Chapter 1

"Now that you are here, drop those buckets and start serving drinks to everyone in this room" Ma Carolyn yelled at Greg as soon as he entered the room. Her face was contorted as if someone with some kind of dreaded sickness had just joined them in the room.

Greg's cleaning bucket hangs loosely on his hands as he gazed from one end of the room to the other, one might begin to wonder if he is seeing double.

"we are about to read out Pa Santiago's will and it should be a celebration, why are you standing there like a ghost? Come on! Serve us drinks " she yelled again as if jerking Greg out of a trance.

Greg was just coming from cleaning the garage and was about to enter the sitting room when he stumbled on Ma Carolyn, her kids and few aunties and uncles of the Santiagos household about to read his father's will without his consent.

This was not the first time nor the second time, Ma Carolyn makes family decisions with just her favourite members of the family, while ignoring Greg, his mother and his younger brother, Jose.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear Ma Carolyn's instructions?" Desmond, Ma Carolyn's first son, who was about the same age as Greg, howled at him. But Greg completely ignored his existence and turned to face Ma Carolyn. she was sitting at the high end of the table and that used to be Pa Santiago's position but since he passed away, Ma Carolyn had now become the self appointed head of the family.

"How come you want to read My father's will without informing my mother?"

"Ma Luci is also member of this family, and she is very ill at the hospital, and I believe that what we all should be concerned about, is how to raise funds as a family to pay for her surgery not reading of Pa Santiago's will and sharing his properties "

Greg was already boiling inside, it's not new that Ma Luci being Pa Santiago's third wife was often neglected in the family, especially after Pa Santiago's death.

Greg was an adopted son of the Santiago's family, he was adopted by Pa Santiago himself when he was just seven years old, and after Pa's first and oldest wife Ma Carolyn refused to take Greg as her son, Pa Santiago handed him over to his third wife Ma Luci, who took in Greg as her first son, Ma Luci had one other child, Jose making them two.

Greg stood staring from one end of the room to the other.

The lawyer was already seated at the other end of the room, the document containing Pa Santiago's written will, in his hands. While every other person in the room beamed with expectant smiles.

Greg still could not believe that the Santiago's family was about to make such a crucial decision, allocating the Santiago's family inheritance without informing anyone from Ma Luci's household.

Ma Carolyn has never liked Ma Luci a bit and she wastes no time in letting anyone who cared to listen know that Ma Luci snatched her husband, Pa Santiago's attention from her, she had also transferred this ideas to her kids.

"Did I hear you say family?" Carissa laughed hysterically, she was joined by her younger sister Ashley, and soon everyone else in the room except Ma Carolyn and Emirian joined the subtle laughter as well. It was as if Greg was a comedian and had just delivered a very funny masterpiece.

Carissa was Ma Carolyn's second child, she used to be Pa Santiago's favourite, when Pa was alive. And now she happens to be the most successful female child of Santiago's household because her modelling career was at its peak at the moment and she works for several prominent fashion companies.

"Which of you exactly, is a member of this family? tell me. Is it your hopeless mother? Who was just a whore throwing her disgusting self on my father, good thing she got what she deserved. Or is it her useless son, Jose? Talk about you Greg, you are nothing but a discarded bastard tagging along Santiago's home just to have a name, do you even know who your real father is? Or have you forgotten that you are not a biological son to Pa Santiago?" Carissa rolled her eyes at Greg. She gestured on the lawyer to ignore Greg and continue with reading the will.

"If we must read this will in peace, I suggest that we all put our differences aside and just listen"

Greg turned towards Carissa, biting his lips in anger, but he was surprised when a resounding slap landed on Carissa's cheeks.

"why don't you face me? I am your age mate and your fellow woman not Greg" Carissa looked up to see that it was Emirian, Aunt Angela's daughter. This was even more annoying than the slap itself, having someone she considered as lowly as Emirian slap her in public.

"how dare you Emirian? how dare you lay your filthy fingers on me?" Carissa rushed towards Emirian for a fight but she was held back by her brother Desmond.

"Carissa, you don't have to stoop to their level, you'll ruin your expensive make up" Desmond cancelled to the suddenly deaf ears of Carissa.

"Leave me alone, I want to teach these two bastards a lesson" Carissa continued to struggle, pushing Desmond to confront Emirian.

Desmond was about the same age with Greg, but he was already married with kids, due to Ma Luci's condition, Greg vowed not to think of marriage until Ma Luci is well again.

"How dare you annoy my sister into a fight? You godforsaken bastard, have you forgotten your position in the family?" Desmond sneered at Greg.

"Greg, what difference does it make if you were informed or not? You should stick to your duty of cleaning for the family and stop instigating quarrels" Aunt Angela, who was watching what was happening and was already eager to hear the will, told Greg.

"And you Emirian" she turned to face her daughter. "when did you suddenly become a savior for Ma Carolyn's children? you just want drag me into trouble right?"

"Don't you dare talk to my big brother like that, he's not anyone's cleaner, it's y'all's wicked and inconsiderate attitudes that landed him in that job"

Greg turned to see who was speaking, it was Jose, Ma Luci's last child and Greg's only brother who was in Medical college . Greg instantly dropped his angry demeanour, He wasn't expecting Jose back from school so early, he should be having his final exam today.

"What happened? Why are you here" Greg inquired, he had already calculated within him and he knew exactly what the problem was, but he still asked anyway.

"I was withdrawn from school, because my school fees for the semester have not been paid," Jose replied, lowering his head in Shame. Being in a medical college by the age of 17 was a big plausible fit, and Jose had been Greg's and Ma Luci's pride because of his exceptional intelligence.

But Ma Luci has been seriously ill for three years, her sickness started immediately after Pa Santiago's death. And during this time was when Greg lost his managerial job at the company, after waiting for several months without securing another job, he accepted Ma Carolyn's offer to work as one of the cleaners in the family house. This offer was not made out of goodwill but was one of Ma Carolyn's schemes to humiliate Ma Luci and her children. Greg accepted it nonetheless because through the meagre pay, he could afford to pay Ma Luci's weekly dialysis and still pay for Greg's school fees.

But for the last three months, he had dedicated his meagre pay to savings for Ma Luci's surgery, because her condition had become critical as she was suffering from severe kidney damage and needed an urgent major surgical operation. So he wasn't able to keep up with Jose's school fees anymore.

Now, Jose, who was studying neurological physiology, in a public medical college had been sent home for late payment of school fees.

"Enough of this nonsense everyone, let's hear the will and anyone that disrupts the lawyers speech again will face great punishment from me" Ma Carolyn's voice bellowed, no one in the family can withstand the weight of Ma Carolyn's voice.

She was the oldest and most powerful member of Santiago's family as and at present. She handles the finances of all the companies that Pa owns and it wouldn't be bad if anyone says that every member of the family literally worked for her.

When everyone was quiet the lawyer began to read the will.

"I Mr Halcyon Santiago, wish to state that my son Gregory Santiago and my daughter Carissa Santiago be joined in marriage"

This was the first statement in the documents read by the lawyer.

"God forbid!"

"Never! I'll never marry Greg" Carissa protested in anger.