Perfect Performance

Sarah impatiently awaited her grandmother's arrival at the notary's office. The poor old woman had refused to tell Laura what had happened; she would reveal it when she was by her side. She knew it would be very tough for the girl to find out about her grandfather's death. The grandmother would leave that same night after the reading of the will.

"Well, finally you're here! I thought you wouldn't come. I've been waiting for a couple of hours," Sarah said, furious at the wait.

"I'm sorry, dear. I got the time wrong; I thought it was later."

"Well, you better read that will once and for all. Grandma has arrived, so hurry up," she had been urging the man to read it without the grandmother present.

The notary, an elderly man and the grandfather's best friend, slowly opened the envelope containing the last will and testament.

The man began to read the will, citing the date, and just as he was about to continue, Sarah abruptly interrupted.

"Skip all that rigmarole and get to the point; I still have to get back to work," she said, expressing her annoyance. The old notary looked at her fixedly as he adjusted his glasses.

"Then, at the explicit request of the young lady present, I will proceed to read my client's last will and testament."

"I, Oliver Cassini, hereby establish this as my final wish and testament. I revoke all previous wills I have written. I bequeath my properties through this will. I appoint my faithful wife, Ana Cassini, as the universal heir to all my possessions. My properties, personal belongings, and real estate, which belong to me at the time of my death."

"It can't be! You old fool."

"I'm sorry, Miss Cassini, but if you don't show a little respect, I'll ask you to leave this office," the notary raised his voice to say. Sarah had always seemed petulant and annoyed to him.

"Grandpa couldn't just leave me out in the cold. I was with him in his final days."

"Oliver came here days before falling ill, and he changed the contents of his will."

"That's not true; you're lying. I'm sure you conspired with Grandma to keep what rightfully belongs to me. But I'll contest that will."

Sarah stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Her face was flushed and wet with tears—tears of anger. She couldn't believe her grandfather hadn't left her anything.

"I'm such a fool. I should have increased the dose of poison; then he would have been bedridden before changing the will," she berated herself for not finishing Oliver off sooner.

"Thank you, Mr. Temped. I know you were a great friend of my husband's, and his last wish will be respected. I'll be leaving on a trip tonight, but before that, I want to settle some matters with you, if you have the time."

"Of course, I do. Let me cancel my next appointment; it's not very important."

After leaving the notary's office, Ana headed towards the old Cassini mansion. As she entered, memories flooded her mind—distant times when she had been immensely happy and others when she had suffered losses.

She hurried to finish packing her luggage, calling the chauffeur to wait for her outside. She would arrive just in time at the airport.

As she left her room, she encountered Sarah in the hallway.

"So, you're leaving, Grandma."

"That's right. Your grandfather is no longer here, and this house brings back sad memories for me."

"What will become of me? I'll be completely alone."

"We'll designate a date to deposit a monthly allowance for you, Sarah. With that, you'll live comfortably."

The grandmother began to descend the huge staircase, and Sarah watched her struggle with the enormous suitcase. A malicious smile crept onto her face, and without the grandmother suspecting anything, she positioned herself behind her and mercilessly shoved her down the stairs.

"Sarah!" was all the poor woman managed to shout. The housekeeper rushed to the scene upon hearing the piercing scream. Sarah ran down the stairs and knelt beside her grandmother's lifeless body.

"Grandma, please don't leave me, don't do this to me, I beg you, I told you to wait for me, that I would carry the suitcase down because it's too heavy," Sarah believed that if she were an actress, she would win an Oscar for her perfect performance.

"Miss Sarah, what happened?" the woman asked bewildered as she checked Ana's pulse.

"I don't know. I told her to wait for me. I went into my room for a moment, and I came out just as she was falling down the stairs."

"Miss, Mrs. Ana has no pulse."

"No, Grandma, call an ambulance immediately, don't just stand there," she shouted, feigning desperation.

"Right away, Miss. Don't move her. I'll be back," the woman hurried off to call the paramedics from the kitchen.

"You thought you'd get away with it, you old witch. Now I'll be the owner of everything. I hope you rot in hell."

Sarah's cruelty knew no bounds. She felt her grandparents didn't deserve her love, as they had always favored Laura over her.

The grandmother's phone started ringing insistently, and Sarah saw that it was Laura calling. She took the phone and blocked the number.

"How strange! Grandma always answers. Maybe her phone died. She must be on her way to the airport. Thank God, Grandpa has recovered," she said, smiling as she fed her little one, unaware of what had really happened.

Her grandparents were dead, and Dimitri had hired two private detectives to find her. He was determined to bring her back, no matter the cost.

Days passed, and Sarah immediately organized Ana's funeral, just as she had done with her grandfather's. After they lowered the coffin, she grabbed a handful of dirt and tossed it on top as a farewell.

"I've always waited for this moment. Seeing you there brings me immense pleasure. You won't be bothering me anymore, Ana," she whispered so no one would hear.

Her grandparents' friends came to offer their condolences. To all of them, Ana couldn't bear to lose Oliver. They saw it as a tale of eternal love; they would be together as they always had been.

"Finally, all this circus is over," Sarah exclaimed with annoyance as she bid farewell to the last person who had attended the gathering at the Cassini mansion. "First thing in the morning, I'll go see that useless notary. I'll order him to transfer all the assets to my name immediately."

She said as she poured herself a glass of wine, a malicious smile playing on her lips. From now on, she would live her life as she pleased. She was sure that without Laura around, she would succeed in winning over Dimitri.