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

Between Mariana suddenly leaving, Bailey unable to establish her foothold in the conversation, and the encroaching realization that Father's personal assistant would, for some reason, be present at the will reading, Edward was starting to find the air in the Pool House a little suffocating. Undoing the top button of his shirt for a little freedom, Edward shifted onto his other foot, his body leaning towards the doors of the Pool House.

[color=91AABA]"Guest house it is, then,"[/color] he resolved, slipping his hands into his pockets. [color=91AABA]"I don't intend on traveling all over the place; that's money I don't need to spend. If you don't mind, I'm going to try and drill it into Mariana's head that leaving probably isn't the best idea. Do us all a favor and pull yourselves together, though. We're Blackstones. Falling apart at the seams isn't what we're known for, so try to keep up appearances. God forbid I have to find out through some emotional breakdown that Father's dead because of one of you."[/color]

And there it was, the first volley. He looked around briefly, gauging their reactions to see if one of them could be culpable. Would it be his mother? A crime of passion, or lack thereof? Could it have been Katherine, clambering for even more power? She was already a CEO of a security firm under the Blackstone name. Perhaps she desired everything else within the umbrella. Bailey? Her timidness could be a facade. Who knows what kind of viciousness lay behind that pillowy veneer?

And Mariana—it didn't help her case that she decided to run off first chance she got. Pointing a finger was easy.

Edward didn't stick around to hear their rebuttals—there would be plenty of time to get their stories. Besides, he wanted to let them prepare so he could catch them off guard. That was the allure of it all, to let his opponents have all the time they needed to get ready, only for him to blindside their defenses in unexpected ways. It was the type of calculating, cold, creative exactness he was known for in his circles.

Crossing the threshold of the pool house and back out into the yard felt like teleportation, transitioning dimensions from a dark and foreboding hellscape into an idyllic paradise. Despite the gloom of dark clouds overhead, Edward felt more at home outside than anywhere else. Just the thought of it filled him with frustration. At some point, he'd need to go back home, deal with more suits, make more faces, become even more entombed in glass and stone and steel and asphalt. He liked the life he had because it was self-made, but his name carried more weight than he ever could, and even he knew that he wouldn't have what he did without it. Perhaps he should get it changed. Start fresh.

As he rounded the back corner of the manor wall and pushed through the gates, he caught notice of Mariana on the other side, waiting for her driver. She looked like she was losing grip on her emotions even from where he stood. Calming her down and making her see reason would be difficult, but he had to try.

[color=91AABA]"Hey,"[/color] Edward started, hoping his voice would catch her attention.