Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Contrary to what one would expect from a funeral, Anthony's funeral took place on a sunny afternoon in pleasant weather that soon gave way to a night of clear skies. The garden had proved too large for the tiny number of people who had attended the wake, especially since most of them were representatives or secretaries of Anthony's "friends", who had attended on behalf of their employers and departed before the coffin was even reached. could be taken to the cemetery. If it weren't for a few occasional tears from Charlie, Anthony would have been buried in complete coldness, surrounded only by the whispers between Samantha and her lawyers, who weren't even bothering to hide how much they wanted this to be over as soon as possible.

The entire time, Morgan stayed with Charlie in her arms, shielding her from the empty condolences of the callous guests and Samantha's venomous expression, which seemed more willing to glare at her stepdaughter than say her final goodbyes to her husband. Fortunately, the silent ceremony at the cemetery was soon over, and as soon as the last shovel of dirt was placed on Anthony's coffin, Morgan hurried to carry Charlie to the car, not even needing to look at her to know that she was there. anxious to leave. Unfortunately, there was still one last thing they needed to do before he could take her back to her apartment and try to make her smile again.

It was with his hands tight on the steering wheel and his shoulders tense that he drove back to the Manson mansion, trying to guess what Samantha's plans were and why she looked so pleased when the funeral was over and the lawyers were able to announce that it was time for the reading. of the will. Reviewing everything he knew about Anthony's estate in his mind, Morgan couldn't imagine any way Samantha could cheat during the division of the inheritance, but he knew the Manson's had a tendency to be sneaky. If Anthony had made some last-minute change to his will, without anyone but his wife and his personal lawyers knowing...

"Are you well?" Charlie murmured, when they finally arrived at her father's old office, even before Samantha did. "You look so worried… Do I think something is going to go wrong?"

“Don't let me upset you. I'm just a pessimist and I can't help but worry about all the worst possible scenarios, even though I know they would never happen." he tried to calm her down, making an effort to open a peaceful smile "Everything will be fine, you can be sure." realizing that she didn't seem so sure about that and seemed ready to question him again, Morgan hurried to find something to distract her "Why don't we talk about good things while we wait? What are you going to do with your father's inheritance?"

“You say it like he's going to leave everything to me." Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe not all of it, but enough for you to buy a house, help Vivian with the NGO and finally pay for her veterinary school." he cheered, making her eyes light up at just the slightest mention of what he knew to be her long-held dream.

"Yes, you are right. I think I spent so much time believing that I could only be free and build my own life when I turned 21 and could receive my grandfather's inheritance... that I can hardly believe that all this is about to happen." She sighed, stretching her spine in the armchair she was sitting in, as if all the strength had left her body "It's surreal. But if there's one thing I know, it's that I'm applying to college tomorrow and God rest Vivian's soul if she refuses to take my money. Otherwise, I will be seriously compelled to buy the whole house and become her creditor, just to get revenge."

“I bet those animals will never have seen such a big place after you finish what you're planning." He chuckled, feeling his heart warm just by imagining how happy she would be to do all that.

"Are you playing? If it's up to me, each of them will have their own room and unique toy chest. I'm going to renovate each of the rooms and buy new instruments. They're all going to be on prime dog food and I'm going to hire an T.I. specialist just to improve the foster system and make sure they can find the best foster families." she planned, euphoric "Oh, and I have to remember to look for houses with high ceilings to live in! Cats love to climb things and I'm going to buy a million special toys and shelves everywhere, not just for Sawyer but also for the dozens of brothers and sisters I'm going to give her: other kittens, dogs, birds, rabbits... Oh, and I've always wanted a ferret!" Her face flushed with sheer delight. "I can't wait to…"

"Then maybe you should wait a little longer, Charlotte…” Samantha's voice interrupted the sweet moment between the two, bringing their attention to where Charlie's stepmother was now walking into the office, followed by a larger team of lawyers than Morgan remembered having. seen her leave the funeral "I wouldn't go so thirsty to the pot if you. In case you don't remember, you just spent the last 3 years fighting with your father, unlike me, who loved and supported him for over a decade..."

"We're not here to talk, Mrs. Manson." He interrupted her coldly, wrapping Charlie's hands between his own, to stop her from advancing on her stepmother right there "If your lawyers are ready, I think Charlie is also prepared for the reading of the will to be done, however much abnormally rushed that this whole situation has been ..." he narrowed his eyes, but Samantha did not seem to be shaken.

"Excellent idea, Mr. Sullivan! If I knew my dear Anthony well, I'm sure nothing would make him happier than to see his estate properly distributed." Samantha sang, making a point of sitting in the armchair right next to Morgan's, although there were an infinity of other empty ones around "Come on, please start, Mr. Carter. I'm sure my stepdaughter is exhausted and eager to rest after such an exhausting day, just like I am." She craned her neck to face Charlie, sporting a smile that was supposed to be sweet but couldn't be described as anything but wicked.

“Okay..." the oldest of the lawyers, a balding gentleman with sparse white hairs gathered over his ears, donned a pair of glasses, not looking the least bit interested in the family situation before him "Considering that Mrs. Manson was very adamant in his request that the reading be done as quickly as possible, I will take the liberty of skipping the full document reading and just summarizing the most important decisions about his estate that Mr. Anthony Manson took in life, as that seems to be what matters most to the two parties that could benefit. I want you to bear in mind, first of all, that the total amount of the inheritance will eventually be reduced by law, to pay the mortgage and other debts that Mr. Manson left outstanding..."

“Yes, a regrettable situation that, frankly, doesn't need reminding." Samantha interrupted him, with a terribly theatrical sigh "Then I think we can dispense with the formalities and go straight to this summary. You know, a poor widow can only bear so much anxiety, let alone on such a sad day as this..."

"I understand, Mrs. Manson..." Mr. Carter sighed, not looking the least bit impressed by the “poor widow” pretense. "Miss. Manson, as an only child, would have equal rights to the estate. In fact, taking into account that a large part of Mr. Manson came directly or were proceeds from money left to him by his late first wife, Sophia Foster Manson, would be Miss. Charlotte Foster Manson who would have been entitled to most of what was in her father's possession…” The lawyer took a moment to read Charlie's full name from the sheaf of papers in front of him.

"What do you mean, 'under normal circumstances'?" Charlie questioned him fearfully, taking advantage of that moment of silence.

"Well, as you must know, since I was informed that you are awaiting the receipt of another family inheritance, the highest age is stipulated between 18 and 21 years old. In cases of distribution of assets, such as this one, the former owner is free to stipulate at what age the beneficiary can receive what is entitled to him, as long as this does not exceed the maximum age of 21 years. Therefore, in this case, Mr. Manson apportioned his inheritance as follows:" Mr. Carter adjusted his glasses on his face once more as he ran his eyes over the documents "80% will go to his wife, including the mansion we're in now, the rest of the property, and the stock market shares he accumulated in his lifetime. Already his daughter, Charlotte Foster Manson, will inherit 20% of the total, which will be paid in cash, in a bank account of your choice..."

"Only 20%?" Morgan grunted, disgusted "That's an absurd amount! She was his only child and, as you said yourself, if it weren't for the money that came from Charlie's mother's family, Mr. Manson would never have been able to accumulate an estate of that proportion. The right thing would be for the inheritance to be divided equally... Not to mention the fact that the fairest thing would be for Charlie to get more than 60% of the total, when you take all that into account." he made a point of exchanging glances with Samantha and returning his expression was enraged, to make it clear that he would not allow Charlie to suffer this injustice.

“It's okay, Morgan." Charlie brought his attention back to her, touching her cheek with his fingertips "I already imagined that my father would not want to leave too much of what he had to me." she confessed, her voice bitter "And honestly, I don't care. That will be enough for me to live on, until I finally receive my grandfather's inheritance. So let's ignore what percentage I'm going to get. All I want is for this to be over soon."

"Always so sensible, Charlotte ..." Samantha praised her, with a smile.

"Please continue." Charlie asked the lawyer, clearly making an effort to ignore his stepmother's taunts "When will I be able to receive what is due to me?"

“Well, that's the point." Mr. Carter replied, still completely expressionless, “As I clarified for you a few minutes ago, each owner can choose at what age each beneficiary can receive their inheritance. And her dad happened to opt for age 21 in her case."

"Wait..." Charlie's eyes slowly widened in terror as she realized what that meant. "You mean..."

“By law, you are not yet old enough to receive your share of the inheritance. Therefore, she will be under the care of Mrs. Manson, as she is the only other beneficiary of her late father's estate. On your next birthday, you will be responsible for handing over part of it."

"So you mean I won't get anything?" Charlie exclaimed in shock, rising from her chair. "That's not fair!" I'm already 20 years old! I'm an adult perfectly capable of looking after my own money! Also, now that my father is dead, where am I going to live if I can't support myself?"

“Why, Miss. Foster…" The lawyer raised a disdainful eyebrow. "Your stepmother will be the legal guardian of her property until she turns 21 and will also be responsible for providing her with room and board while it is your choice to live with her."

"Continue living here? With her?!" Charlie gasped in horror. "For a whole year?"

“Like I said, that's your choice alone. You can leave here whenever you want, before you're legally allowed to inherit your share."

"It's not a choice, since I have nowhere to go and no means to support myself, if I leave here…" Charlie snarled, possessed.

“Well, maybe you should have thought about getting a job or at least going into higher education after you turned eighteen." the lawyer shrugged. "I'm sorry, but your current situation cannot be used as an excuse for you to refuse to comply with the law."

"The only reason I haven't gone to college until now is that my father refused to pay, even though he knew I wouldn't be able to pay for it myself without having received my grandfather's inheritance!" she roared, her face starting to turn red with rage. "Just like he refused to let me get a job while I lived here!"

"Well, Charlotte..." Samantha got up, approaching her stepdaughter with a sparkling expression "You don't have to act like that. You have me after all…” Reaching out, she placed her hand on Charlie's shoulder, digging her nails into it like claws. “It actually breaks my heart to know that you want to leave me. But do not worry. I promise we'll have a wonderful year together before you leave." Samantha opened a smile wide and sharp, like a razor.