The Master’s Will
Chapter 02 - The Master’s Will
Nathan pulled the heavy parchment envelope from his pocket, tearing open the red wax seal with trembling fingers.
Inside was a secret, handwritten codicil to his father’s last will and testament, drafted three weeks before the old man died of heart failure.
Nathan’s eyes frantically scanned the formal legal terms:
“If my son, Nathan Cole, should ever discover the existence of his biological child born to Grace Torres, all corporate assets, voting shares, and real estate properties held under the Cole Estate shall be instantly frozen and transferred into an irrevocable trust under the sole guardianship of the child's biological mother until the child reaches twenty-one years of age.”
“Furthermore, if Victoria Vance or her family attempts to force a corporate union following this discovery, all merger agreements shall be rendered null and void due to deliberate fraud and coercion.”
Nathan let out a long, heavy breath. The truth was written in his father’s own handwriting. His father had carried the guilt of his cruelty to his deathbed, setting up a dead-man's switch to protect Lily if the truth ever came to light.
Victoria stepped forward, noticing the parchment paper in Nathan’s hands. Her face turned from pale to completely translucent.
“What is that paper, Nathan?!” Victoria demanded, her voice shrill and hysterical. “Give that to me!”
She lunged forward, reaching for the document, but Mr. Vance stepped smoothly between them, blocking her path with an iron grip on her wrist.
“Touch that document, Miss Vance,” Mr. Vance warned coldly, “and I will have federal marshals arrest you for evidence destruction and attempted murder before the sun sets.”
“You’re on their side?!” Victoria shrieked, kicking the base of the kitchen island in pure, unhinged rage. “My father gave your law firm fifty million dollars in retainers over the last decade! You work for US!”
“I work for the Cole Estate,” Mr. Vance corrected her flatly. “And as of five minutes ago, the sole beneficiary of the Cole Estate is four-year-old Lily Cole.”
Victoria stood paralyzed, staring at the little girl sitting on the floor in her maid mother’s arms. The multi-billion-dollar corporate empire she had spent five years calculating to control was vanishing into thin air right before her eyes.
May you like
A dark, wicked expression slowly twisted Victoria’s face. She pulled her smartphone from her pocket, her thumb rapidly tapping the screen.
“You think you’ve won, Nathan?” Victoria sneered, her voice dropping to a dangerous, deadly whisper. “You think a piece of paper is going to save a penniless maid? Check the news.”
