Chapter 5

Barely a week after I died, Richard brought Grace and Anna home: the villa I'd poured half my life into.

I watched as Richard's car slowly pulled into the courtyard.

He personally got out and opened the door for Grace. There was a gentle smile on his face, as if he was rolling out the red carpet for a queen.

Grace was dressed in a plain, elegant dress, but the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide.

She took Richard's arm and stepped out of the car. Her gaze swept over the villa with undisguised greed.

Every tree and brick here were earned by me, but soon, everything here would belong to them.

Anna trailed behind them. She was rocking a designer mini-skirt, her makeup flawless. She looked bored and critical.

"Dad, is this the 'big house' you kept talking about?" Anna scoffed. "I don't see what's so great about it. The decoration is so outdated. It's like something from decades ago."

Richard gently tapped her nose. "Honey, if you don't like it, we'll renovate the whole place, tear it all down and redo it in whatever style you want. How does that sound?"

Anna finally flashed a satisfied grin. "Now that's more like it," she said.

She bounced her way into the living room, strutting around like a princess checking out her new castle.

She brushed her hand over an antique vase and nudged the Persavian rug with her foot.

"Ugh, all this stuff is ancient. Get rid of it already," she huffed.

She dropped herself onto the sofa I loved most and crossed her legs. "Dad, I don't care what anyone says. I want the biggest room. The one upstairs, facing south, with the balcony."

That used to be my master bedroom.

Grace reached out and pretended to pull her back. "Don't be silly, Anna. We're here to to pay our respects to Victoria."

She said they were here to pay their respects, but her eyes were already sizing up the painting on the wall, trying to guess how much it was worth.

Richard smiled. "It's fine. This place is our home now. Anna, you can have whichever room you like."

When Richard was speaking, a cold voice echoed from the stairs. "Who let you in here?"

It was Lucas. He stood on the stairs in black loungewear and looked down at them from the top of the stairs, his gaze icy.

The laughter in the living room died instantly. Richard looked a bit awkward.

"Lucas, what are you doing here? This is Grace and Anna, your sister. They're here to pay their respects," he said.

Lucas slowly made his way down the stairs. He didn't spare Richard a glance. His eyes were fixed on Grace and Anna.

"Here to pay respects?" Lucas said. "My mom's memorial is in the church. This is my home. You're not welcome here."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word dropped like a cold slap, chilling the room.

Anna was taken aback by his icy demeanor, but she quickly recovered.

She stood up, hands on her hips. "Who do you think you are? My dad said this is our home now. You're an outsider."

Grace tugged at her daughter's sleeve, signaling her to keep quiet, but Anna didn't care at all.

She jabbed a finger at Lucas. "Let me tell you: I'm my dad's daughter. I get a share, too. This place is half mine."

Lucas looked at her. Suddenly, a smirk crept onto his face. That smirk was pure sarcasm and contempt.

"Inheritance? You?" he scoffed. "Give me a break."

He walked up to Anna and towered over her, making her feel small.

He uttered his words slowly. "First, my mom was gone only a few days ago, and you're already barging in like you own the place. Have you no shame?

"Second, everything here is my mom's premarital property and everything she worked for. None of this has anything to do with your dad or you."

he leaned in close to Anna, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Third, get out, or I'll have security drag you out."

Anna was so scared that she took a step back, her face going pale.

Richard finally had enough.

He stepped protectively in front of Anna and snapped at Lucas. "Lucas, is that any way to talk to your sister? You two share the same blood."

Lucas stared at Richard, who was furious. His eyes were filled with nothing but disappointment and sadness.

"She's not my sister," Lucas said. "My mom only had one child: me."

Then he fixed his gaze on Richard, "And as for you, from now on, you're no longer my father."

After he finished speaking, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Security? There are three trespassers in the living room. 'Escort' them out."

Richard was trembling with anger. "H-how dare you!"

Grace was panicking now. She grabbed Richard's arm. "Richard, let's get out of here for now."

She didn't want things to blow up before they got their hands on the money.

But Anna wasn't about to back down. She screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'm not leaving. This is my home."

Before long, four burly security guards stormed in. They bowed respectfully to Lucas. "Mr. Evans."

Lucas pointed at Richard, Grace, and Anna. "Escort them out."

The security guards immediately stepped forward.

Richard tried to resist, but when he saw those burly guards, he didn't dare move.

He could only watch helplessly as he and his "new family" were hauled out of the villa, treated like yesterday's garbage.

Even with the door closed, Lucas could still hear Anna screaming and cursing. "Lucas, just you wait. My dad won't let you get away with this.

"Wait till the will is read. Let's see how cocky you are then."

Lucas stood by the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He watched them make fools of themselves outside the door.

His face was stone-cold.

He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Melvin.

[Let's get this started.]