All Chapters of Sorry Nephew... She Wears My Ring Now: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

CHAPTER 51: The RecordsThe hospital was old but still running. Red brick walls, wide corridors, a smell of cleaning solution and tired coffee. Claire and Raymond walked through the front entrance at 4:30 PM and approached the main desk."We need access to birth records from thirty-four years ago," Raymond said. "I have a copy of the certificate. I'm the person named on it."The woman at the desk looked at him over her glasses. "Birth records older than twenty-five years are stored in our archive. You'll need to fill out a request form and provide identification.""How long does the request take?""Usually three to five business days.""I can't wait that long.""Sir, I understand, but the archive has procedures..."Benjamin stepped forward and placed a card on the counter. "This is the contact information for Raymond's legal team. We're happy to process the formal request, but we'd appreciate the chance to speak with the records manager today. The matter involves an active legal proce

They reached the farmhouse before sunrise. The air smelled like wet grass and cold dirt. Fog hung low across the yard, turning the apple tree into a grey shape without edges.Raymond unlocked the front door with the same push he used last time. The wood groaned. Inside, the house was freezing. Their breath came out in small white clouds."The fireplace," Raymond said, crossing the living room.The stone fireplace stood against the far wall, tall and wide, built from river rocks cemented together. The hearth was flat, made of thick slabs laid side by side.Raymond kneeled. He ran his fingers along the edges of the stones, feeling for loose mortar, gaps, anything that hinted at a hiding spot."Esther said 'under the fireplace stones,'" Claire reminded him. "Not inside the chimney. Under the base."Emmanuel handed Raymond a small pry bar from the tool bag Benjamin brought. Raymond worked it between two of the hearth stones. The mortar crumbled easily, old and dry.The first stone came up

The court authorization came through by noon. Benjamin drove Claire and Raymond to Victor's company building, a glass tower in the financial district with locked doors and caution tape across the main entrance.A security guard checked their paperwork and let them through. The lobby was empty. Dark screens, dead plants, unplugged phones. Nine frozen projects meant nine floors of abandoned work."Francis's office is on the fourteenth floor," Benjamin said, checking the building directory.The elevator still worked. They rode up in silence. Claire counted the floors by watching the numbers light up above the door. Each one felt like a step closer to something final.The fourteenth floor was carpeted and clean, nothing like the lobby. Francis kept his space neat. His office was at the end of the hallway, behind a glass door with his name etched in silver.The door was locked. Benjamin produced a master key provided by the building manager under the court order. The lock clicked. They ent

Tuesday morning arrived grey and heavy. Rain streaked down the windows of the courthouse as Claire, Raymond, and their legal team entered through the side entrance.The probate courtroom was larger than the one where Victor's motion was denied. Dark wood paneling, high ceilings, and a bench where a single judge would decide whether Esther's real will would be honored or thrown out.Claire wore her black blazer, white blouse, and the silver chain. The blue ring sat on her right hand. She carried a leather folder with copies of everything: the will, the photographs, the diary entries, Margaret's documents, Samuel's journal, and now Victor's three boxes of evidence.Raymond sat beside her at the petitioner's table. His legal team filled the row behind them. Benjamin occupied the far end with his tablet, monitoring communications.Across the room, Francis's attorney sat alone. A tall woman with sharp features and a briefcase that looked too large for one person to carry. She represented b

Thursday. The ruling.Claire and Raymond arrived at the courthouse at 8:30 AM. The rain had stopped, but the sky remained low and heavy, pressing down on the city like a lid.The courtroom filled fast. Emmanuel sat in the back row again. Benjamin was at the end of the petitioner's table with his tablet. Samuel stayed home on doctor's orders, his blood pressure still unstable from the day before.Francis's attorney was present, though her client was now in a holding cell across town. She carried the same oversized briefcase but looked smaller today, diminished somehow, as if the weight of her client's arrest had compressed her.At 9:00 AM sharp, the judge took his seat. He had a folder in front of him and a pen in his hand. He did not waste time."This court has reviewed all submitted evidence regarding the probate of the last will and testament of Esther, deceased. The record includes the authenticated original will dated September second, photographic copies from a Geneva safety depo