All Chapters of The Inheritance Clause: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

POV: Selene CastellanoThe depositions were over.Selene was sitting in the penthouse library the next morning, staring at nothing while the words kept replaying in her head. I LOVE YOUAvalon had said he loves her under oath, in a deposition designed to prove their marriage was fake.He had said it and meant it.Her phone buzzed. Maya.How’d it go?Selene didn’t know how to answer that.He told me he loves me.Three dots appeared, disappeared then appeared again.WHAT? When? How? DETAILS LENA.Yesterday at the deposition. He admitted it to Sullivan before he told me.That’s so Avalon, he is emotionally constipated until legally required to share his feelings.Selene smiled sheepishly, despite everything, he still loves me, Maya.How are you feeling?I’m terrified, happy and waiting for the other shoe to drop.There is no other shoe Selene. He loves and you love him that is all that matters.The judge still has to rule you know? And Marcus could still win.He won’t. You guys told the

POV: Selene CastellanoThe call came three days after Margaret’s warning.Selene was deep in thought, typing away on her grant proposal in the quiet library, when her phone suddenly rang, shattering the stillness. She looked down at the screen, and her curiosity was piqued when she saw that the call was from an unknown number.“Hello?”“Selene. It’s Catherine.”Selene’s stomach dropped. “ Catherine, if this is about Marcus—”Catherine's voice sounded different, it was harsher now. "Can we see today?" she said, her words laced with urgency. "It's really important," she added, her tone firm.“I don’t think—”“Marcus’s lawyer called me this morning. He asked me to testify against Nene’s will, he wants me to say she was losing her mind in her final months. That she was being manipulated and that the marriage clause was a proof of her declining mental capacity.”Selene's fingers wrapped tightly around the phone, her voice firm as she asked, "What was that you just said?"I really need to s

POV: Selene CastellanoSelene woke up to seventeen missed calls from Maya.Not texts. Calls.At 3 AM.Her heart just stopped beating. It must have been the treatment that caused it. Something clearly didn't go as planned with the treatment, and now her heart wasn't working.She called back immediately, hands shaking.Maya answered on the first ring.“Finally. I’ve been calling for hours.”“It’s three in the morning. I was asleep. Maya, what’s wrong? Is it the cancer? Did something—”"I'm doing okay, the cancer is still under control, but this isn't about my health, let's focus on something else."Selene exhaled. “ Then why—”I read the article, the one about Elena, and it said you were keeping the pregnancy a secret, it talked about everything that's been going on.Selene’s stomach dropped. “ Maya—”I saw all the comments, thousands of people we've never met, calling you a liar and saying you're just in it for the money, this kept me up all night, thinking about how you must be readin

POV: Avalon PiercePier 39 was crowded for a Sunday afternoon.Tourists, street performers, the smell of seafood and salt water was everywhere and see lions barking in the distance.Avalon stood at the north end, exactly where the caller had instructed by 2PM.Selene was fifty feet away, pretending to watch the sea lions, while Diana was at a café with a clear sightline. Margaret had refused to be left out—she was browsing a souvenir shop nearby and somewhere in the crowd, two private security guards Diana had hired were watching.If this went bad, they’d have witnesses and backup.Avalon’s phone buzzed.Turn around.He did.A woman stood behind him, she is in her mid-thirties wearing an expensive suit and designer sunglasses. She looked like she belonged in a boardroom, not on a tourist pier.“Mr. Pierce,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”“You’re the one who called?”“No. I’m the one he sent.” She gestured toward the water. “Walk with me.”“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me w

POV: Avalon PierceThe boardroom had never felt so hostile.Avalon stood at the head of the table, looking at faces he’d known for years. People who’d worked with Nene, watched him grow up and supported his leadership. Now they looked at him like a stranger.Patricia Wong sat with her arms crossed, Daniel Frost wouldn’t meet his eyes even Robert Chen—usually his strongest ally—looked uncertain. Margaret was the only one who had clear support, but unfortunately, having just one vote wouldn't be enough to make a difference.Vincent Caruso was seated at the far end of the table, officially there as a guest observer, but it was no secret that he was the one actually in charge of the meeting.He smiled at Avalon, a smile that was full of confidence and victory.“Shall we begin?” Patricia said. “ We’re here to vote on Vincent Caruso’s acquisition offer of five billion dollars for the complete purchase of Pierce Holdings.”"Avalon spoke up, saying, 'Before we make our decision, there's someth