Mary was on the cusp of her 80th birthday, a milestone that seemed both monumental and just another day in her long life of ups and downs.
She had lived through storms and even stirred up a few herself.
Reaching this age, she was as crafty and sharp as they come.
Mary had a knack for playing her family like a chessboard, always staying several moves ahead.
From manipulating the press to force Maddox and Jennifer to adopt Leanne, to orchestrating moral dilemmas that led to Leanne's marriage to Curtis, Mary was always in control.
Yet, for all her scheming against her flesh and blood, it was Leanne, the adopted granddaughter from outside the family, who was her greatest weakness and challenge.
Mary could handle Curtis with her usual mix of stubbornness and evasion, but in front of Leanne, she often found herself at a loss.
"Don't mind his nonsense. He's just looking for trouble out of boredom," Mary said, trying to reach out to Leanne with a warmth that belied her usual demeanor. "How was your day out? Did Curtis feed you too much? Your face looks all plump and cute. Come here, let me have a look."
Leanne, however, pulled away, leaving Mary's outstretched hand hanging and her smile fading into a look of sorrow.
Fighting back tears, Leanne confronted her, "What really happened to my parents? Please don't lie to me anymore."
Mary's eyes, too, reddened with a mix of love and guilt, "Darling, let's not talk about that. Can't things go back to how they were, with me doting on you?"
But to Leanne, this affection felt more painful than any harsh word could ever be. As she tried to hold back her tears, they broke through, streaming down her face.
"I saw the birthmark on Hanley's hand," she choked out. "The man who kidnapped us... I never forgot the mark on his hand. Hanley was the one who killed my parents, right?"
Mary, visibly shaken and struggling to remain standing, finally collapsed onto the couch. The truth hovered before Leanne, fragile as a thin sheet of paper, piercing it through felt like suffocation.
Curtis silently moved to sit beside Leanne, taking her hand in his. As she turned to him, he gently wiped away her tears, "I'm with you."
Watching the two of them, Mary went through a whirlwind of emotions. These kids, stubborn to the core, were willing to face whatever came their way together.
After a long silence, filled with their quiet determination, Mary spoke with difficulty, "Charles and I were much like you two when we were young, stubborn and full of pride. We'd fight instead of talking things out. always aiming for the heart."
"One year, after a particularly bad fight, he went to Capital City for half a year, trying to avoid me. There, he fell ill, and his secretary, kind and gentle, took care of him. He used to complain about my wild ways. Contrasted with her softness, he started to waver. Initially, he remembered his responsibilities, but after returning to Stonebridge and finding out she'd made his clothes, we fought again. He went back to Capital City, got drunk, and ended up with his secretary."
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