Chapter 85: Evil Men

At this same time, Addicus was reliving the memories in his dream. It was thirty years ago. Addicus was just seventeen years old, and his father had just died from a heart attack that no one saw coming.

**THIRTY YEARS AGO...**

"Uncle Franklin, Uncle Marshall, it's so good to see you both," Addicus greeted them both after they arrived at the house.

"Addy! Look at you. You're already a grown man. Come over and give me a hug," Franklin said to him, and they embraced.

Franklin bent down to look at Addicus and held his shoulders.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your father. I know you must be sad, but you have to remain strong so you can take care of your mother and carry on with your father's legacy. You understand, my boy?"

"Yes, Uncle," Addicus said.

Addicus' mother, Margaret, came walking down the stairs to greet her brothers-in-law. She wore all black as a symbol of a weeping widow.

"Margaret, how lovely to see you," Marshall said to her and hugged her after she reached them, "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry too. He was your brother after all, even though you both only came to see him just once in almost twenty-five years," Margaret said, knowing that they had ulterior motives for coming here besides burying their dead brother.

"We had a falling out with Marcus about eight years ago, and we always spoke about reconciling, but unfortunately, we didn't have enough time. Isn't that right, Franky?" Marshall said.

"That is correct. We had already spoken about settling our dispute with Marcus, but we didn't have the chance to, which is why we're here. To pay our respects and say our final goodbyes."

"Very well, then! Martha will show you to your rooms and the funeral will take place tomorrow," Margaret said with suspicion and gestured at a young Martha to show the men to their rooms.

After they were shown to their rooms, they settled in and were very comfortable in the luxurious house. At night, Franklin went into Marshall's room and they began plotting their scheme.

"Look at this house, Franky! It's paradise," Marshall said greedily.

"We must have it, along with everything else that belonged to Marcus. It's ours if you think about it. Marcus, our older brother, threw us out when he started making money, he treated us like scum, called us parasites living off him and never lifted a finger to help us achieve success for ourselves," Franklin said in anger.

"He said he wanted to make us independent men, but that was just a lie. He wanted to be the only wealthy one in the family, and he left us without any help or support. Now, we will take what we're owed," Marshall said.

They lowered their voices and sat much closer to each other to plan how they would steal everything from Addicus and Margaret.

"We have to get them both out of the way and the court will have no choice but to give us everything," Franklin, the youngest, said.

Marshall smacked him on the head and called him an idiot.

"We can't just kill them both. That would raise too much suspicion. We have to be smart about this," Marshall, the middle child of the trio, said.

"So? What do we do?" Franklin asked, waiting for the beautiful scheming mind of his brother to come up with a plan.

"Addicus is just a little boy, and he can be easily manipulated. He'll be the figurehead of the companies and business, but behind the scenes, you and I will be the real bosses. The only problem is Margaret. She's on to us, and we have to get her out of the way," Marshall said.

"And how do we **get her out of the way**?" Franklin asked with a curious smile.

"We'll set up a little accident for her, one that she doesn't survive. Addicus will be heartbroken and seek us out for guidance and comfort. He'll listen to everything we tell him and in no time, all of this will be ours," Marshall said with a smile.

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A few months after the funeral, his brothers were still around, offering "moral" support to Addicus and his mother.

They were very cunning, and they were slowly scheming, winning the affection and approval of the staff. Marshall was always around Addicus, offering him counsel and advice, trying to build a bond with him so he could turn that bond into trust and, therefore, manipulate him.

Margaret noticed what they were doing and confronted them about it one day while they were both having lunch.

"Margaret, welcome! Please join us," Marshall said to her when she came to the dining area.

There were so many different exotic foods on the table. Marshall and Franklin were eating like kings in a castle that wasn't theirs.

"Thank you, Marshall, but I'm not hungry," Margaret replied.

She pulled out a seat and sat down on it. Her facial expression quickly changed and the charming smile on her face vanished.

"I know why the two of you came here and why you haven't left. I see what you're doing, and I'm warning you, stop and leave this house before I make you leave," Margaret threatened.

"Margaret, what are you talking about?"

"None of my husband's property will be yours, Marshall. They belong to his only son and heir, Addicus. So, whatever plans you have to take control of his assets, I implore you to cancel them and leave my house."

"We only came here because we heard that our brother was dead. We wanted to attend his funeral and pay our respects. We also wanted his little boy to know that he wasn't alone and that he had strong figures in his life to guide him," Franklin put in.

"The funeral was over months ago. Why are you still here then?" Margaret raised her voice.

"We're still here because we don't think that it's a good idea to leave you and Addicus all alone in this time of grief," Marshall said.

"Oh, please!" Margaret exclaimed and stood up, "The two of you have always hated Marcus because he was better and more successful than you. You both never cared about him, so why would you care about his son?"

She began to walk out on them, but she stopped and turned around.

"Also, stay away from Addicus! Marcus has tried to control his life since he was a little babe and I will not permit the two of you to do the same. You'd better take your leave because you are both no longer welcome here."

The expression on Marshall's face became that of anger after Margaret left. He picked up a coffee cup and smashed it on the floor.

"Franklin?" He called to his brother, who leaned in to hear what he had to say.

"I think we're going to have to speed up the unfortunate accident that will claim dear Margaret's life," he said.

"How soon are we talking?" Franklin asked.

"As soon as possible!" Marshall answered.

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A few days later, the police arrived at the Worthington residence to inform them of an accident that happened to Margaret while she was driving. Addicus couldn't believe his ears. His mother was all he had left, and he couldn't bear it if she died.

Addicus, accompanied by his uncles, rushed to the hospital to see Martha. When they got there, the doctor informed them that a dying Martha wanted to speak to her son. He was allowed inside the ER to see his mother.

Marshall walked up to the doctor and asked him if Margaret would be able to survive.

"Her wounds are too great. She lost a lot of blood and her spine was fractured, and it punctured some of her vital organs. I'm sorry, but she is going to die at any moment now," the doctor told them and walked away.

They both acted sad at the news but smiled secretly, happy that their plan had worked.

Inside the ER, Addicus found his mother bruised and battered. She was very weak and not doing well at all.

"Addicus, my son... Come!"

He went to her and hugged her tightly.

"You'll be alright, won't you, Mom?" He asked, filled with optimism.

"I don't think so, my child, but you'd be fine without me. You're strong and smart, and I know that you'll accomplish great things," she said and began coughing.

"Mom?" Addicus was crying, wanting her to stay with him.

"Come closer, my child," she whispered, and he got closer.

"Don't trust your uncles. They're the ones that did this to me. The brakes of my car weren't working, and I'm certain that they caused it. They want what's yours by right. Don't...let them...have it. I love you, my little Addy," she said as a teardrop escaped her eye.

***Her heart stopped beating and her breathing ceased. And just like that, she was gone!***

**Author's Note:** *It's awful the things people are willing to do for money! What happened after Addicus found out the truth about his uncles?*