Chapter 43 The Will
Serena
My tongue went dry the moment Detective Gilbert lifted the edge of my bed and revealed Mr. Rivers’ medication kit tucked neatly underneath.
The small black case sat there like a smoking gun, innocent-looking, yet damning.
Mrs. Rivers’ gasp was so loud it echoed off the walls.
“That’s not right,” Mrs. Hale said quickly, her voice tight with disbelief. “That wasn’t there when I changed the sheets earlier this morning.”
“This is a setup,” I turned to face Saint and Sin. “You have to believe me. Why would I keep his medication kit under my bed?”
Lara cleared her throat with exaggerated drama.
“Eh-hem, uhm… because you left your fingerprints all over it and didn’t want to waste time getting rid of them?”
“That sounds exactly like what the real culprit would say, Lara,” Mrs. Hale shot back without missing a beat.
“Silence!” Sin ordered, his voice cutting through the room like a blade.
Detective Gilbert sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Not only that,” he added.
“What else?” Mrs. Rivers asked, leaning forward with barely concealed eagerness.
The detective looked directly at her. “I will let you know that Mr. Rivers was in the middle of signing a new will before he was poisoned. The culprit’s motive appears to have been making sure he never got the chance to finish or sign it.”
The room went deathly quiet. A muscle started ticking in Saint’s jaw.
“Take us to the scene,” he said quietly.
Mrs. Rivers grabbed my arm as we left the room. “I need to keep a good eye on you,” she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.
We reached Mr. Rivers’ room, the grand master suite that always felt more like a museum than a bedroom.
The moment we stepped inside, the air felt heavier.
Papers were scattered across the large antique desk as if someone had violently upheaved an entire packet of them in a hurry.
“He was in the middle of signing his will when the effects of the morphine kicked in,” Detective Gilbert said. “The room looks like he was desperately trying to get out of here.”
“My poor, dear husband,” Mrs. Rivers muttered softly, dabbing at dry eyes with a silk handkerchief she pulled out of her purse.
I tried very hard not to roll my eyes.
“Detective, please continue,” Sin urged impatiently.
“Like I said before, Mr. Rivers had been trying to sign a new will, but it appears someone attempted to rewrite and sign it in his place.”
Gilbert gestured to the document. “It didn’t go well. You can see for yourselves.”
We all leaned in. What he meant was painfully obvious: the signature section clearly stated it required a thumbprint, not a handwritten signature.
Someone had tried to forge it anyway, the ink trailed off halfway through a shaky attempt at Mr. Rivers’ name.
“Mother,” Sin said quietly, “it looks like your writing.”
“Mine?” Mrs. Rivers’ laugh was sharp and brittle. “That’s total nonsense, dear. Your father would never let me sign anything for him.”
“The will has clearly been tampered with,” Detective Gilbert announced, already leading us out of the room. “Therefore, it is null and void.”
“It’s still bearing his signature, ” Mrs. Rivers started to protest.
“It’s compromised, Mother,” Saint cut in firmly.
Gilbert nodded. “I’ll let you know once we have the DNA evidence matched. For now, Miss Selina—”
“It’s Serena,” Sin corrected him immediately.
“Miss Serena remains the prime suspect.” The detective looked between the three of us. “Is she engaged to any of you?”
“Both of us, detective,” Sin responded before the question was even fully finished.
A heavy silence fell over the hallway. Gilbert blinked once, clearly caught off guard.
“Both…?” he repeated, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.
Saint’s hand settled possessively on the small of my back.
“Yes,” he confirmed in a steady voice. “She belongs to both of us.”
Lara made a strangled sound behind us.
Mrs. Rivers coughed delicately into her fist, her eyes darting around the room like a cornered animal.
“I’m sorry, detective. As you know, my son is not quite—”
“Do not try to speak over me while I’m still in the room, Mother,” Sin interrupted her.
Lara leaned closer to him, whispering urgently, “Sin, your father announced our union.”
“Your union,” Sin hissed back, “not mine.”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “What are you doing?” I asked Sin, my voice barely above a whisper so others wouldn't hear.
Instead of answering with words, he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against his side in front of everyone.
Detective Gilbert cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with the tension crackling in the air.
“I’m going to need statements from each member of the family,” he said. “Separately.”
His scrutinizing gaze landed on me. “Especially you, Selina.” He said.
“Serena,” Sin corrected instantly, his tone ice-cold. “Do you need a tattoo to remember it, detective?”
Gilbert blinked, then gave a small, awkward chuckle. “No, no. Thank you.”
“Do you need assistance while continuing your investigation?” Lara asked.
“No, I work solo.” He said.
He jogged down the foot of the stairs and noted something on the floor.
While the house workers watched him work, we all whirled on Sin.
“Care to explain what that was all about?” Lara piped.
“There's nothing to explain. What I want to know, however, is how father's medication kit got under Serena's bed.” Sin said.
Saint nodded in agreement.
Me and Mrs Rivers were locked in a silent, heated argument.
What would I gain if I spoke the truth? What would I lose?
“It's late at night. I suggest we go to sleep and wake tomorrow to discuss this.” Mrs Hale suggested.
Before Lara turned away, she pointed an accusatory finger in my face.
“You're tearing this family apart, you look all innocent and charming, but I know you aren't at all.” She spat at Mr before turning the corner first.
Mrs Hale shook her head, a silent order for me not to respond to Lara's comment.
Detective Gilbert walked past us, carrying everything he'd found in a transparent, plastic evidence bag.
His eyes found mine before he turned his head to focus on his descent down the stairs.
Did he suspect I was innocent but needed more proof?
Did he perceive something fishy going on in the Rivers Villa?