I am the Queen

Inside Marcos\'s Cole\'s room, old antiques and furniture\'s dating back to the nineteenth century filled the eyes. Some items were even from the BC in which money couldn\'t hope to buy. And the center of it all was the gigantic bed in which Marcos Cole laid.

His sickness had done damage to his health and looks. His skin was ghostly white, and the wrinkles on his face were sagging like his eye bags. Weeks of staying in the hospital leeched off his health like he just became skin and bones. Evangeline felt like he would break with just one poke. He was far from the powerful and untouchable monarch. Now, he seemed like any other frail old man.

Marcos looked at his grandchildren and lingered more on Evangeline.

"I called you all in here because I had something to announce," he started, tone gruff. Though he had to stop to take in breathes, authority was still thick in his voice.

"Being on the brink of life and death. Not knowing if you\'ll live . . . changes a man\'s perspective. I had done everything for this family. I dedicated my life to it. And it\'s only right that I would die protecting it."

Marcos paused and shook his head a little. "But in the process of doing so I had forced my will in every one of you. I was only thinking about the empire, not the pillars that would support it. And I realized . . . I protected this family. But at what cost?"

Marcos gazed focused on his son and then his grandchildren, and his eyes melted as his features buckled slightly. "My son\'s happiness and soon . . . my grandchildren\'s happiness."

Marcos then looked at the ceiling, closing his eyes for a bit.

It was quiet for a time. So quiet that even their breathing was silent.

"And as I laid on that hard cold operating table. Unconscious. I was dreaming of the happy times I was with Beatrice. I was lucky that I fell in love with her. But it was not the case for my son and soon . . . my grandson."

"And I realized, even we work hard protecting this empire. This power. This wealth. In the face of death, it became all meaningless. What we carry on the other side would always be the memory."

Marcos then faced his lawyers at the side, hand raising a little. "Therefore, right here, right now, I officially announced that Alvaro Cole is now the head of the Cole Empire, and he will have full authority on all the clans\' businesses as well as . . ."

Marcos looked at Alvaro and smiled. The first time Alvaro saw his grandfather smiled at him. Not as the leader and the monarch but as a grandfather.

"You will have full authority on who you\'re going to marry. The engagement with Maxine is officially broken."

Gasped resounded in the room. Álvaro\'s eyes shook. It took everything he had not to lose his composure. But it was hard to stop the big grin off his face and the moist in his eyes.

"Next, I officially announced that Emerald is no longer banished from the Cole\'s list, and her remains shall be moved into the family\'s catacombs beside Beatrice. And with this I announced that Evangeline Heart shall receive ten percent share from all family\'s businesses and if she ever wishes so . . . changed her name to a Cole."

". . ." Evangeline blinked, and the forced she exerted on her arm doubled when Marcos\'s eyes laid on her.

"I\'m sorry . . . I should have done this a long time ago," Marcos choked.

Evangeline wanted to huramp but only managed to turn her eyes away at Marcos\'s sincerity.

"Grandfather!" Asher exclaimed and went directly to Marcos\'s side. "How about me? Can I marry anyone?"

Marcos closed his eyes and sighed. "Yes."

Asher\'s fists rose in the air and back. "Yes!" Now, no one would stop him from being together with Satele!

"No backing on your words now," Asher said and hurried towards the lawyer. "Better yet. I want you to make it official in writing so I can have grandfather signed it."

As Asher was busy pestering the lawyer from the side, Marcos closed his eyes and raised his hand. An indication that he was tired and wanted to rest.

Evangeline was the first to move. She paused and gave the old man one final look before she went out. Next was Alexis, who was running after Evangeline to spend some time while she was still in BlackPine.

The lawyer also went out of the room while Asher followed him around, still nagging him about the contract.

Eventually, it was Álvaro, and Alex who remained in the room.

"Grandfather," Alvaro started, "as much as I am grateful and happy for your change of heart. I think that there is a chance that you\'ll cancel my engagement with Maxine if you know who I\'m going to marry."

Marcos\'s eyes remained close. "It doesn\'t matter anymore. You can marry whomever you wish. I won\'t interfere anymore. You\'re already of age. I\'ll leave it to you to fix the consequences of your actions."

Alvaro just shrugged his shoulders. "Is that so?" he then walked towards the door and opened it, but before he went out, he said.

"By the way. Her name is Rozarria Rozienheim owner of Rozienheim corp. But her real name is Roz Rozienwelheim Frizkiel. Just so you know."

He then went out of the room.

. . .

. . .

"Alex."

"Yes, father?"

"I think I\'m going to have another heart attack."

". . ."

"That son of yours is going to be the death of me."

Alex huffed a laughed.  His face then turned serious. "What about the Celestine?"

Marcos took a large intake of air and released it through his nose. "Henry and I are already old. Old men should just rest and enjoy the remainder of their life and let the younger ones take care of all the problems."

"He wouldn\'t like it."

". . . If he doesn\'t . . .. then it just proves that our long years of friendship is just based on mutual benefits."