[center][h3][color=91AABA]E D W A R D[/color][/h3][/center]

"Got an extra one of those?"

Edward didn't even have to give her visual attention, didn't have to remind himself of who she was. Of all the Blackstone siblings, Mariana was probably the one he'd had the closest of relationships with, despite the distance. He felt a mixture of admiration and envy, quietly praised her ability to separate from the family almost entirely. He wished he had that chance earlier in life, but these days, he was still too embedded, having to make decisions from the inside.

He remembered a few days ago, the mid-afternoon of January 24th. As he sat among a cluster of businessmen who had their fingers all too deep in the wrong pies, he received a text message from his mother, Regina.

[center][sup][sup][sup][h3][i]Honey, I have some bad news. Your father is dead. I need you to come to the manor. Please come see me.[/i][/h3][/sup][/sup][/sup][/center]
The news didn't carry the emotional weight it probably should have. He stared at the message on his phone, the blare of laughing suits in the background muffled and warped. He'd spent so long in the shadows of his family, cast aside and branded the black sheep. He wasn't the intrepid go-getter like Katherine, not when it mattered. Now, she was sitting pretty as the CEO of Blackstone Group, one of the largest and most effective security groups in the world, and here he was, schmoozing up to people that were practically no-names from his position. He could leverage his name at any moment, but the thrill of making the deals he often did would've been gone. There would be no challenge.

Even still, he couldn't put his focus on anything that day. Between navigating the social pitfalls of rich men and peering into the hole the rich man that was his father left behind, there was a certain stress that blurred his vision like frosted glass. He juggled the priorities in his mind, wondering what to do, but soon his experiences in the world took over, governed his thumbs as they tapped against the screen.

[center][sup][sup][sup][h3][i]Won't make it for a few days. Business.[/i][/h3][/sup][/sup][/sup][/center]
The phone fell into his pocket and he leaned back against the chair, watching the suits around clamor for the bodies of waitresses paid too little. His hand found the cigarette case in his coat pocket, pulled it out and, with the flick of his wrist, popped it open.

[center]—————
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—————[/center]

Edward's arm swiveled away from his body casually, almost mechanically as he offered a cigarette to Mariana.

"I take it you heard the news," he said, his voice flat, even, unwavering. Meanwhile, his thumbs found the letters on the touchscreen, tapping away.

[center][sup][sup][sup][h3][i]I'm here. Mariana just arrived. Yellow tape all over the front door.[/i][/h3][/sup][/sup][/sup][/center]
As he felt her hand press into the case, Edward could smell that unmistakable scent of vodka. His head craned upward, scanning the face of the manor and the tape cutting them off from entering. "Do not cross," it said, almost an invitation to challenge the law. Edward stifled a grin. The Blackstones skirted legality on a near-daily basis, playing just within the confines of the rules so as not to incur the wrath of a judge who didn't care for how they handled things. Yellow tape wasn't going to stop any of them from entering their own former home—and yet, out of some anomalous respect for his mother, Edward decided to let it be.

"You probably shouldn't be drinking right now," Edward continued, his head turning to give a side glance at Mariana. "You know Mother's not going to be happy about it."

[b][i]Buuuuuzzzzz.[/i][/b]

Edward peered down at his phone, checking the reply from their mother.

[center][sup][sup][sup][h3][i]House is cordoned off. I'm in the Pool House.[/i][/h3][/sup][/sup][/sup][/center]