Chapter 3 – Part 2: The Will That Changed Everything
Chapter 3 – Part 2: The Will That Changed Everything
Amy tightened her grip on the phone.
"My grandmother's will?"
Marcus's voice remained calm, but she could hear the urgency beneath it.
"Yes."
"I need you to come to Collins Design Group."
"Immediately."
Amy frowned.
"I already know what Grandma left me."
"That's what I thought too," Marcus replied.
"But this isn't the copy you've seen."
The line went silent.
The Lawyer's Office
An hour later, Amy, Aunt Rose, and Chloe arrived at the headquarters of Collins Design Group.
Waiting inside the conference room were Marcus, the company's longtime attorney, Harold Whitmore, and two forensic accountants.
Several thick binders covered the polished oak table.
Harold stood as Amy entered.
"I wish we were meeting under happier circumstances."
"So do I."
He motioned for everyone to sit.
"I've represented your family for nearly thirty years."
Amy nodded.
"I know."
"Which is why what I'm about to show you is deeply disturbing."
He slid two documents across the table.
"They're both copies of your grandmother Eleanor Collins's final will."
Amy immediately noticed something strange.
They weren't identical.
Two Different Wills
"The one on your left," Harold explained, "is the copy you received after Eleanor passed away."
Amy recognized it instantly.
It left her thirty percent of the company.
Exactly as she remembered.
Harold then pointed to the second document.
"This one was recovered from Eleanor's personal safe."
Amy looked up.
"I didn't know she had another safe."
"Very few people did."
Harold carefully opened the document.
"This version leaves you fifty-one percent."
The room fell silent.
Amy blinked.
"...What?"
Harold nodded.
"You were supposed to inherit controlling interest in Collins Design Group."
Marcus added quietly,
"But you never did."
Amy stared at the papers.
"My grandmother would never..."
Harold interrupted gently.
"She did."
He slid both copies side by side.
"The signatures match."
"The witnesses match."
"The dates match."
"But one page..."
He tapped the final section.
"...was replaced."
The Missing Twenty-One Percent
Amy's hands trembled.
"If I was supposed to own fifty-one percent..."
She looked around the room.
"...where did the other twenty-one percent go?"
No one answered immediately.
Finally, one of the forensic accountants opened another folder.
"It was transferred."
"To whom?"
He turned the page.
Amy felt her stomach drop.
The recipient was listed as:
Bennett Capital Holdings.
She whispered,
"Charles..."
Marcus nodded.
"Six months after your grandmother died."
Harold removed his glasses.
"We believe the documents were altered before probate."
Amy leaned back in disbelief.
"So Charles Bennett has controlled part of my family's company..."
"...for years."
Harold answered softly.
"Yes."
The Hidden Witness
A knock interrupted the meeting.
Harold looked toward the door.
"I wasn't expecting anyone."
His assistant entered.
"There's a woman here asking for Amy."
"She says her name is Margaret Ellis."
Aunt Rose immediately stood.
"Margaret?"
Moments later, an elderly woman entered with a cane.
She smiled warmly when she saw Aunt Rose.
"It's been too long."
The two women embraced.
Amy looked confused.
"You know each other?"
Margaret nodded.
"We worked for your grandmother."
She slowly sat down.
"I heard what happened at the wedding."
"And I realized..."
"...I couldn't stay silent anymore."
Eleanor's Last Conversation
Margaret carefully opened an old leather diary.
"The night before your grandmother passed away..."
"...she asked me to witness something."
Amy leaned forward.
Margaret smiled sadly.
"She said, 'If anything happens to my will, tell Amy one thing.'"
Amy's heart pounded.
"What was it?"
Margaret looked directly into her eyes.
"'Never trust a man who suddenly becomes interested in family.'"
Aunt Rose closed her eyes.
"She knew."
Margaret nodded.
"Eleanor suspected someone would try to steal the company."
Amy whispered,
"Did she know who?"
Margaret slowly answered,
"Yes."
Everyone held their breath.
"Charles Bennett."
The Arrest Warrant
At that exact moment, Marcus's phone vibrated.
He answered immediately.
A detective spoke rapidly.
"We've got enough."
Marcus stood.
"The district attorney has approved fraud charges."
Amy looked hopeful.
"Against Charles?"
Marcus nodded.
"And conspiracy."
He grabbed his jacket.
"But there's a problem."
"What?"
"Charles left the hotel forty-five minutes ago."
Harold frowned.
"Where did he go?"
Marcus looked down at the GPS report on his phone.
His expression changed.
"No..."
Amy stood.
"What is it?"
Marcus slowly turned the screen toward her.
Charles Bennett's car had stopped...
...outside Amy's house.
No one spoke.
Then Aunt Rose quietly said,
"He isn't running."
"He's looking for something."
Amy suddenly remembered the old cedar chest in her attic.
The one her grandmother had insisted she never throw away.
Her face turned pale.
"He knows about the letters."
Marcus didn't waste another second.
He was already running for the door.
"If Charles reaches that attic first..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
May you like
Whatever Eleanor Collins had hidden there...
...could expose everything.
