Second Chances Under the Tree
Charlotte’s face drained of color, her lips parting as if to protest, but no words came.
“My initial intention was to leave you nothing,” the lawyer read. “You do not deserve the rewards of this family, nor the wealth and power you tried so desperately to leech from it. However, I cannot ignore my own humanity. You are homeless now, and as much as I detest what you’ve done, I will not leave you destitute. Therefore, I leave you one of my smallest apartments. It is yours to use until the day your own choices catch up with you, as they inevitably will.”