When Samuel arrived in the evening, he was surprised by Kali at the door. She jumped out of the shadows, scaring him before throwing herself in his arms. He caught her, bellowing with laughter as they kissed.

"I would assume your day went well?"

"I believe it did, but that's not why I am happy. I am happy to have you home."

Samuel set her back on her feet and noticed the scarf she held in her hands.

"Are you cold?"

"No. It's for you."

"Me?"

"Yes. For your eyes, darling."

He complied, closing his eyes and allowing her to wrap the scarf around his head, sealing him in darkness. He followed her cautiously as she led him up the stairs and into their room. He scolded her lightheartedly when the door smacked into his chest.

"Hey!"

"Sorry." She stressed and led him still. "Sorry. We are here."

She took the scarf off and stepped back. He kept his eyes closed, opening them carefully so he wasn't dazzled by the light. Then, seeing where he stood, he looked around with curious interest.

"Wow. So beautiful. My dressing room."

"Idiot." Kali smacked his hand with the scarf. "Of course, this is not a surprise. Change."

He gasped, plastering his hand across his chest. "With you here?"

"Did you take something in the office? What are you on?"

"I am just feeling light."

"Change. Something casual, please."

"Casual like you?" He asked as he stripped out of his jacket. Kali nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He picked out shorts and a vest. "Do I get a hint as to what the surprise is?"

"It's dinner."

"On the patio? Like last time?"

"Not like last time, but it's dinner."

"Truly insightful."

She waited for him to finish before tying the scarf back around his eyes. He teased her incessantly while they went back down the stairs, and she replied by tugging his hair or shaking him to scare him.

"Careful. Lift your feet." She instructed when they finally made their way to the backyard.

They crossed the threshold, and she chuckled, pulling the scarf off once again. Before Samuel could open his eyes, she leapt in front of him, hands in the air.

"Surprise!"

"Oh my!"

"Dinner on the pool."

He laughed out loud, taking in the pool. She had a large screen set up in front of the pool with the remote on the floatie anchored to the pool. The lights were off, and only the screen illuminated the areas in front of it.

"It's lovely."

"You like it?"

"I love it." He scooped her in his arms and kissed her. "When did you have the time to do this? Where did you get the television?"

"Ordered it a while back, and luckily, it arrived while you were away. Same for the floaties."

"What are we watching?"

He held her hand as she got on the float before joining her. She loosened some of the rope, allowing the float to move away from the pool walls. She turned the television on and brought the table between them so they could eat while the movie played.

He was happy to see her growing back into herself. He missed her in the days after she found out about Richard. He was content with taking things slowly and restoring their relationship.

"Do you like the shrimp?"

"It's good." He muttered while watching the screen.

They had gotten comfortable, pushing the table aside after they finished the main course. Kali snuggled against his side, the plate of shrimps resting expertly on her hip.

"What did you do today?"

"Went to see your grandfather."

He snickered, "Seriously?"

"Yes."

He looked down at the top of her head before snatching the plate off her hip so she could sit up to face him. She didn't look bothered or distressed when he came in so he gathered, or at least hoped, that his grandfather didn't offend her. But she didn't mention she was going to meet him at any point during the day.

"When did you decide to do this?"

"A while ago. After Ember told about the will."

"I don't understand."

"Babe, you do. You know better than anyone that the only person that can go toe to toe with your mother is her father. Come on. Think about it. Do you think she kept their marriage a secret because she cared if anyone found out she was forcing your hand? She did it so he wouldn't know."

"I know that, but how can he help now?"

"Not help, no. We don't need his help." She whispered before kissing him. "But we need him to put a stop to your mother."

"The deeds are already done. Flora isn't going to get that part of the will. Whatever he does now, my mother still wins."

"In the past, I'd count her getting her way as a loss, but I am a new woman now. I don't care if she has lost anything or is miserable. That's not my concern. I care that I win. And my win is fumbling your mother's enjoyment."

"I am not following."

"Flora doesn't get her share of the inheritance, but your mother won't get to enjoy it anyway. If your grandfather can protect Flora from jail, she has nothing to hold over you. I am happy with that win. Your mother can keep her money."

Samuel understood her line of thought. "I am sure Flora doesn't even care for the money."

"I believe that too. Only your mother cares."

"But what can my grandfather do, though? The lawyer said there was nothing he could find that helped her."

Kali kissed her teeth, looking over to the screen. "I left that up to him. I don't know what he can do, but I hope he does something soon. He didn't look good."

"Yeah. He has been getting worse."

"Which is what your mother was waiting for all along."

"She wanted to take something from him, no doubt. She must have guessed it was important for him that Flora received part of the inheritance. He wanted her to be a part of his family."

"You think she knew? About Flora's grandmother?"

"I don't know. But my mother and grandfather have always had a rocky relationship. She had to work to earn every cent given to her in that will."

Steven remembered how his grandfather always hammered on the head how everyone had to work for what they got. He believed they didn't deserve anything from him unless they put in effort. Blood was not a right of passage to own a pinch of the wealth he spent years accumulating. His mother gave her life to earn everything.

"She must have felt betrayed when she learnt he just gave twenty per cent to Flora, such a large sum."

"Why? Twenty per cent isn't so large."

"It's twenty per cent of a billion, sweetheart. It's large."

"That's true." Kali sighed. When she looked at him, her eyes were filled with curiosity. "How did she earn her part?"

"By doing everything he wanted. He wanted heirs, so he asked her to marry. She did. Before that, he needed her to be the best, so she was. Best of her class, from high school to university. Best in the business, witty and creative enough to take it as far as she wanted. Perfect family, perfect grandchildren. She gave it to him."

"And then Flora, who never did anything..."

"Get's twenty per cent."

"I can see how that might make her bitter."

"Yes. And while it's not a small amount. It is for my mother. She owned his companies and buildings, no doubt. The other eighty per cent was hers. She had her own money, too. She still had it all but couldn't let a little amount go."

"Maybe it wasn't about the money."

"No. It was about taking from him. Probably like, as she believes, he took her."

"Now that he has gotten worse, she is doubling down on us, trying to make us miserable, so her plan goes accordingly."

"She has gotten what she needed out of it. We are not going to allow ourselves to be damaged further."

"We need a break, don't we?"

"We've gotten it. Now, we enjoy it."

Kali nodded and snuggled into his side. "Can we stay out here tonight?"

"Out here?"

"Mmhmm."

"You want to stay outside?"

"I want to sleep under the stars. It's so pretty tonight and cold. I want to soak it in."

Samuel smiled as he wrapped his arm around her. They stayed out, even after the movie was done, tucked under a blanket.