Chapter 17

Isabella sat in the grand living room, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the arm of the leather chair. Mr. Harris, the family lawyer, had just finished going over the documents. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

“Mr. Harris,” she began, her voice steady but laced with concern, “I noticed Amelia’s name is absent from any of my husband, Richard’s assets. Is there a reason for this oversight?”

The lawyer adjusted his glasses, a look of discomfort crossing his face. “Mrs. Ray, it’s not an oversight. Richard’s will and asset distribution were deliberate. A significant portion of his major assets, including the estate and business shares, are in Ava’s name.”

Isabella’s eyes widened. “Ava? But why? Amelia is his legitimate daughter, born within wedlock. How could he favor Ava, the child of a woman he considered nothing more than a gold-digger?”

Mr. Harris sighed, sensing the depth of her distress. “Richard made his decisions with specific intentions. He might have hi