Morticia staggered backward, her head spinning at the scene. Oh heavens! This should be a dream!
Josephine can’t be dead. This was surreal. The doctor mentioned she was responding, and her chance of survival was slowly rising.
How could she have died just forty minutes before her last surgery?
Klaus was unconscious, lying on the bed. Finn had hurt his head pretty badly, and the nurse was treating him.
Wait. Ava.
Morticia spun around, her eyes scanning the hall with no sign of her mother.
“Mom?” she panicked.
“She’s in the ward at the end of the hall,” Katie responded.
“What!”
“She passed out after hearing the news of her death.”
Morticia spun, rushing toward the ward. There, on the bed, Ava had an oxygen mask on her face, unconscious.
“She will be fine, miss. She just went through a shock and will wake up tomorrow morning,” the nurse assured.
Morticia burst into loud cries, sliding to the floor, her fingers tangling in her hair as she pulled it in frustration.
It was too much! How could all this happen in one night?
Vincent dashed in, breathing heavily, tears in his eyes, but his movement halted when he spotted Morticia.
“Hey, Morty,” he quickly grabbed her into his embrace, stroking her hair. His body was also trembling, but he tried hard to hold himself together.
Morticia’s loud cries echoed through the ward, her hand clutching Vincent’s jacket tightly, tears flowing like a river.
Three days later.
Funeral.
“Dearly beloved, we gather today to celebrate the life of Josephine Barnard, a loving wife, mother, and friend. Though her time with us was all too brief, her impact on our lives will be felt for years to come.”
As the minister spoke, a faint sob could be heard.
The funeral was being held in a traditional cemetery, with a small crowd of mourners gathered around the gravesite. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the soft chirping of birds.
Morticia stood among the crowd, beside Vincent, whose arms were wrapped around her, and Ava, who stood on the other side of him, sobbing.
She glanced over at Klaus, standing several feet away from them. He was dressed in a black suit, hands in his pockets. This was her first time seeing him since Josephine’s death…
He had woken up the next day and left without a trace. She badly wanted to go to him, talk to him, and console him. His expression was blank as he stared at his mother’s grave.
“As we say goodbye to this remarkable woman, we take comfort in the memories we shared with her. We remember her infectious laugh, her quick wit, and her unwavering optimism. We remember the way she made us feel seen, heard, and loved.” The minister’s voice echoed through the air.
Slowly, Klaus stepped away from the gravesite.
Morticia made to follow, but Vincent held her back.
“He needs some time alone,” he said softly. “Let him gather himself, hm?”
Morticia nodded, understanding. She recalled how crazy she acted after her father’s death. It took her a week before she could talk to anyone and a month before she could finally recognize the world around her.
As for Klaus, who lost his mother in such a way… Heavens knows if he’d ever get it together.
Klaus’s steps halted as he spotted Gideon smoking, leaning against one of the black cars in the arena.
“She doesn’t like smoke,” Klaus said, and Gideon looked up at him with a small frown.
“What?”
“Smoke somewhere else. My mother doesn’t like it,” Klaus repeated, his expression remaining blank.
Gideon scoffed. “But we are…” He paused and clicked his lips. “Nevermind,” he mumbled, dropping the cigarette and stepping on it before walking past Klaus while locking his gaze on him. He stopped after a few steps.
“You know,” Gideon turned back to Klaus, “I think we should perhaps get to know each other.”
Klaus turned to him, waiting for him to finish.
“You’ve been giving me the cold shoulder ever since we met,” Gideon said. “I think we should…”
“Your lips are moving, and I don’t know why,” Klaus cut in curtly.
Gideon exhaled, jaw clenched. “Whatever,” he muttered and walked past Finn as he left. Finn’s gaze settled on Klaus.
“Are you here to move your lips for no reason too? If so, please kindly fuck off,” Klaus gestured.
“No… I… I just need to talk to you,” Finn said, approaching closer.
“Josephine Barnard?” Klaus’s jaw clenched. “Why the hell was your last name carved on her grave when you clearly abandoned her? You’re divorced, Mr. Barnard. She isn’t bearing your name anymore.”
Finn nodded in agreement. “I’ll work towards that. I’ll have the gravestone corrected. She was Josephine Sinclair. I’m sorry.”
Klaus’s brow furrowed at his father’s calm demeanor.
“You know, Mother told me something before she died,” Klaus paused, gauging his father’s expression. “She told me how she strived and worked to rebuild her father’s fallen foundation… how she poured everything she had into restoring the Eterna Corporation to its former glory before you found her…
The sickness was due to her daily research in the lab, unfortunately inhaling something that cost her. She said you helped too. Merging your resources and connections, and together, the Eterna Corporation is now one of the biggest and richest companies worldwide,” Klaus chuckled, his eyes filled with sadness as he spoke about his mother.
“Yes,” Finn confirmed.
“She said she wanted to thank you for that,” Klaus scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You don’t deserve her… You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“Good. She gave me an assignment, to take over, Mr. Finn. I hope you don’t have any problem with that.”
Finn shook his head. “Of course not. Your mother and I had planned this quite a while ago. Your mother held the most power in that company, and she’s entrusting it all to you. I have no problem with that since you’re the only heir.” Finn placed one hand on Klaus’s shoulder.
“First, take your hands off me.” Klaus reached for Finn’s hand and removed it from his shoulder. “And I don’t understand. I was expecting some kind of power struggle or something. How could you agree to this so quickly… You mean you’re just going to step down?”
“Yes. The preparations have been made, son. After your graduation, you’re coming to New York to seal it… Like I said, you’re the only heir to that company.”
Klaus frowned a little. It was strange seeing Finn act the opposite of what he expected.
“What about your new family, huh? What do they think about it?” Klaus asked.
“Don’t worry about them,” Finn nodded and turned to leave.
Klaus’s brow remained furrowed. Could there be something he was missing?