The Last Page In The Will Novel by Lesilie Wong _ Novel





The Last Page In The Will Chapter 01

My mom said the will had nothing to do with me.
On the other end of the line, her tone was as flat as if she were discussing what to have for dinner.
"Your dad's things will just be divided up among the family.
You just focus on your own business."
The family.
I had lived in this house for thirty-eight years.
But the "family" my mom spoke of never included me.
I didn't say a word.
"Did you hear me?"
She pressed.
I said, "The lawyer notified me.
I'll be there."
She paused.
"Lawyer?
What lawyer?"
"The lawyer Dad hired.
He said I have to be present for the reading of the will."
The other end of the line went dead silent for three seconds.
Then my mom hung up.
-
When I arrived, the living room was already packed.
My older brother sat on the long sofa with his arm draped over the armrest, legs crossed casually.
Hiswife, Emily Parker, sat beside him peeling an orange. She glanced at me without a greeting.
My younger sister, Jessica Sterling, was in the armchair, her eyes red.
She held a crumpled tissue and kept sniffling softly.
My mom sat right in the center.
On the coffee table in front of her were tea, a fruit platter, and a box of tissues.
When I walked in, no one offered me a seat.
The sofas were full, and two chairs had been brought over from the dining table.
One for my uncle, one for my aunt.
None for me.
I stood at the door for two seconds.
Then I went to the balcony and grabbed a folding chair myself.
No one thought anything was wrong with that.
I placed the chair at the very edge of the room.
And sat down.
My mom gave me a look but said nothing.
Then she turned to my uncle and said, "Julio Ford said he'd be here at two."
Julio was the lawyer.
The one my dad hired himself before he passed.
My mom was the only one in the family who knew about this, but it wasn't until I brought it up on the phone yesterday that she finally realized—this lawyer wasn't just a formality.
"When did your dad hire a lawyer?"
She had asked in the Family Chat Group last night.
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
At 2:03, the doorbell rang.
Julio walked in. He was in his early forties, wore glasses, and carried a brown briefcase under his arm.
"The reading of Mr. Arthur's will requires all legal heirs to be present."
He scanned the room.
"Mr. Robert."
"Here."
My brother leaned forward slightly.
"Ms. Amanda."
"Here."
"Ms. Jessica."
Jessica sniffled and said, "Here."
"Mrs. Mary."
My mom gave a sound of acknowledgment.
Julio opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers.
"The will is four pages long.
I will read it from the beginning."
My mom picked up her teacup and took a sip, her expression calm.
She wasn't nervous.
Because in her eyes, this was just a procedure.
She already knew exactly how things would be divided.
"With your dad gone, I'm the one who calls the shots in this house."
—Those were her exact words to my brother on the phone the day before yesterday.
I heard it.
I wasn't eavesdropping.
My brother had her on speakerphone.
He didn't know I was right in the next room, packing up my dad's belongings.
Julio turned to the first page.
"Item one.
The residential property located at 14 Maple Street, Westside, shall be transferred to Robert Sterling."
My brother nodded.
A look of absolute entitlement on his face.
"Item two.
The deposit of 153,000 dollars in the Bank of America account is left to Jessica."
Jessica sniffled again.
This time it carried a different emotion—150,000, she probably felt it wasn't enough.
"Item three.
The gold jewelry in the house and the cash in the safe shall belong to Mary Smith."
My mother put down her teacup and nodded slightly.
The three items were read out.
The whole room went quiet for a second.
Then my mother spoke: "Alright, then that's it—"
"I haven't finished reading."
Julio turned past the third page.
"There is one last page."
My mother's hand stopped in mid-air.
"What?"
Julio didn't look up.
"Item four."
He paused.
"This item is quite long.
It involves an attachment.
Please wait until I finish before speaking."
The living room was suddenly very quiet.
Even Jessica forgot to wipe her nose.
I sat on the folding chair at the very edge.
No one looked at me.
Just like every day for the past fifteen years.

READ FULL NOVEL HERE