CHAPTER 2: MY FATHER'S LAST SURPRISE
CHAPTER 2: MY FATHER'S LAST SURPRISE
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
My mother stood first.
"What are you talking about?"
The attorney calmly removed several documents.
"The house was transferred three years ago."
My sister laughed.
"To Mom."
The attorney looked at her.
"No."
The smile disappeared from Chloe's face.
The attorney turned toward me.
"To Hannah."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"What?" I whispered.
Robert nodded.
"Your father transferred ownership to you."
My mother's wine glass slipped from her hand and shattered.
"No."
The attorney handed me the paperwork.
I recognized Dad's signature immediately.
It was real.
Every page.
Every signature.
Every stamp.
My hands started shaking.
"He never told me."
Robert sighed.
"He wanted to."
My mother looked furious.
"Then why didn't he?"
The attorney's expression hardened.
"Because he didn't trust everyone in this room."
The words landed like a bomb.
My sister jumped to her feet.
"That's ridiculous."
Robert opened another folder.
"Is it?"
Inside were bank statements.
Receipts.
Transfers.
Thousands of dollars.
My mother went pale.
Then my sister.
Then Jason.
I noticed Jason first.
Why was he nervous?
The attorney pointed at several transactions.
"Your father discovered money missing from his accounts."
My stomach dropped.
Missing?
Robert nodded.
"Over two hundred thousand dollars."
The room exploded.
My mother immediately pointed at me.
"She's lying!"
"I haven't said anything."
"Because you're enjoying this."
But Robert wasn't finished.
He slid one final page onto the table.
A list of names connected to the missing money.
I looked down.
And froze.
My sister's name.
My mother's name.
And...
Jason's name.
My boyfriend.
The man I'd been dating for four years.
The man who was supposed to move in with me next month.
I slowly looked up.
Jason wouldn't meet my eyes.
And suddenly I realized this wasn't just about inheritance.
It was theft.
May you like
And everyone I loved was involved.
END OF CHAPTER 2
