[Third POV]
Zoey Beckett, though she is the daughter of two of the most prominent figures in the country, she had never felt like truly a Beckett.
She wasn't as artistic as her mother, she did appreciate art, but a different form of art.
She didn't want to be a successor of her father too, yes, she was her father's child, but she always felt like the family company was better suited for Kaiden, who was interested in the company.
Kai was not really interested in the company, maybe it was because of the trauma he experienced 5 years ago, but he changed. She had hoped he would be a bit interested in long life and having fun, but he had become very dim.
And now he she is contemplating if she should choose art school or business school, she knows her father would be like, "choose whatever you like' but what she likes is not even on the roster.
And the teachers could be so judgmental, they already have the mentality that given she is the oldest she will inherit the company, it makes her sick.
"Zoe, we need to go home," the thoughts are interrupted by the two little brothers barging into her classroom.
"What? What is going on?" she asked, they really looked distraught, and she was warried.
"We…. We will fill you in on our way," Kaiden says, a bit too cryptic, something was wrong.
She says goodbye to her friend Palma, before collecting her stuff, she follows her brothers to a car.
She knew the school probably already gave them a go ahead, they had always let them do whatever they pleased since they were the Becketts, so it was okay to leave school before it even began.
"What is going on? You are scaring me," Zoey asks her brother who looked grim.
"Well, great-grandmother…... she is in the hospital," Kai says sadly.
She had never felt that hurt, well she was hurt when her brother was arrested but this is worse, she was the closest to her great-grandmother.
"Is she going to be, okay?" Zoey asked.
Kaiden had looked down sadly, "she asked to see us, they said she doesn't have much time left."
"What? Grandmother is strong she cannot just die," she says frantic, she felt helpless, yes, her grandmother has been a bit ill over the days.
But she believed she would live through anything, by the stories grandmother tells, it shows how strong of a woman she was, she cannot just die like that.
She burst out crying, before her brothers hugged her, "hey, Zoe, don't cry, it will be okay," Kai says softly.
The boys knew how close Zoey was to their grandmother, they knew that she was the one to be affected the most by her passing.
They reached the hospital later, finding the whole family already there, their father quietly showed them to their grandmother's room.
She was lying on her bed and she looked really sick, almost dying sick. The kids tried their best not to cry, but they failed miserably.
"Oh, come on don't cry, come here, let me talk to you," she says softly.
She knew it was her last day, she wanted to tell her family how much she loved them, how much they made her life happy.
She enjoyed spa days with Zoey, or video games days with the boys, she was happy, every second of her last year she was happy.
She hoped her late husband was this happy when he died, she tried her best to make the best of his life, if he felt the way she did right now, then she was happy.
"Come on stop crying, I can't be here forever, I need to go meet your great granddad, he must be lonely," she says, her voice still weak and tears rolling down her eyes.
Just then Adrienne and Wayne came in, "grandma, are you okay?" Wayne says running to her side.
"Oh…. Hey, my babies, you are finally all here," she says in a hoarse voice.
All her great grandkids surround her, she feels proud, proud of her late son for having given her, her two grandkids that went along to give her 4 great grandkids.
And her living son, who is probably crying like a fool outside her hospital room, having given her, her other grandchild Conan and him giving her the fifth grandkid.
She was happy, her life was complete, and it was happy, "listen here my babies," she says.
"I am about to leave you, it might hurt, and it might be lonely without me," she says tears rolling down her face.
Her grandkids just stood there crying their eyes out, "I love you, every single one of you. You had given me the happiness I lacked, thank you so much."
"But, grandma, can't you stay a bit longer?" Zoey says crying her eyes out, she was not ready to lose her, it felt too soon, she wanted her to stay a bit longer.
"I am afraid I can't my Zoe," Melisa says, "you will get through this, you have you siblings, your cousins, your parents and all the other family members, don't worry."
"But grandma…." "Hey, don't worry, it is my time to go, I hope you taught you and loved you enough for you to never doubt yourselves, and Zoe my baby, don't ever be insecure okay."
Zoey nods, wiping her tears, "I will take your words into account."
"Good, and you being the eldest you must lead the younger ones'" Melisa says, "you don't have to be a business major to be a good leader, and neither do you need to be a CEO like your father, you will find you niche, and you will be happy with that okay."
They all nod, "good, please love each other, I wouldn't be in peace if my babies don't love each other, look at your parents and how they love each other okay, and follow from there."
"Yes, we will grandmother," they all say in union.
She smiles gentle before giving them a group hug, "good, I love you all, have a happy life and I will be the proudest."
The kids were then escorted out the room, tears rolling, still in their uniform, they had stayed in the hospital the whole day, until their grandmother was pronounced dead.
Zoey had locked herself in the room after they all got home. She didn't want to be selfish; she didn't want to limit the pain everyone in the family was feeling, but she felt like her life had just stopped.
Probably everyone is feeling like that, but she felt a bit more, she wasn't really a Beckett, she was just an adopted child, the love she got from grandmother was not really warranted.
That is why she felt like her grandmother needed a bit more years, more years to compensate for the unconditional love she gave to the child that was not in her blood.
"Zoe, open the door, mother is worried," Kaiden calls, "come on, Zoe, father is close to tears because he is worried."
She wipes her tears before moving to open the door, "hey."
Kaiden walks in with a plate of food in his hand, before putting it on Zoey's desk. "Please eat, you will need the energy," Kaiden was a gentle little brother when he needed be, "and don't worry about school, father says we will work from home until the funeral."
He hugs his big sister before walking out, Zoey closes the door, before taking a deep breath, "don't be insecure, don't be insecure."
She had never imagined life without her grandmother, it was always her grandmother she would run to for help, she also hadn't asked for her input on her future career.
The funeral was moved expeditiously, they had made sure the media was in control, it was family and friends only, it felt surreal having to bury Melisa Beckett.
Just yesterday she and Zoey were painting their nails black and forcing the boys into painting their nails.
The kids took a week off school before they returned, Zoey still felt numb, a big piece of her life was moved and there was no way to replace it.
"Oh… hey Zoey," Palma greets, "how have you been? Oh, sorry about your grandmother."
"Hey Palma, it is okay," she says softly, maybe being to school will help her through this, "the family is getting through it."
"Oh… okay, well, have you decided on your major for college?"
"No, not yet, I am still mourning my grandmother's death," Zoey says coldly.
Palma was startled by this, she was just trying to make a conversation, it made Palma sick how Zoey acted like she was better than everyone.
She was not even the real Beckett, and she acted like she was truly a part of the family.
She could wait until she put Zoey in her place, one day she would be able to do so.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Zoey says, "I have just been going through a lot over the days."
"It is okay, maybe you should go out with us this weekend, it will help you," Palma says, Zoey had always denied going out with them since she would be spending time with her grandmother.
Zoey contemplated, maybe she should, she would just go and have some fun, her parents would clearly approve.
"Sure, why not," she says half-heartedly.
"Great, I will let the other girls know, we are having a party at Nathan's place," Palma says, "I will pick you up okay."
Palma felt happy, Zoey was quite vulnerable now, she can be easily humiliated, and Palma was planning on doing so this weekend, time to show Zoey who runs the town.