Chapter 4The Thirty-Dollar Inheritance

After I said that,

I lowered the fruit knife.

Richard lay there, eyes wide, still processing the shock.

Suddenly, the hospital room door was violently shoved open.

Evelyn ran in, her designer heels clicking frantically on the linoleum, and threw herself into Richard's arms.

"Richard, what happened?!"

"I heard you collapsed and I ran straight here!"

"What did the doctors say? When is the surgery?"

Her eyes were brimming with theatrical concern.

Alexander followed closely behind her. He grabbed Richard's hand, his voice choking with emotion. "Dad, you're going to be okay. I know you will."

I watched this performance

and smiled in pure amusement.

Richard collapsed yesterday. The news hit the corporate gossip blogs last night.

And Alexander was literally in the corporate office yesterday.

Yet, this mother-son duo only managed to rush over just now.

Right exactly when the will was being drafted.

How incredibly convenient.

The attending physician stepped forward, offering a sympathetic sigh.

"Ma'am, Mr. Sterling's condition is an aggressive form of cancer that modern medicine has yet to conquer."

"Surgery would be futile. From this point forward, it is entirely up to fate."

Evelyn's tears

immediately began to fall in torrents. She cried out dramatically,

"Richard, please don't leave me and Alexander behind..."

Richard hugged her back tightly,

gently patting her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid."

"I've already drafted my will. I'm leaving the company and all my assets to Alex. You will be set for life. You'll never have to worry about a thing."

A flash of absolute triumph crossed Evelyn's face,

but she quickly suppressed it, pivoting to an expression of delicate concern.

"Richard, if you give everything to us, won't Clara be angry?"

Richard's expression stiffened.

But he quickly recovered his self-righteous arrogance.

"It's my money. I can distribute it however I see fit."

"The heir to my company must be a son who can carry on the family name. It's her own fault she only gave me a daughter."

"I've kept her and that girl housed and fed for all these years. I have more than fulfilled my moral obligations."

My mother-in-law aggressively nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! It's her fault she had a useless daughter!"

"Besides, Victoria's last name is Vance, not Sterling. Why on earth would we give her anything?"

After finishing her rant, my mother-in-law grabbed Evelyn's hand, comforting her:

"Evelyn, don't you worry. In my eyes, you are my only true daughter-in-law."

"Clara and her brat mean absolutely nothing to this family."

Evelyn lowered her head in mock shyness.

Then she turned to look at me, her voice dripping with frail vulnerability:

"Then... thank you for your generosity, Clara."

"We will leave the Vance family's old estate to you. I promise we won't ever bother you there."

Seeing his cue, Alexander

also stepped up and solemnly vowed:

"Dad, you can rest easy. Once I take over the company, I will work tirelessly. I will not let your legacy go to waste."

Richard looked at Alexander with profound pride.

"That's my boy. So responsible."

I stood on the sidelines,

watching this "family" divvy up my ancestral wealth while pretending to be magnanimous, and I couldn't help but laugh as I began a slow clap.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

In the quiet hospital room, the applause was startlingly loud.

Richard snapped his head toward me.

Assuming I was just bitter about being written out of the will, a look of extreme annoyance crossed his face.

"Clara, what's done is done. It's in your best interest not to cause a scene."

"Otherwise, there are no guarantees you'll even get to keep that old estate."

I looked at him

and smiled.

"Richard, before you dictate your last will and testament, didn't you bother to audit your own assets?"

The lawyer standing nearby suddenly went completely pale.

Richard was still confused.

"What are you talking about?"

I stared directly into his eyes, enunciating every single syllable clearly.

"What I am talking about is... when you signed that prenuptial agreement, you were only granted proxy management rights to the corporation."

"Furthermore, your annual salary was set at exactly one dollar. Thirty years means thirty dollars."

"What assets do you possess that give you the right to dictate a will in this room?"