Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lillian’s phone nearly slipped from her hand. “I’m sorry,” she said slowly. “Can you repeat that?”

“Mr. William Brooks passed away early this morning,” attorney Gerald Haines repeated. “And you are named as a beneficiary in his will. We would like you to come in at your earliest convenience.”

Lillian pressed her back against the kitchen wall. Her mind was moving in three directions at once.

William Brooks was dead.

The man who had arranged her marriage with Nathaniel. The man who, despite everything, had always treated Lillian with a strange kind of fondness that she never fully understood.

Dead!?

“When did it happen?” she asked.

“Early this morning. Around four a.m.,” the attorney said. “He died from a cardiac arrest.”

Four a.m. Lillian thought about Nathaniel showing up at her mother’s door looking like he had not slept. Now she understood why.

“Does Nathaniel know?” she asked before she could stop herself.

There was a brief pause and then Gerald Haines said. “Mr. Brooks was informed this morning, yes.”

Lillian closed her eyes. “Okay. I will come in,” she said. “When should I come?”

“Tomorrow morning if possible. Ten o’clock.”

“I’ll be there,” she said. She ended the call and stood in the kitchen without moving.

Her mother appeared in the doorway. “Lillian? You don't look very good. What happened this time?”

“William Brooks is dead,” Lillian said quietly.

Margaret’s hand flew to her mouth. “Lord.”

“His attorney just called me.” Lillian looked up at her mother. “He said I am in the will, Mama.”

Margaret stared at her. “In the will? Why would William add you to his will–?” She stopped herself. Then she sat down slowly at the kitchen table. “That man never did anything without a reason.”

“I know,” Lillian agreed. And that was exactly what frightened her.

***

The next morning, Lillian arrived at Gerald Haines’ office at five minutes to ten.

The building was tall and grey on the corner of Meridian and Fifth. The kind of building that felt expensive just standing outside of it.

A receptionist led her to a conference room on the fourteenth floor. She stepped inside and stopped.

Nathaniel was already there. He was sitting at the far end of the long table, jacket on this time. He had cleaned himself up since the previous day. But his eyes still carried that same heaviness.

Beside him sat a woman Lillian did not recognize. Probably in her early fifties. Dark hair pulled back tightly. She was dressed in a charcoal suit and was looking at Lillian with the kind of expression that was carefully arranged to show nothing.

Nathaniel stood when she walked in. “Lillian,” he called.

“Nathaniel.” She hugged him dearly. “I’m so sorry.”

For a moment, he didn’t move, as if the contact caught him off guard. Then his arms came around her, firm but restrained, like he wasn’t sure how much of this he was still allowed to have. 

“It’s… okay,” he said quietly, though it clearly wasn’t. “You don’t have to apologize.”

She pulled back slightly, searching his face, her brows drawing together. “I should have come sooner. I should have—”

“Lillian,” he interrupted gently, shaking his head. “We’re here now. That’s what matters.”

Her gaze shifted then, landing on the woman seated at the table. The woman hadn’t moved, still watching them with that same composed, unreadable expression.

“Who is she?” Lillian asked.

The woman answered before Nathaniel could. “My name is Victoria Sloan. I am Nathaniel Brooks’s private lawyer.” She gestured to the seat across from her. “Please sit down, Miss Harper.”

Lillian noticed she said Miss Harper and not Mrs. Brooks. She filed that away and sat down.

Gerald Haines entered behind her and took his seat at the head of the table. He opened a folder and cleared his throat.

“Thank you both for coming given the circumstances,” he began. “We will keep this brief and straightforward. Mr. William Brooks finalized his will eleven months ago. There have been no amendments since.” He looked down at his papers and continued. “The majority of the Brooks estate and company shares pass to Mr. Nathaniel Brooks as expected.” He paused. “However, there is a condition.”

Lillian felt Nathaniel shift in his seat across the table.

“What condition?” Lilian asked.

Gerald Haines looked up. “The transfer of full controlling shares in Brooks Group of Companies is tied to the marital status of Mr. Nathaniel Brooks.” He folded his hands. “Specifically, Mr. William Brooks stipulated that if Nathaniel Brooks is still married to Lillian Harper at the time of his death, full controlling shares will be transferred immediately to Nathaniel Brooks. If he is divorced or unmarried, all the shares will be transferred to Lillian Harper.”

There was complete silence in the room.

Lillian looked at Nathaniel. Nathaniel was staring at the attorney.

In that instant, everything crystallized. Nathaniel wanted her back because of this clause, not because he had changed his mind. This realization hardened her resolve towards him.

Gerald Haines turned his gaze to Nathaniel. “Mr. Brooks, for the record, what is your current marital status?”

Nathaniel didn’t hesitate as he replied quickly. “I am still married to Lillian Harper.”

Gerald nodded and turned to her. “Miss Harper, can you confirm that?”

Lillian realized at that moment that she held the reins. The power had shifted entirely into her hands. She opened her mouth to respond when Victoria Sloan leaned forward abruptly.

“He is technically still married to her,” Victoria Sloan said smoothly, glancing at Lillian. “The divorce was filed but not finalized. So the shares will be transferred to Nathaniel Brooks since the marriage is still intact.”

“If the divorce is later finalized at any point within the next twelve months,” Gerald said, “the shares revert to Miss Harper. Mr. William Brooks’s instructions were very specific.”

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair. He pressed two fingers against his temple.

Lillian watched him carefully. She could see the tension running through his jaw, down his shoulders.

Then she looked back at the attorney. “So what you are telling me is that William Brooks built a clause into his will specifically to stop the divorce.”

Gerald Haines met her eyes. “That is one way to interpret it, yes.”

Lillian laughed quietly. It was a short, disbelieving sound.

“Lillian,” Nathaniel said.

“Don’t Lillian me.” She held up one hand without looking at him. She needed a moment. Just one moment to process what was happening.

William Brooks had known. He had known Nathaniel would eventually push for the divorce. And he had built a trap so perfectly designed that it caught both of them at once.

She turned to look at Nathaniel directly. “Did you know about this clause when you came to my house yesterday?”

His jaw tightened. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Lillian.” His voice dropped low. “I did not know. I swear.”

She studied him for a long moment. Then she turned back to Gerald Haines. “I need some time to give you my answer.”

“Of course,” he said. “However, I would advise—”

“I said I need time,” she repeated quietly.

She picked up her bag and stood. She nodded once at Victoria Sloan and walked out without another word. She heard Nathaniel calling her name as she stepped into the hallway but she kept walking.