Chapter 2The Thirty-Dollar Inheritance

Thirty years ago, I had just graduated from college.

That year, my family was hit by one tragedy after another.

My father, who had been my rock my entire life, was suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness. The doctors said there was nothing they could do.

His final, dying wish

was to see me settled and married.

At the time, Richard and I had been dating for three years. I was deeply in love, wearing rose-colored glasses, and I immediately brought him home to meet my parents.

When he found out my father was sick,

he spent every single day at his hospital bedside. He brought meals, sponge-bathed him, and cared for him more attentively than a hired nurse.

My father was quickly won over. He believed Richard was a man of impeccable character and gave us his blessing.

In the second year of our marriage,

my father finally succumbed to his illness and passed away.

But on the night of the wake, Richard, his own son-in-law, refused to stay for the vigil. He claimed he had a massive, urgent crisis at the company.

I only found out later that he had left to go see Evelyn.

That night, the hotel they booked happened to be owned by my best friend.

When my best friend saw the reservation name, she was livid. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm the room and drag them out.

"That ungrateful, backstabbing son of a bitch, I'm going to ruin him..."

Before she could finish,

I stopped her.

"Save the evidence."

"Don't tip them off yet."

That night,

I didn't cry.

And I didn't cause a scene.

Not because I have a forgiving temper, but because I already knew.

On the very night my father passed away,

I received an anonymous email filled with intimate photos of Richard and Evelyn.

Later, I hired a private investigator.

I discovered their families had been neighbors.

They grew up together; they were childhood sweethearts.

After high school, Evelyn's family couldn't afford college tuition, so she moved down South to find work.

Even though they never officially confirmed a relationship,

to everyone who knew them, Richard and Evelyn were incredibly close.

When I found out the truth,

I thought about confronting him immediately.

But at the time, my health was failing, and I had absolutely no energy to manage a massive corporation.

Richard was ambitious and strategic. He was the perfect weapon to keep Vance Enterprises afloat.

My father used to say:

"In life, things will go wrong eighty percent of the time. What matters is which path you choose to take."

"Marriage is exactly the same."

I memorized those words.

After the funeral, my mother-in-law hosted a family dinner.

That night, Richard walked in holding Evelyn's hand.

My mother-in-law stood next to them, smiling warmly as she told me:

"Clara, this is Richard's younger sister."

"They aren't blood relatives, but they're closer than siblings. From now on, we're all one big family."

"Since they're like brother and sister, it's perfectly normal for them to be close."

When she said that,

there was a distinct warning in her eyes.

She clearly knew exactly what their relationship was.

She also knew that my family was gone, and I was entirely dependent on Richard now. She wanted me to keep my mouth shut.

I just smiled,

and quietly added this massive debt to my mental ledger.

When I got home that night,

my best friend was furious on my behalf, but I just laughed.

"Why are you rushing?"

"Before my dad died, he made Richard sign a very specific agreement. If he thinks he can just swallow my family's wealth whole, he's going to have to prove he's capable of digesting it."

I contacted the lawyer my father trusted most.

We compiled a meticulously detailed inventory of all assets,

and locked it in a secure safe.

After that, I focused entirely on recovering my health.

But I never stopped having my people monitor Richard and Evelyn.

Photos of them crossing the line, hotel records, bank transfers, text message screenshots.

I saved them one by one,

categorized and filed chronologically.