Chapter 3: Welcome To Your Inheritance

Hailey's POV 

I straighten, and that's when I saw it, the spectacle I'd been avoiding.

Black umbrellas stretched across the hilltop, designer fabrics were held by gloved hands. Polished shoes that cost more than my car sank into grass, it was so perfect it looked almost unreal. They were cameras lined the iron gates, capturing every tear, every hug, every calculated moment of public mourning.

Cyrus Ramsey funeral wasn't a service. It was more of a coronation in reverse.

The casket sat under the white roses, thousands of them. A string quartet played something I couldn't recognize. At the front, his widow held a black handkerchief to her face, her shoulders where shaking with perfectly timed sobs. 

She didn't know me, and I was sure she didn't know I existed.

"Ms. Ramsey?" 

A woman with gray suite appeared besides me. She had sharp features and eyes.

"I'm Georgina Cruz. We spoke on the phone." She extended a hand. "Thank you for coming."

"I almost didn't." I shook her hand briefly, then pulled Gio closer when he tried to wander toward the flowers.

Georgina's gaze dropped to my son. "I wasn't aware you had other relatives." 

"He's five. I'm not leaving him with strangers." My voice came out harder than intended.

"Of course." But her eyes lingered on Gio's face, especially his eyes, before moving back to mine. "The will reading is tomorrow. One PM. My office." 

"What exactly am I walking into?" I asked, a little bit tensed .

Her mouth curved into something that wasn't exactly a smile. "A feeding frenzy. Your father's estate is... substantial. And there are multiple parties with vested interests."

I raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

" Meaning everyone wants a piece, and you're standing between them and billions. She pulled a card from her pocket. " Don't be late, Ms. Ramsey. And Please prepare yourself. This won't be pleasant."

And then she disappeared into the crowd before I could respond.

Ramsey & Associates occupied three floors of a shining glass building that touched the sky. The lobby alone would probably cost more than everything I'd ever owned combined.

"Wow." Gio's eyes went wild, staring at the crystal chandelier above us. "Are we in a castle?" 

"Something like that" I held his hand tighter as we approached the reception desk.

The woman behind it looked at us from head to toe, her expression said everything about what she thought we were worth.

"Can I help you?" She asked, almost irritated.

"Hailey Ramsey." I replied confidently. "I have a One PM appointment." 

Something shifted in her face. "Of course. She's going to the top floor. Ms. Cruz is expecting you."

The elevator ride felt like going into another world. Gio pressed his face against the glass, watching the city shrink below us.

"Mommy are we rich now" 

The question hit like a slap. "What? No. Why would you say that?"

"The lady at the funeral said we were gonna be rich. That the dead man left us everything."

Ice flooded my veins. "What lady, Gio?"

"The one that was busy crying. She was talking to the man Gray one, and said...." He pressed his lips together tightly, , trying to remember. "She said 'that bastard left everything to his bastard daughter.'"

The elevator doors opened.

The conference room was full, a long table surrounded by people in suites that cost more than my annual income. They all turned when we entered, and the weight of their gaze nearly made me want to turn back to the hallway.

His widow sat at the head, dressed like they'd stepped out of a fashion magazine, she looking at me like I was something infectious. Board members lined the sides, men with silver hair and women with surgical precision faces, all watching.

"Ms. Ramsey." Georgina stood at the far end, documents spread before her. "Please,sit." 

I moved to the empty chair, Gio pressed against my side. Every step felt like walking through quicksand.

"Is that a child?" Her voice dripped with hate.

" He's my son." I pulled Gio into the lsp, wrapping his arms around him protectively.

Georgina's mouth twitched. "Let's Begin." 

She opened the leather, and the room fell into tense, suffocating silence.

"We're here for the reading of Cyrus Ramsey's last will and testament, excuted four months before he died he did that With three separate times."

"Four months?" the stepson, moved forward. "He was barely functioning four months ago. This entire thing needs to be thrown out..."

"Your stepfather," Georgina's voice reminded calm. " Was evaluated by three mature physicians. Complete mental competency. Would you like to see the documentation, or should we continue?"

His jaw clicked together, but he sat still.

Georgina turned pages with deliberate slowness. " The estate of Cyprus Ramsey is valued 3.9 Billionaire dollar. It includes the controlling shares controlling of Ramsey's industries portfolios, and various holdings." She paused. "However, the primary asset, one hundred percent ownership of Ramsey Industries, passes to a single beneficiary."

The room stopped breathing.

The window fingers dug into the armrests. The board members leaned forward like wolves. Georgina eyes found mine across the table.

''The sole heiress is Hailey Ramsey. His son can provide accomodation. " She paused" By blood and by law, uncomplicated by paternal disputes or claims. Effective immediately, Ms. Ramsey is the owner and controlling shareholder of Ramsey Industries and all associated assets."

The world exploded 

The window screamed something I couldn't process. The brothers both lunged to their feet, their faces twisted with rage. Board members erupted into chaos, voices overlapping, shouting about legal challenges and company stability and impossible decisions.

But I couldn't hear any of it.

Couldn't process anything except the impossible, devastating truth.

My father, the man who called me an embarrassment. Who'd abandoned you.

3.8 billion dollars. His entire empire.

"Mommy?" Gio small voice cut through the noise. " Why is everyone with shouting?" 

I looked down at his perfect face, and something inside me cracked and reformed simultaneously.

"Because everything just changed, baby."

Georgiana smiled across the table, sharp and knowing.

"Welcome to your inheritance, Ms. Ramsey."