࿐˚✧˖*.

࿐˚✧˖*.

Once Raven heard the dogs barking, she knew Ransom arrived. The only person the dogs disliked was him. Even the dogs liked Raven, and that was saying something, considering how even her pet bunny in her childhood hated her.

Ransom walked into the parlor room eating a sleeve of pinwheel cookies. "Hey, Frannie, how about a glass of cold milk?"

"Hey, asshole," jabbed Meg. "Not her name, not her job."

Fran walked off with a scorching look at Ransom as he took a seat in the chair by the door, looking over at Raven in order to wink at her. Roy wrapped an arm around her waist in retaliation, to which Ransom chuckled and continued to eat his cookies, letting his eyes wander Raven's body.

"Meg, how's your EJW degree coming?" Ransom asked, eyes flitting over to said girl.

She scoffed. "Trust fund prick."

"All right," Joni interrupted. "Guys."

Alan Stevens, the family's attorney, stood in the threshold of the room with an assistant, Sally, who juggled cases.

"Hey, everyone," he greeted. "I'm just going to be in the other room, setting up. Be ready in ten minutes."

They headed toward the library, leaving the family all together in tense silence with the detectives and Marta.

"Funny, Ransom, you skipped the funeral but you're early for the will reading," Walt mentioned.

Ransom looked at him, a slight smile on his face as he chewed on the cookies.

"Okay," said Joni, "people grieve in different ways. Let's not - "

"It's funny you're here at all," Walt added. "Why are you even bothering, that's what I'm asking myself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Richard asked.

Walt scoffed. "He knows what it's supposed to mean."

"Wait, Walt, what?" Linda asked.

"Jacob was in that bathroom the night of the party," said Walt.

Jacob put his phone down, finding everyone's gaze on him.

"So that's where you were all night," stated Joni.

"What the hell were you doing in the bathroom all night?" asked Richard.

"Nothing," he responded.

"Swatting Syrian refugees," jabbed Meg.

"No, I was not," Jacob defended.

"Alt-right troll," she retorted.

"Leebo snowflake," Jacob retorted.

Walt shook his head. "I don't know what any of that means."

"It means your son's a little creep," Richard interrupted.

"Oh - my son's a creep?" Walt questioned.

"Guys!" Joni interrupted. "Walt, he was in the bathroom - "

"Yeah, he was in the bathroom," repeated Walt.

"Joylessly masturbating to pictures of dead deer," Richard muttered.

Ransom made a face while Linda and Roy sighed simultaneously.

"Dad - " started Roy.

"Oh - you know what, Richard? You wanna go?" Walt asked.

"You bet, skippy, let's go."

They went at each other with half-hearted slaps, fighting before Linda and Joni broke them apart. Ransom was loving it, while Raven had to stand still and pretend to be worried while patting Roy's arm as comfort.

"Stop it right now! Stop it!" Linda demanded.

Ransom chuckled. "We gotta do this more often."

Raven shot him a look. In all honesty, she wanted to jump his bones. Even with the cookie crumbs on the edge of his collar, she thought he looked dashing in his brown coat.

"Hey, Jacob, we know where this is going. You were in the bathroom next to Harlan's office, where he had the big fight with Ransom. You heard something. Spill it," demanded Linda.

"I just heard two things. My will, and then there was more yelling, and then I heard ransom say 'I'm warning you.' "

Walt raised his arms, triumphant. Ransom looked at Jacob, and Raven was sure he was planning the teenager's death.

"Ransom? What's that mean?" Linda asked, fearful.

Ransom simply continued to eat the cookies, silent.

"I think it means our father finally came to his senses and cut this worthless little brat out of the will," Walt concluded. "So I guess you're gonna have to sell the Beemer and give your notice at the country club and kick whatever fashion drug you're on because if you think after the bridges you've burned, after all the shit you've said, after everything you've put this family through for the past ten years that any of us are going to support you, that any of us are gonna give you - like dad liked to say a single red dime, you're nuts."

Ransom looked around the room, nonchalant.

"Son," said Richard.

"Father?" Ransom mocked.

"Did Harlan tell you he was cutting you out of the will?" Richard asked.

"Yep," Ransom answered.

"Well, then he's done what none of us were strong enough to do. Maybe this might finally make you grow up," said Richard.

Ransom was really slapped by that but he didn't let it show. Raven knew he was secretly sensitive, but he had a big ego that wouldn't allow him to reveal that to his family members of all people.

"This might be the best thing that could ever happen to you," Linda added.

"Thank you," Ransom sarcastically said. "My mother, ladies and gentlemen."

"Look, this isn't going to be easy for you but it'll be good. Nothing good is ever easy," Joni said.

"Up your ass, Joni, you've had your teeth in this family's tit so long," Ransom insulted.

"Oh - 'up your ass?' Very nice," Meg sarcastically interrupted.

"Matter of fact, eat shit. How's that? In fact, eat shit." He began going down the line of people. "Eat shit, eat shit. Definitely eat shit, you can all eat shit, except Raven. Man, I do appreciate a good-looking woman," he added.

Meg scoffed. "Scum bag."

Everyone began shouting at each other. Blanc heard enough and drifted out, baseball in hand with Marta following him out.

"How 'bout some more cookies?" Walt shouted in Ransom's face, waving the pinwheel cookies in his face. "You? You want some more cookies?"

"Great. That's great," muttered Ransom.

"Hey, maybe, Harlan left you a cold glass of milk in the will, asshole," said Walt.