Owen Reyes and the Real Will
Chapter 06 - Owen Reyes and the Real Will
Owen Reyes had been Charlotte's attorney for four years, a careful, unhurried man who had built his practice on exactly the kind of quiet, thorough work that made wealthy families trust him with their most inconvenient secrets. He arrived at the hospital the morning after the docking, a leather case under one arm, his expression grave in a way Charlotte had never seen from him before.
"I received your father's will three weeks ago," he said, once they were alone in a small consultation room, Marcus present, Henry finally released to a supervised playroom down the hall where a hospital child life specialist was helping him process the past several days through careful, gentle conversation. "I want to walk you through exactly what it says, because I don't think you've fully absorbed it, given everything else that's happened since."
"Tell me," Charlotte said.
"Your father drafted this version four years before his death," Owen said, "superseding the will that was ultimately filed with the estate attorney and executed after he passed. This version names Henry as principal heir to Sterling Maritime Holdings' controlling shares, with you serving as trustee until his twenty-fifth birthday."
"Not my mother," Charlotte said slowly.
"Specifically not your mother," Owen confirmed. "Your father includes language explaining his reasoning, which I think you should hear directly." He opened a folder, found the relevant page, and read aloud. "*I have watched my wife build an empire she is brilliant at running and incapable of sharing. I love her completely, and I do not trust her with unchecked control of what should belong to the next generation. This provision ensures Henry inherits what is rightfully his, protected from anyone, including his own grandmother, who might seek to consolidate control at his expense.*"
Charlotte sat with her father's words, hearing his voice in them clearly, a man who had loved his wife and understood her limitations with equal, unflinching clarity.
"He knew," Charlotte said. "He knew what she was capable of, even before any of this happened."
"It appears so," Owen said. "Which raises the question I imagine you've already started asking yourself. If your mother forged the will that was actually filed and executed, replacing this version with one granting her full, unrestricted control, how long has she known this document existed, and how long has she been planning to make sure it never surfaced."
Charlotte felt something cold settle over the grief and fear she'd been carrying since the railing.
"Long enough," she said, "to try killing me and my son the moment she learned I'd found it."
May you like
Owen nodded, grim. "I filed a formal notice with the probate court the morning after you sent me these documents, three weeks before the gala. Your mother would have received notification of that filing within days. I believe that timeline explains a great deal about what happened aboard the Meridian."
"She knew I had proof," Charlotte said. "Before we ever set foot on that ship. She invited us on this trip already knowing."
