CHAPTER TWO The Will
CHAPTER TWO
The Will
The ambulance doors slammed shut.
As the siren screamed to life, I closed my eyes.
Three days.
Everything had fallen apart in only three days.
It had started inside a quiet attorney's office.
Grandmother Rose's funeral had ended that morning.
Now the family sat around a polished oak conference table, waiting to hear who would inherit her empire.
Tyler looked almost cheerful.
He whispered to our father, "Finally."
Dad smiled.
Mom squeezed Tyler's hand beneath the table.
No one looked at me.
They already knew who mattered.
Attorney Daniel Brooks unfolded the will.
"The estate of Rose Walker..."
His voice echoed through the room.
"The ownership of Rose & Wren Jewelry..."
Tyler leaned back confidently.
"...shall pass entirely to Bridget Walker."
Silence.
Tyler blinked.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"What?"
The attorney continued.
"The investment portfolio..."
"To Bridget Walker."
"The commercial properties..."
"To Bridget Walker."
"The controlling shares..."
"To Bridget Walker."
Every sentence landed like another hammer blow.
Tyler's smile disappeared.
My mother's face turned pale.
Dad slammed both palms onto the table.
"This is impossible."
Attorney Brooks calmly pushed another folder across the table.
"Mrs. Walker revised her estate plan twice."
He placed several documents beside it.
"Medical competency evaluations."
Another stack.
"Video recordings of the signing."
Another.
"Independent witnesses."
Everything had been anticipated.
Grandmother had prepared for this exact reaction.
Tyler finally laughed.
A short, humorless laugh.
"So what do I get?"
The attorney handed him a sealed envelope.
"Mrs. Walker requested that you read this only after leaving my office."
Tyler stared at it.
His jaw tightened.
Mom suddenly turned toward me.
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing."
"You manipulated her."
"I worked for her."
"You're lying."
Attorney Brooks cleared his throat.
"Mrs. Walker also left a personal statement."
He pressed a button.
Rose's voice filled the room from hidden speakers.
Old.
Weak.
But unmistakably firm.
"If you're hearing this, I'm gone. And if Tyler is angry, then I made the right decision."
Nobody moved.
"Bridget earned every dollar by standing beside me for seven years."
Tyler looked ready to explode.
"My grandson wanted ownership. My granddaughter accepted responsibility."
The recording ended.
No dramatic music.
No final goodbye.
Only silence.
Tyler slowly stood.
He smiled.
The smile frightened me more than his anger ever had.
He slipped the unopened envelope into his jacket.
Then he looked directly at me.
"This isn't over."
Three days later...
His hands were on my shoulders.
And I was lying in an ambulance, unable to feel my legs.
Outside the rear window, Detective Morrison watched officers surround my parents' house.
Then his phone rang.
He listened for a few seconds before looking toward my ambulance.
"We found Marcus," he said.
"But the security footage..."
May you like
He paused.
"...someone tried to erase it."
