Now that there was a will, there would be a way. So where would I find the key to a pie that would show me the way to a childhood favorite?
“Any idea where to start looking for this clue?” I asked the guys.
Seb came over to me and took the Will out of my hands. “Are we all working together on trying to solve Dad’s puzzle?”
“That depends,” Thomas said.
“On what?” Ash said, walking over to peer over Seb’s shoulders, attempting to look at the Will.
“On whether or not we trust each other,” he said. “Really trust each other.”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Seb asked.
“That is,” I said, looking at all of the guys.
Although it seemed that the guys no longer believed that I had betrayed them with their father, I wasn’t so sure that I could fully trust them. It had been two awful years, and we all departed because of it. Went our separate ways.
Ash came over to me, putting his arm around me and said, “Kaley, I trust you. I always have.” He turned around to look at Seb and Thomas. “It’s these two I don’t trust.” He narrowed his eyes and said, “All my life, these two have always left me out of everything. Even when it came to you, they swooped in and stole you away from me when you were mine first.”
“You got to fuck Kaley, didn’t you?” Seb asked, crossing his arms.
I shot Seb a mean look. “That was crude.”
“Typical Seb,” Ash said. “Don’t know how to treat a lady right. He also fucking mistook a video of an imposter dressed like you and another imposter dressed like dad as the truth, leading all of us to think you betrayed us… what a moron!”
“Ash…” Seb said, narrowing his eyes.
“I was so miserable because of that,” Ash said, his eyes filling with tears. “I felt like my heart had been torn out of me when Kaley left. Now finding out that you made such a stupid mistake… how can I trust you wouldn’t again? And then you and Thomas…”
Thomas stepped up to Ash and said, “Ash, if you don’t trust Seb and me, fine. I don’t want to work with you on finding out Dad’s clue anyways. With your limited IQ, you’re just going to slow me down.”
“So you’re going to work with Seb, like you always do…” Ash said.
“No,” Thomas said. “I’m not going to work with Seb either. He blew it with the whole Kaley betrayed us thing. I knew I should’ve asked to see the video he was talking about, not rely on his judgment.” Thomas turned to me and said, “Kaley, if you only knew how much I missed you the last two years, you’d know I’d do anything to have you back. And now that I know it was because of a stupid mistake…yeah, I’m not too happy with Seb right now too.”
Seb took a deep breath and said, “Fine, so no one trusts me. I made a mistake. I regretted it, too. But remember, everyone has to play Dad’s game or you’re not getting a single penny from Dad in his inheritance.”
“Which means we need to all play his game, solve his first puzzle,” Thomas said. “So, like I said, I’m perfectly fine working on this one by myself.”
“I’m working with Kaley,” Ash said, leaning playfully into me. “I trust her more than you two.”
“I’m working with Ash then,” I said.
Seb put the Will back down on the desk and said, “Take a picture of the Will then, so you have a copy of it. If we are going to live with each other back in this house for about a week or until we solve the entire puzzle, we need to get moving on this. Since we’re now three teams, I get the feeling, the first one to solve the problem will get an advantage. Since you all know me and how I like to win, I’d warn you that I’m going to take this seriously. If I find all the clues first, you guys won’t even stand a chance.”
“Yeah right,” Thomas said. “I’m good at games and practically everything, Seb. Maybe I won’t stay being the middle son any longer. Maybe Dad really set up this puzzle to test who would be best at running his empire. In that case, you will find that when it comes to smarts, I’ll be the one winning.”
“No, you’re all wrong,” Ash said. “With my good sense, hot looks, and excellent taste, I will win. Besides, I have Kaley by my side. Beauty and brains. No one needs to tell us who will win this. It’s almost a sure thing.”
“We’ll see about that,” Seb said confidently. “Let’s let the games begin.”
With that, everyone brought out their phones and snapped a photo of the Will.
We then all walked out of the room, each headed in a different direction.
Except for Ash, who walked over to me. “Where are you heading?”
“To my car,” I said.
“For what?”
“I need to get my things. I didn’t know I had to stay at the House for a while. I don’t have any clothes here.”
“Not a problem,” Ash said. “I got you some clothes.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, come to your bedroom,” Ash said.
I was about to go to the kitchen to where I had shared a room with my mother when I last lived at Keystone Manor, but Ash put his hand on my arm. “Didn’t the Will stipulate that you will live with us not as the maid’s daughter but as one of us?”
I nodded.
“Then come with me,” he said.
Chapter 8
Kaley
I walked with Ash over to the foyer where there was a large split magnificent staircase that led to the second floor of the manor. The wide hallways built of dark oak and carved mahogany had always reminded me of a hunting lodge, with masculine warmth and stately elegance. Mr. Keystone had renovated this part of Keystone Manor to fit his own taste, and it was the kind of décor that was fitting for raising three young boys.
I knew where Ash was heading. I had been on this floor countless times throughout the years, sometimes sneaking in the night, and sometimes playfully carried.
This hallway was where I would go to end up in either Seb’s bedroom at the far end of the hall, Thomas’ bedroom a few doors before or Ash’s bedroom across from Thomas’ bedroom or in the large game room on the other side of the hall. Whatever room I ended up in, I would find myself spending a passionate night being fucked by one of the Keystone brothers and told how much they loved me.
“Remembered how much fun we had?” Ash asked. “Up here? When we were all happy together? When you were loved by all of us?”
“Hmm,” I said. “That seemed like a distant dream.”
Ash looked hurt. “Kaley, I remember it like it was yesterday. You have always been on my mind. Even in the last two years, I thought of you all the time.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said.
“I bet,” Ash said angrily. “Seb and Thomas… they really screwed things up. I never wanted to break up with you. I never believed what they told me about you. And it turned out it wasn’t true after all.”
“Why didn’t you contact me or try to see me then?” I asked.