Chapter 5. The Sole Heir

The morning sunlight began to creep through the window blinds, making the room a little brighter. Tristan blinked his eyes; his body still felt tired from the previous night. The handsome man stretched out his hand, reaching to the right side, hoping the warmth of the woman he had bought was still there. However, his hand only touched a cold blanket.

Tristan immediately sat upright, his eyes scanning the room. The bed was empty. The woman was gone. “Damn, where did that woman go?” Tristan furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment. The time already seven in the morning. His breath quickened as he realized not only was the woman missing, but his shirt was also gone. At that moment, he jumped out of bed, his eyes wildly searching for any sign of where the woman had gone. He quickly walked to the small table in the corner of the room. His wallet lay there, but when he opened it, several bills of cash were missing. A sinister smile appeared on his handsome face.

“How dare she run away from me?” Tristan muttered with a cold grin, his face darkening. “Tsk! Stupid woman!”

Tristan felt adrenaline flood his body. He tidied his messy hair, then began to carefully check the room, making sure he wasn’t mistaken. But everything pointed to the same the woman had escaped. His habit was always the same. After buying a woman, Tristan would play with them until he got bored, then let them go. But the woman he had just gotten had escaped before he decided to discard her.

“You damn woman, only I can throw you away! You’re not allowed to run away from me!” Tristan growled with full emotion.

Tristan’s face flushed with overflowing anger. He picked up his phone and dialed his assistant’s number. When the call connected, his voice turned cold and dangerous.

“Find that woman,” Tristan ordered firmly without any small talk. “She ran away last night. Search every corner of the city. I want her found as soon as possible.”

“Sorry, Sir? Which woman do you mean?” the assistant asked from the other side.

“The woman who was with me all night, damn it! Do I have to explain it too?!”

“Sir, how am I supposed to find her?”

“Tsk! You ask me? I’ve paid you well, idiot!” The assistant panicked. “O-okay, Sir. I will look for the woman you mean.”

Tristan ended the call and smiled sinisterly, his grin growing crueler. “You think you can run away from me that easily. Just wait until you get caught. I will make you regret it.”

Tristan felt his pride trampled on by the woman who looked so weak and helpless last night. Now, he was humiliated, and the only way to calm himself was to get that woman back matter how. After all, he had bought her. No one was allowed to take what belonged to him.

The atmosphere at the Redford family house that morning felt tense. Brittany and Veronica were busy preparing themselves, wearing the best clothes they had. This morning, Carter’s lawyer-Pierre-would come to read the will. The late Cordelia’s father had left the inheritance they had all been waiting for.

Brittany smiled warmly at her proud daughter. “Darling, this is our day. Carter’s wealth will fall into our hands.”

Veronica nodded, her eyes shining with hope. “Of course, Mom. Cordelia is just a weak child who knows nothing. She has even tarnished the family’s good name.”

Brittany snorted harshly. “That stupid woman doesn’t deserve anything from this family.”

The doorbell rang. A servant immediately opened the door, and Pierre, Carter’s lawyer, entered carrying a thick folder. His face was calm but firm, fitting his profession.

“Good morning, Mrs. Brittany, Miss Veronica,” Pierre greeted with a slight bow. “Thank you for making time. I am here to read the will of the late Mr. Carter.”

Brittany and Veronica stood, exchanging anticipatory glances.

“Of course, Pierre. We’ve been waiting for this,” Brittany said with a friendly smile, though the smile was full of insincerity.

Pierre nodded briefly. “Before I begin, there is one thing. I must ask Miss Cordelia to be present.”

Brittany’s face immediately changed; her expression darkened. “Cordelia? Why does she need to be here? She... she doesn’t need to hear this.”

Pierre raised his eyebrows, remaining calm. “Sorry, ma’am, but according to Mr. Carter’s instructions, all heirs must be present.”

Brittany held her breath, then sighed heavily. “Alright, I will ask the servant to call her.”

Not long after, Cordelia, still weak and pale, was brought out of her room. Her eyes were swollen from crying all night. The shabby clothes she wore-a shirt she had taken from Tristan-made her look unworthy to be there.

When her eyes met Brittany and Veronica, she tried a weak smile, hoping they would listen to her explanation. However, the disgusted looks from her stepmother and stepsister silenced her again.

Pierre smiled authoritatively. “Alright, since everyone is present, I will read the contents of Mr. Carter Redford’s will.”

Everyone there looked at Pierre, and only Cordelia seemed indifferent. Meanwhile, Veronica and Brittany were very impatient to hear the contents of the will.

Pierre opened his mouth after a long moment of reviewing the documents. “As we all know, I am here to read the will of the late Mr. Carter Redford. He has left clear instructions regarding the distribution of his assets.”

Brittany crossed her legs gracefully, hiding her anxiety behind a fake smile. Veronica, sitting beside Brittany, showed a sly smile, confident that her stepfather would surely choose them over the weak Cordelia.

“We are ready to hear the good news, Pierre,” Brittany said in the smoothest tone she could muster.

Pierre nodded briefly, then began reading the documents calmly. “First, Brittany Redford will receive a vacation home in Aspen, Colorado, as well as five hundred thousand dollars in cash.”

Brittany’s smile slowly faded. She furrowed her brow, a little surprised by the amount, which she considered very small. The aura on her face showed dissatisfaction.

“Is that all?” Brittany asked, trying to stay calm.

Pierre ignored her question and continued, “For Veronica Redford, the late Mr. Carter has given her his collection of antique jewelry as well as an apartment in downtown New York.”

Veronica was stunned. Although the gifts were valuable, she had hoped for more-such as control over the company or most of the other high-value assets. Her face stiffened, and the smile that had adorned her lips disappeared instantly.

“We should have gotten more than this!” Veronica muttered in a low voice, her eyes flashing angrily as she looked at her mother.

Pierre remained calm and continued, “Now, we come to the main part of this will. The late Mr. Carter Redford has appointed the primary heir who will inherit the entire family estate, including the majority shares of Redford Corp, the main Redford family properties, and all his financial wealth.”

Brittany and Veronica looked at Pierre with hopeful eyes. They were sure the name to be announced was one of theirs. However, what came out of Pierre’s mouth shocked them to the core.

“The entire inheritance of Carter Redford will fall to Cordelia Redford.”

A long silence filled the room. Brittany’s face instantly paled, while Veronica stared at Pierre in disbelief. The mother and daughter showed suppressed anger.

“That’s impossible! Carter must have made a mistake! I am his wife; there’s no way he would give so little to me!” Brittany shouted in disbelief.

“Right, I’m also his daughter. Not just Cordelia!” Veronica gripped the arm of her chair so tightly her fingers turned white.

Cordelia, who had been silent all this time, was shocked to hear her name called as the sole heir. She never imagined she would get anything from her father. Meanwhile, Pierre remained calm and professional, even as the atmosphere heated up.

“Mr. Carter Redford has left very clear instructions in this will,” Pierre said firmly. “Cordelia Redford is the sole heir to all the assets and shares of the Redford family. This has been legally decided.”

“No way! You must be playing with us!” Brittany, unable to contain her anger any longer, stood up quickly, pointing accusingly at Pierre. “Carter must have been fooled! He wouldn’t hand everything over to this woman!” she yelled, her eyes burning with hatred.

“Cordelia, tell us now! What did you say to Dad before he died?” Veronica also stood, her eyes narrowed in anger as she stared at Cordelia. “You must have asked Dad to do something. This is all your doing!”

“Mom, Veronica, I didn’t do anything at all,” Cordelia shook her head, trying to speak. “I... I don’t know anything about this. I never asked for this. I don’t even know anything about the inheritance.”

“We should be the ones to get everything!” Brittany looked at Cordelia with such hatred that Cordelia felt her body tremble. “You have tarnished this family’s good name, and now you dare take everything from us? After what you did?”

“Mom, please listen to me. I... I never asked for all of Dad’s possessions,” Cordelia trembled, her voice squeaky. “And about tarnishing the family name, that’s also-”

Slap! A slap landed on Cordelia’s cheek. “You still dare make excuses after all the evidence here?”

“M-Mom…” Cordelia whimpered, touching her right cheek that had been slapped by her stepmother.

“You sold yourself, disgraced the family name, and made Mom and me suffer. You’re amazing, Cordelia, I never thought you didn’t consider us family!” Veronica shouted loudly.

“No, I never-” Cordelia felt her throat tighten, wanting to explain that she never did the things she was accused of, that she never intended to steal anything. But Brittany and Veronica’s voices were too loud, drowning out all her attempts to explain.

“Enough! Stop this commotion!” Pierre cut in, his voice loud and firm. “The contents of this will are legally valid. If there are objections, please file claims through the proper channels. But keep in mind, all decisions written here will be executed immediately.”

Brittany and Veronica exchanged glances, their faces full of deepening anger and hatred. Their minds began to spin, planning ways to remove Cordelia from this inheritance-by any means necessary.

After Pierre finished and left the room, Brittany and Veronica remained standing there, frozen in an angry silence. Cordelia still sat in the corner of the room, her eyes starting to well up, feeling alone even though she was surrounded by her own family.

As Cordelia tried to stand up, Veronica stepped closer, her face cold and full of anger. She grabbed Cordelia’s jaw, causing the woman to groan in pain.

“You may have everything now, but never think you will enjoy it for long,” Veronica said with deep hatred toward Cordelia.