Chapter 5 - The Medical Record
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The following afternoon, the estate courier delivered a sealed yellow envelope marked Private & Confidential addressed to Florence Vance.
Victoria, who had been waiting near the grand foyer windows for two hours, intercepted the courier before he could reach Florence’s wing. She slipped the young man a hundred-dollar bill and took the envelope straight to her private dressing room.
Using a steam tool from her wardrobe, Victoria carefully broke the wax seal on the envelope without tearing the paper. She pulled out the contents.
Her eyes scanned the medical reports from the oncology department, followed by a formal draft of Florence’s updated Last Will and Testament.
"Terminal..." Victoria whispered aloud, a dark, wicked smile spreading across her face. "She’s dying of stage four cancer. She doesn't even have months!"
She flipped to the legal pages, her smile instantly turning into a snarl of pure fury.
...I hereby bequeath the entirety of the Vance Ancestral Estate, along with the sum of $15,000,000 from the Vance Family Trust, to the St. Jude Refuge for Abused Women... My son, Edward, shall receive the personal effects of his father...
"A shelter?" Victoria shrieked, slamming her hand onto her vanity table, sending perfume bottles clattering to the floor. "She’s giving fifteen million dollars to a charity for homeless women?!"
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She read the fine print at the bottom. The document was an unexecuted draft. It required Florence’s handwritten signature and notarization to become legally binding. The formal signing was scheduled for tomorrow morning.
"No," Victoria hissed, staring at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes wild with desperation. "Not tomorrow. Today. She signs the property transfer over to me today, or she won't live to see the sunrise."
