Chapter 2

"What do you mean by that?" Andrew's face darkened, his voice thick with shock and suspicion.

My mom shot him a look, her eyes cold. "You don't understand? Then I'll have my lawyer explain it to you," she said.

As soon as she finished speaking, a man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses stepped out from behind her, holding a document. "Mr. Shaw, Ms. Lane, I'm Mrs. Grant's personal lawyer, Liam Williams," he said.

Liam adjusted his glasses, his voice crisp and professional, echoing through the quiet cemetery.

"According to the notarized will Ms. Grant made before her passing, all her pre-marital assets, including a villa downtown, fifty percent of Summerview Technologies, and her sizable deposits in banks, have all been put into a trust fund."

With every sentence Liam spoke, Andrew's eyes narrowed a little more.

Liam continued, "The only beneficiary of this trust fund is Ms. Grant's future child."

He went on, "The will makes it clear that should Ms. Grant pass away without children, and Mr. Shaw decides to remarry, his new wife will be required to sign a legally binding succession contract.

"Just like Mrs. Grant said earlier, the contract states that the first child born to the new wife, boy or girl, will, by law, be recognized as Ms. Grant's child and become her sole legal heir."

Liam paused, glancing at Andrew and Yvette, whose faces were ashen. Then he delivered the final, crushing blow.

He added, "If the new wife refuses to sign this contract, or refuses to follow through with it after the wedding, then every last asset in the trust fund will be immediately and unconditionally donated to the National Children's Trust. Not a single cent will be left."

The whole place went dead silent.

I was just hovering above, completely dumbfounded. A will? A trust fund? A succession contract? When did I ever sign off on something like this?

I loved Andrew with all my heart. I'd have handed it over to him if I could. How could I have ever set up a will that was so guarded against him?

But seeing my mom standing there, totally in control like she'd planned every step, I couldn't even convince myself this wasn't real anymore.

Andrew and Yvette looked utterly humiliated and exposed. It was as if they'd been stripped bare in public, all their greed and scheming out in the open for everyone to see.

They'd plotted and schemed to stage my "accidental death," just for the huge inheritance I left behind.

Now, the money was right there, dangling in front of them like the ultimate prize, so close yet completely untouchable behind a wall of glass.

"I refuse!" Yvette screamed, her voice ringing out across the cemetery. She ripped off her facade, showing her true colors for everyone to see.

"Why? Why should the child I suffer for nine months to bring into this world have to call a dead woman 'Mom' and take her inheritance? Andrew, did you hear that? I won't accept this!" she shrieked. She clung to Andrew's arm, shaking him.

But Andrew shoved her away, his eyes bloodshot as he stared down my mom. "You must've planned this all along. Charlotte loved me. She would never have written a will like this!" he shouted.

"If you don't believe me, go check with the notary office yourself," my mom said, calm as ever.

"I..." Andrew stammered, completely at a loss for words. He knew better than anyone that my mom never lied.

He panicked, spun around, and grabbed Yvette by the shoulders, his voice low but fierce. "Are you crazy? We're talking about billions here. It's just a name on paper. The kid will still be ours to raise. Why are you making such a fuss?"

"You think I'm making a fuss? Andrew, you want me to have a child for your late wife? Do you even have a conscience?" Yvette cried, her voice breaking.

"Late wife? Her money is what really matters!" Andrew snapped.

Right there at my funeral, in front of everyone, they were shamelessly arguing over my inheritance, making a complete spectacle of themselves.

The guests were whispering and pointing. More than a few had already whipped out their phones to record the drama.

Watching this trainwreck, I felt all the anger and bitterness I'd been clinging to just vanished in an instant. In their place was a twisted sense of amusement, like I had front row seats to the wildest drama ever.

Their so-called "true love" turned out to be the biggest joke of all when cash was on the line.