Chapter 5 - The Reading of the Will
Two days later, my family was summoned to the downtown offices of Sterling & Sterling, the most prestigious law firm in the city. They arrived wearing their best mourning clothes, clearly trying to project an image of respectable, grieving relatives. They expected to walk out as millionaires.
I didn't attend in person. I sat in a secure room adjacent to the main office, watching the proceedings through a live feed.
Mr. Sterling, an imposing man in his sixties, sat at the head of a long mahogany table. My mother, father, and Julian sat opposite him.
"Let's get this over with," Julian said arrogantly, crossing his arms. "Elena is clearly having a psychological episode. She locked our cards. We need to establish my temporary conservatorship over Thomas's assets until she recovers."
Mr. Sterling didn't blink. He opened a thick manila folder. "There will be no conservatorship, Julian. Thomas Brooks’s will is ironclad. He left everything—his entire 80% stake in the company, the liquid assets, and all properties—to his wife, Elena."
My mother scoffed. "Yes, yes. But we hold thirty percent of the holding company's debt. We have contracts. Thomas signed them."
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"He did," Mr. Sterling agreed, pulling out a secondary stack of papers. "However, I have here documented proof that the loans you secured were based on fraudulent valuations, forged signatures, and illegal wire transfers. Thomas documented every felony."
The room went dead silent.
