leave,"
"Leave to where?" Toni asked as she looked at the maid.
"She didn't leave her room," She said shrugging. "We are used to this, Mrs. Blossom would spend days in her room and not getting out of it."
"Days?" Toni asked in an unsettling manner.
Elissa nodded, "Mr. Larry suffered with her, she used to spend five days or she'd spend ten to fifteen days, and she didn't allow anyone to enter,"
"Even my uncle?"
The maid nodded in agreement. "Only Veronica was allowed to enter and give her food. I don't know what to tell you, we all suffered from her, and she takes a lot of pills. She's not normal."
"Tell me, Elissa, did my uncle love her?"
Elissa sighed with a smile. "He did, he used to treat her like a queen, and she used to be very rude with him. In all honesty, she didn't deserve him."
Toni nodded, "You can go, I am really not in the mood to eat, I want to sleep early." Elissa didn't say anything and just left the room. Toni sat there, thinking about what she just learned.
The next morning, everyone is getting ready for the meeting. Toni was waiting for the redhead to descend the stairs when she lifted her gaze up, she found the redhead wearing a white dress that stopped mid-thigh and was wearing long black boots, the redhead stood in front of Toni with a smirk as the short brunette looked at her dress. "The white is nice."
"A person wears white on their biggest days,"
"And is today your big day?"
Cheryl shook her head. "My big day was eight days ago," She then smirked again. "The day your uncle died." She looked at Toni's black tailored suit. "Why are you still wearing black? Are you that sad about your uncle?"
Toni nodded, "Yes I am, but I promise on my big day, I'll wear a white suit."
"And when will that be?"
"The day I achieve my goal. Do you still remember what it was?" She questioned. "My goal is to see you a well-behaved woman who knows the manners, my dream is to give you the re-education you desperately need. And I will do it."
"Where's your stuff?" Cheryl asked changing the subject.
"What stuff?" The brunette asked in confusion.
"Your clothes, because you aren't coming back to this house."
"Are you sure?" Toni challenged.
"I am so sure," Cheryl shot back.
"Don't you ever be so sure of anything. Let's go?" She asked as they walked to the car. "Shall we go in one car?" She inquired.
"Nope, that wouldn't work. I'm coming back here, but you aren't." She said with a cocky smile.
"But I want to come back and take my stuff,"
The redhead thought about it for a second and nodded and climbed into the car.
Josie sat beside Sweetpea in their living room. "What's going to happen now?"
"Like Toni wants," He said shrugging.
"Why is she so determined to hurt her? What did Cheryl ever do to her? Larry married her on his own. No one forced him to do it."
"And why are you defending her?"
"And why wouldn't I defend her? What did she do to you guys for you to hate her that much?"
"She's rude, and the other things Toni will be learning in the near future."
Gina, Liza, Toni, and Cheryl were sitting around the table waiting for Liam. A few moments later he entered with the will. He sighed and sat down.
"Good morning, in this file I have the will that Larry left before he passed away and he ordered to be read in front of you guys, and if anyone has a question just wait till I finish."
Toni turned her gaze to Cheryl who had fear and panic in her eyes, Toni kept asking herself why would Cheryl be afraid.
"Let's begin"