I couldn’t speak.
Victor continued gently.
“The clause has been triggered by Ronald’s recorded conduct.”
Rain tapped against the glass.
My grandfather’s watch felt warm against my wrist.
For years, I had believed he left me a company because he trusted me to protect it.
But this was more intimate.
More devastating.
He had left me a way to protect myself from a future he feared but never named.
Victor slid the document toward me.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
My grandfather’s handwriting.
Strong, slanted, unmistakable.
My Lexi, if someone ever mistakes your sorrow for weakness, let Emilia answer with mercy so large it cannot be mocked. Build what they tried to break. —Granddad
The page blurred.
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
No one rushed me.
No one filled the silence.
For the first time in years, I let myself cry in front of other people without apologizing.
