Chapter 4

The lights of the Whitman estate were almost blinding.

When I arrived, Lillian was sitting in Grandfather Edward's favorite armchair.

A bowl of hot soup sat before her. Alexander held her spoon, Nicholas arranged a cushion behind her back, and Leon crouched by the fireplace, adjusting the temperature for her.

That chair was one I had never been willing to sit in.

Grandfather said that chair would be mine only when I truly became the lady of the house.

Alexander frowned the moment he saw me. "What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer, Martin stepped into the living room behind me. "I notified Ms. Bennett to be here."

Nicholas stood up. "Martin?"

Leon turned around too. "It's not a shareholders' meeting. What are you doing at the estate?"

Martin placed his briefcase on the long table. "At Ms. Bennett's request, tonight we will formally review the supplementary provisions of the family trust established by Edward Whitman. All three current heir candidates are required to be present as witnesses."

The living room fell silent.

Alexander turned to me. "You initiated this?"

I nodded.

Leon scoffed. "Over a blind date and a wedding dress? Aren't the house, the trust fund, and the living allowance Grandfather gave you enough?"

Lillian gently set down her spoon. "Is this about the wedding dress? If it really bothers you that much, I'll give it back right now."

She had her assistant bring in the garment bag.

The moment the bag was opened, I could barely breathe.

The hem of the dress had been cut shorter.

My grandmother's lace had been taken apart and restitched. The once-clean waistline was now covered in rhinestones, and the bodice had been taken in to fit Lillian's figure.

It was no longer the wedding dress Grandfather had entrusted to me.

"How dare you alter it?" My voice shook.

Lillian looked at me helplessly. "The stylist said the original cut wasn't camera-friendly. I thought you weren't going to wear it anymore, and Alexander didn't object..."

Leon stepped in front of her. "It's just an old wedding dress. So what if she altered it? Why are you snapping at her?"

I turned to Alexander.

He avoided my eyes.

Nicholas said in a low voice, "This is Grandfather's home. Don't make a scene here."

It was precisely because this was Grandfather's home that their cruelty cut so deep.

Every corner of this estate carried traces of him.

He taught me to write my first check, came with me to Parents' Day at school, and when he learned I was afraid of the dark, he kept the hallway sconces lit through the night.

And his three grandsons had turned the wedding dress he prepared for me into a publicity prop to win over another woman.

I walked over and touched the severed lace. "Do you even know who left this for me?"

Alexander said nothing.

Nicholas actually said, "If Grandfather were still here, he'd like Lillian too. He wouldn't want us fighting over a wedding dress."

I raised my hand and slapped him.

The sharp crack echoed through the living room. Everyone froze.

Nicholas's head turned with the blow, his gaze slowly going cold.

Leon grabbed my wrist. "Have you lost your mind?"

His fingers clamped down on the scalded skin, and the pain made my whole body tremble.

But I didn't struggle.

"Yes, I've been out of my mind for four years."

Alexander cut in sharply, "Enough."

He turned to Martin. "What's wrong with the trust? Out with it."

Martin produced a document bearing a notarial seal.

"During his lifetime, Edward Whitman placed twenty-seven percent of Whitman Holdings' voting shares into the family trust. These shares have been held by an independent trustee, and no current heir has the authority to dispose of them individually."

Alexander's expression changed.

Martin continued, "The supplementary provisions state that after Ms. Bennett turns twenty-five, she may independently designate one final beneficiary from among the qualified Whitman descendants. The designee will acquire the income rights and voting proxy for those shares, along with the decisive votes needed to nominate the chairman of the board."

The spoon slipped from Lillian's hand onto the carpet.

Leon released my wrist. "What does that mean?"

Martin closed the document. "It means that the control the three of you have been fighting over all these years will ultimately be decided by Ms. Bennett."

The color drained from Nicholas's face bit by bit.

For the first time, Alexander lost his composure. "Why would Grandfather give that kind of power to her?"

Martin glanced at him. "In his accompanying letter, Edward wrote that he wanted to see how the three candidates would treat someone who had nothing to offer them when they didn't know about this provision."

The living room was deathly silent.

Red marks from Leon's grip lingered on my wrist. The ruined wedding dress lay on the long table.

The answer was already clear enough.

Martin turned to me. "Ms. Bennett, you may announce your final choice now or choose to withhold the name for the time being. However, effective tonight, the three candidates may no longer exercise any voting rights attached to the trust shares."

I looked at the three men in front of me, finally seeing their composure crack.

Four years ago, they told me to take my time choosing.

Now, I had my answer.

"The person I've chosen is not in this room."