Chapter 14 - The Lawyer's Visit
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Friday morning arrived with a bitter chill in the air.
At exactly 10:00 AM, Vivian walked into the master suite, flanked by Silas and a slick, greasy-looking lawyer clutching a leather briefcase.
Damian was lying in his medical bed, his eyes half-closed, playing the role of the heavily sedated, fading patriarch to absolute perfection. His breathing was shallow, his head lolling to the side.
Maya stood in the corner, holding a towel, playing the invisible maid.
"Damian, darling," Vivian whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed. She stroked his hair with a sickeningly sweet display of false affection. "Mr. Sterling is here. We brought the papers to secure your medical care and the estate."
Damian let out a weak, raspy cough. "Vivian... I'm so tired."
"I know, my love," she cooed, exchanging a triumphant glance with Silas. "Just sign these, and you can rest. Silas will handle the shipping companies, and I will make sure you get the best hospice care available."
Mr. Sterling pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and laid them on the bedside table. He uncapped a heavy gold fountain pen and pressed it into Damian’s trembling hand.
"Just sign on the dotted lines, Mr. Russo," the lawyer said, his voice slick and hurried.
Damian’s hand shook violently as he hovered the pen over the paper. He looked up at Vivian with wide, unfocused eyes. "You'll take care of me?"
"Always," she smiled, a cold, venomous expression.
Damian lowered the pen. With weak, jagged strokes, he signed his name on six different pages.
Silas let out a heavy sigh of relief, snatching the papers the moment the pen lifted from the final page. He reviewed the signatures, his eyes gleaming with greedy triumph.
"It’s done," Silas whispered to Vivian.
May you like
Vivian stood up, her entire demeanor instantly shifting. The sweet, caring fiancée vanished. She looked down at Damian with absolute disgust.
"Call the ambulance, Silas," Vivian ordered coldly. "Tell them to transport him to the Shady Pines hospice facility. I want him out of my house by noon."
