Chapter 11 - THE WILLThree months later.
The snow was falling softly in Manhattan. I stood at the window of my new, high-security apartment on the Upper West Side, watching the white flakes drift over Central Park.
In the living room, Sophie was playing with her new dollhouse. There was no fear in her eyes anymore. The shadows had receded.
My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter. It was Marcus.
“The probate court just released the final ruling on Arthur Bennett’s estate,” Marcus said. He sounded breathless.
“And?” I asked, taking a sip of hot coffee.
“Margaret is officially indicted for wire fraud and conspiracy. They’re still building the murder case regarding Arthur's medical tampering, but she’s looking at twenty years minimum. The judge nullified her control of the trust.”
“So the money goes to the Bennett Foundation?” I asked. I didn't care about the money. I had secured a lucrative job consulting for a rival firm—ironically, set up through a silent recommendation from Elias Thorne.
“That’s the thing, Claire,” Marcus laughed. “Arthur’s will stated that if there was no biological heir, the money reverted to the foundation. But there was a biological heir.”
I frowned. “Arthur didn't have any other children.”
“No,” Marcus said softly. “But he had a grandchild.”
I froze. My coffee cup hovered inches from my mouth.
“Wait. What are you saying?”
“Daniel wasn't Arthur’s son,” Marcus explained. “But remember the DNA test? The blood typing? Daniel is AB Negative. Arthur was O-Negative. Margaret is O-Positive. Do you know who else was AB Negative?”
My mind raced, flipping through medical records, memories, and the impossible web of lies this family had woven.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
“Arthur knew Margaret was sleeping around long before Elias Thorne,” Marcus said. “Daniel isn't Arthur’s son. He’s Elias’s. But Sophie... Claire, did you ever run a paternity test on yourself?”
I set the mug down so hard coffee sloshed over the rim. “What are you talking about, Marcus? I birthed her.”
“Yes, but the clinic you used for the IVF treatments six years ago. The one Margaret insisted on paying for. The one she owned a stake in.” Marcus took a deep breath. “Arthur left a sealed letter with his original lawyer. Margaret didn't want Daniel’s line continuing. She paid the clinic to swap your fertilized embryos with donor embryos.”
The room spun. I braced my hands against the granite counter.
“But the clinic technician took a bribe from someone else, too,” Marcus continued softly. “Arthur. Arthur found out about Margaret’s plan. He paid the tech double to ensure the embryo implanted in you belonged to his actual biological son from a previous, secret marriage before he met Margaret. A son who died in a car crash twenty years ago.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “Sophie...”
“Sophie is Arthur Bennett’s biological granddaughter,” Marcus said. “Not Daniel’s daughter. Not Elias’s granddaughter. Arthur’s bloodline. Margaret was so obsessed with Daniel’s paternity, she never realized Arthur outplayed her at the genetic level.”
I looked over at the living room. Sophie looked up and smiled at me. Those huge, beautiful gray eyes.
May you like
Arthur’s eyes.
“The entire Bennett estate, Claire,” Marcus whispered. “Two point four billion dollars. It belongs entirely to Sophie. And you are the sole executor until she turns twenty-five.”
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