Chapter 2 - THE WOLVES AT THE DOOR8
The heavy mahogany doors of Everett Vance’s primary estate held a silence that felt heavy and thick. Outside, the rain beat a relentless rhythm against the floor-to-ceiling glass of the grand library. Inside, the atmosphere was loaded with unspoken hatred.
I sat in my father’s favorite wingback chair, my hands folded tightly over my lap. Across the polished oak table sat Calvin and Tabitha. Calvin looked pristine, wearing a charcoal Italian suit that I had bought him for our tenth anniversary. His hair was slicked back, but his skin was pale, and his jaw twitched every time he caught my eye. Tabitha sat beside him like a queen waiting for her crown. She wore an off-white cashmere coat, her lips painted in a shade of blood red that screamed arrogance.
Between us stood Kyle, my brother, leaning against the cold stone fireplace. He wouldn’t look at me, nor would he look at Calvin. He maintained the perfect mask of a troubled son caught in the crossfire.
"Let’s get this tragic little formality over with," Tabitha said, tapping her French-manicured nails on the table. The sharp click sounded like a clock ticking down to zero. "Calvin and I have an appointment with an interior design team at two o'clock. We don't have all day to waste on memories."
"Patience, Tabitha," Calvin muttered, though his voice lacked conviction. He kept shifting in his seat, nervously tugging at his gold cufflinks. "Attorney Penelope is setting up her materials."
Penelope adjusted her half-moon spectacles as she unzipped her leather briefcase. She didn't hurry. Every movement she made was precise, deliberate, and engineered to build tension. She placed a set of bound legal documents on the table, followed by a dark leather folder.
"Before we begin the reading of Everett Vance's last will and testament," Penelope said, her voice echoing through the vaulted room, "I must remind everyone present that this proceeding is being officially recorded, both audio and video, as mandated by the estate's trust guidelines."
Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Standard procedure. Cut to the chase, Penelope. We all know Everett's health was failing rapidly over the last year. We know what he intended for the business and the real estate."
"Do you, Tabitha?" Penelope asked quietly, offering a calm, cold smile.
"Of course we do," Tabitha snapped, leaning forward. "Calvin gave twelve years of his life to Vance Enterprises. He expanded the corporate real estate portfolio by forty percent. Everett treated him like a son—far more than he ever treated Paige, who spent her time playing with dirt in the garden while the grown-ups ran the empire."
I felt the heat rise in my chest, but I forced my expression to remain entirely frozen. I remembered the brass key in my pocket. I remembered the USB drive sitting safely inside Penelope’s bag.
"Calvin," I said softly, breaking my silence for the first time since they had arrived. "Is that really what you think? That you built my father's legacy while I just played in the dirt?"
Calvin swallowed hard. He avoided my gaze, staring instead at the antique desk lamp between us. "Paige... business is business. Everett knew I was the one capable of keeping the machine running. Your talents were always... domestic. You don't know what it takes to navigate boardrooms and debt structures."
"He means you're soft, darling," Tabitha interrupted, her tone dripping with fake sympathy. "And soft people don't inherit forty-million-dollar holding companies. Now, Penelope, read the damn document."
Penelope opened the main folder. She cleared her throat and began reading the formal opening clauses. The standard legal jargon washed over the room—the identification of assets, the settlement of outstanding debts, the charitable donations to local hospitals.
Tabitha’s body language grew increasingly restless. She shifted, checked her diamond watch, and crossed her legs. "Skip the pocket change. The main holdings. Vance Enterprises, the coastal trust, and this estate."
Penelope paused, looking up from the paper over her glasses. "Very well. Section Four: Allocation of Primary Commercial Assets and Corporate Ownership."
The room went entirely dead silent. Even the rain outside seemed to quiet down.
"Pursuant to the terms modified six months prior to my passing," Penelope read in a clear tone, "I hereby leave fifty-one percent of all voting shares in Vance Enterprises, along with the deeds to the commercial holdings in downtown Chicago and Miami, to Calvin Miller."
A gasping sigh of absolute triumph exploded from Tabitha. She threw her head back, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I knew it! I knew the old man wouldn't dare ruin the company!"
Calvin let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping as if a massive weight had been lifted. He finally looked up at me, a mixture of guilt and smug satisfaction washing over his features. "I'm sorry it had to be this way, Paige. But Everett was a realist. He put the business first."
I didn't answer. I looked at Kyle, who remained still against the fireplace, his knuckles white as he gripped the stone mantle.
"However," Penelope’s voice cut through Tabitha's celebratory mood like a razor. "This distribution of corporate assets is strictly subject to the immediate execution of Codicil Seven, executed three days prior to Mr. Vance’s death."
Tabitha’s smile vanished instantly. Her eyes narrowed into slit-like slits. "Wait. What codicil? What are you talking about?"
"A codicil," Penelope stated smoothly, "is a legally binding addition to a will. Under Codicil Seven, the distribution of any and all corporate shares to Calvin Miller is contingent upon his immediate signing of the Acceptance and Fiduciary Integrity Declaration."
Penelope produced a blue folder and slid a thick set of papers across the table toward Calvin. A costly Parker pen was placed neatly on top of it.
"What is this?" Calvin asked, his fingers hovering over the pen, trembling slightly.
"It is a standard confirmation of corporate compliance," Penelope explained casually. "By signing, you certify under penalty of perjury that during your tenure as Executive Vice President, you have never engaged in corporate embezzlement, unapproved offshore asset transfers, or conflict-of-interest transactions involving third parties."
Tabitha’s head snapped toward Calvin. Her face went pale under her heavy makeup. "Calvin, don't sign anything right now. Let our legal team look at it first."
"If Mr. Miller refuses to sign the declaration today," Penelope warned, "the contingent transfer of the fifty-one percent shareholding is permanently rendered null and void, and the entire corporate portfolio defaults immediately into a sole-beneficiary trust controlled exclusively by Paige Vance."
May you like
The trap was sitting wide open on the table. The bait was forty million dollars and absolute control of my father's company. The hook was a signed confession under oath.
Calvin stared down at the paper. Drops of sweat began to bead along his hairline. He looked at Tabitha, then at the document, then back at me. He was trapped in the ruthless cage of his own greed.
