“This is my house.”
“That is not your document.”
Victoria clutched it against her chest.
“You people have no idea what Arthur was like during those final months.”
“I know exactly what he was like,” Martin replied. “I met with him six times.”
My mother’s fingers tightened.
My eyes narrowed.
“Six times?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Martin looked directly at me.
“Because your father believed someone was attempting to gain control of his estate before he died.”
Julian swore under his breath.
Richard said, “This is ridiculous.”
Martin ignored him.
“Arthur first contacted me eleven months ago. He was concerned about unauthorized transfers from one of his investment accounts.”
Victoria laughed.
It sounded forced.
“Arthur was becoming paranoid.”
Martin continued.
“He was also concerned that documents were being presented to him for signature without full explanation.”
My mother’s face hardened.
“Careful.”
“No,” I said quietly. “Let him finish.”
Martin nodded.
“Your father asked my firm to conduct a limited independent review. What we discovered concerned him enough that he revised portions of his estate plan.”
Julian stepped forward.
“What transfers?”
Nobody answered.
He looked at our mother.
“Mom?”
Victoria threw the sealed envelope onto the table.
“This is theater. Arthur always loved making Sienna feel special.”
That hurt more than I wanted it to.
Because it was exactly the kind of sentence she had used my entire life.
When Dad came to my high school graduation early to save seats, I was “his favorite.”
When he visited me during officer training, I was “his little soldier.”
When he called every Sunday no matter where I was stationed, I was “the child he actually cared about.”
My mother had spent years turning affection into an accusation.
I broke the seal.
Inside were three pages.
The first was a letter.
Sienna,
If you are reading this in a room full of people telling you that family loyalty requires you to surrender something, then unfortunately I understood the situation correctly.
My throat tightened.
I kept reading.
Do not sign anything presented to you by Victoria, Richard, or Julian concerning my estate until Martin Hale has completed the process we discussed.
I looked up.
Julian’s mouth fell open.
“What the hell?”
Victoria lunged toward me.
I raised one hand.
