Chương 15: CLUELESS GRANDFATHER

"Hazel…" Ella looked at her daughter grimly for bringing that up. "You should be grateful."

Hazel really wanted to laugh out loud when she heard that. Which part of her life that she should be grateful for?

Because they sent her to school? Provided her with food? Gave her a bed to sleep in and a roof to stay under? Those were the basic things that you should provide for your child. That was your obligation and duty as parents. It was not like Hazel whined at them to be birthed...

But aside from that, they did nothing for her.

And the thing Hazel remembered the most was when they left her for days, as they went to the recreational park and stayed at the resort after, while she was left behind.

Great, right? And now her mother wanted her to be grateful?

"What should I be grateful for? You have never treated me right," Hazel said in a matter of fact tone. "Just because you let me stay in one of the family houses for a few days, you are entitled to receive my gratitude?"

Ella looked down, she didn't have the courage to look into her daughter's eyes when she replied. "This is not your family."

Her voice was very small, but enough to tear another wound in Hazel's heart again.

"Thank you for reminding me," Hazel said emotionlessly. It was her stupidity that made her still think she was part of this family just because she was asked to come to the hearing. "But, I thought you were still my mother. Or maybe I am wrong about that too."

Hazel didn't want to hurt her mother, she knew how difficult her mother's position in this family was after her affair and when she had to bring a baby born out of an affair into the family.

Yet, it didn't mean they could treat her as they pleased and vent out their frustrations on her, right? She was as innocent as the rest of them…

Ella took a deep breath and then raised her head to look at her daughter firmly. "You should leave the house. I will give you money to stay somewhere else. Mother will give an invitation for Gaia's wedding later. For now, just stay in low contact with the rest of the family."

Hazel scoffed. "Why do you think I want to be at my step sister and my ex's wedding?"

Her mother would always push her away in the name of protecting her. That was such a bad idea to say the least.

"Hazel, you have to stop feeling bitter about your sister. You need to get over it sooner or later. It has been months," Ella said firmly. She brushed off Hazel's feelings of betrayal that the two people had inflicted on her and wanted her to be okay with it.

However, before Hazel could reply to that, someone from inside the study came out to look for the rest of the family that had not yet come into the room.

"What are the two of you doing here? Where is Gaia and Stefan?" Diana, their father's little sister, came out to ask about her niece.

"I think she is downstairs, she came out looking for Stefan earlier," Ella said in a gentle tone, but Diana didn't even spare her a glance when she walked past them.

On the other hand, Hazel didn't have the energy to argue with her mother any longer. She wanted this to end quickly. But before she walked into the study room, she spoke softly to her mother, which made her face turn ashen.

"Of course, you don't know what I feel. You are a cheater yourself." How could one ask someone else to stop feeling sad, angry and bitter in this situation?

And before Ella could respond to that, Hazel had disappeared.

=========================

There were around fifteen people inside the room at least, to hear what their grandfather left for them. It started with Greg Webster, Gaia's father; he got a lot of money and assets that their grandfather had invested in for years, while Gaia got a huge chunk of shares in their company.

And the list went down, it seemed the will was written from the most favored person to the most unfavored person.

And it was not a surprise when they came to the last person and it turned out to be Hazel.

"And for Hazel Webster. Alan Webster left you with something that he knows you will love." Even in the will, he didn't want to be addressed as her grandfather and preferred to use his name instead.

Everyone frowned. They were very curious. What kind of thing would Hazel love and why did their grandfather know about that when he barely paid any attention to her?

"Alan Webster left you with her." The executor picked up his phone and asked someone to come into the room.

And once this man stepped in, all the people couldn't hold back their laughter. They laughed until their eyes teared up upon seeing what this young man, the assistant of the executor, brought with him.

In his right hand, was a large cage, in which there was a big, fat, lazy cat that was sleeping, not having any care for the world.

Its fur was orange with a red hue around its stomach.

"Alan Webster passed down this cat to you. May you take care of her well." And that was that.

There were no sentimental words that were left for Hazel, or anything of value, but a cat. A lazy cat that their grandfather bought just two weeks before he passed.

"The cat suits you." One of the cousins quipped.

"The cat looks like you. Fat and lazy."

"Exactly," Gaia chimed in lightly and then added in a small voice, but not too small because everyone in this room could hear that and giggled along with her. "And unwanted."

It was utterly humiliating, but Hazel looked unfazed. She stared at the cat and then laughed as well. "Grandpa's sense of humor is so shallow even after he died."