Chapter 1 - The Hidden Clause
"Did you take the framed photograph from his study?" Samuel asked, his voice tight with an anxiety I had never heard from the stoic lawyer before.
My hands began to shake as I held the cheap plastic phone to my ear.
I looked over at the small, worn kitchen table where the silver frame was resting next to my empty coffee mug.
Mr. Christopher had given it to me five years ago on the anniversary of my daughter’s tragic accident.
It held a beautiful picture of him, my late daughter, and little Lucas smiling under the oak tree in the mansion's massive garden.
"Yes, I brought it with me," I whispered into the receiver.
"Thank God," Samuel breathed out, a heavy sigh of relief echoing through the static of the line.
"Justin doesn't know this, but his father anticipated that he would throw you out onto the street the moment the funeral ended."
"He wanted you to have that specific frame because the thick velvet backing is completely hollow."
My breath caught in my throat as I reached out and gently touched the soft velvet panel behind the silver stand.
"There is a legal document folded inside that frame, Helena," Samuel continued.
"Justin only inherited the physical estate and a minor cash allowance."
"The vast majority of the family fortune, the corporate trusts, and the company shares were left entirely to you and Lucas."
I pried the small metal clasps open with my trembling fingernails.
The velvet backing popped off with a soft click, revealing a thick piece of parchment paper hidden securely beneath the cardboard.
I unfolded it carefully, staring in absolute shock at Mr. Christopher’s unmistakable signature at the bottom of a newly drafted will.
In the blink of an eye, I had gone from a fired maid with an empty refrigerator to a multi-millionaire.
"You need to bring that document to my office right now, before Justin realizes what is missing," Samuel warned urgently.
May you like
Before I could formulate a reply, a deafening crash echoed from my apartment's front door.
The cheap wood splintered violently, and I heard Justin’s furious voice screaming my name from the dark hallway.
