The Reading of the Will

“And to my eldest grandson, Ruggero Orfeo Rapallino, I leave you my house, all of it’s contents, my collection of automobiles and five hundred million dollars.”

Ruggero heard his sister grumble from beside him as their grandfather, Ercole Muraro’s, will was read. The dead man was an old school misogynist but leaving his two sisters Ernestina and Perla each fifty thousand dollars when he possessed a billion-dollar estate was a slap in the face to the women. In their shoes he’d be pissed off as well.

His mother, the daughter of the crotchety old bastard who was now deceased, was bequeathed jewelry from a safe deposit box resting on his desk. It was even more insulting than the measly lump-sum his sisters received because the jewelry belonged to Ruggero’s grandmother. It meant his grandfather wasn’t leaving his only child, his daughter, anything of his own estate but rather simply passing on the jewels he’d guarded once his first wife passed away.

 Ruggero’s father was also to receive nothing because according to the will, he never wanted his daughter to marry Eusebio Rapallino.

“What about his wife?” Eusebio spoke up suddenly. “Nobody has seen her since he suffered his heart attack six weeks ago. I presume the rest of the estate is going to her?”

“No. He left her nothing. The rest goes to charity.”

They were all in shock. Ruggero cleared his throat as he thought of the bombshell brunette, he’d fantasized about more than once. “She’s been with him for three years. She was twenty-one when he married her. Are you saying after three years living with his old ass and sleeping in his bed,” he and his sisters exchanged disgusted glances as they all recalled the time, they’d walked into his home office to see the old man nailing the girl on his desk, “he left her with nothing?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Muraro signed an ironclad agreement. She entered their marriage with nothing and left it with nothing.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to go to the house and throw her out,” Perla hissed with glee. They’d set up a guard outside their grandfather’s funeral to keep her out but now, with Ruggero getting the keys to the estate they’d be able to toss her on her gold-digging, twenty-something year old ass.

A confused expression on the lawyer’s face caused Ruggero to question him. “What is it?”

“Mrs. Muraro would have vacated the premises the moment Mr. Muraro was declared deceased per their agreement. She should not still be in residence. In fact, I’m quite certain she has returned to her family.”

“I’m sorry, what now?” his mother Olympia leaned forward, and it was a posture the entire family duplicated.

“Their marriage was one of contract.” Valente Di Camillo spoke solemnly. “I personally drew up the contract, Mrs. Rapallino. Mrs. Muraro was not afforded a single penny during her marriage or following the death of Mr. Muraro.”

“I saw her wearing my mother’s jewelry.” Olympia’s face was red as she fought the anger which always rose when she thought of the tramp who’d seduced her father. She and her father were never close, but the woman caused a greater estrangement, and Olympia hated her on sight.

“Which has all been returned and is in this box.” The lawyer tapped the top of the container. “I personally verified the contents before this meeting. There is not a gemstone out of place.”

“I don’t believe you. Surely, she kept something!”

“I have no reason to lie to you Mrs. Rapallino. I’m certain your father has a copy of his marriage contract in his home somewhere since we kept one, he kept one and his wife kept one.”

“Why on earth would a woman, especially one who was twenty-one, agree to a marriage contract to an eighty-year-old man which would leave her with nothing?” Ruggero voiced the question they were all thinking.

Now the lawyer looked quite uncomfortable. “I cannot answer that.”

“Why not? You clearly know more than the rest of us.”

“Client-attorney privilege bars me from revealing more than the marriage was a contract. If there is more information it could be in the home however, I’m not privy to share more than what I have. Your grandfather, Mr. Rapallino,” the lawyer addressed Ruggero’s question, “let me know I could divulge it was a contract marriage, but no other details were permitted.”

“She must have gotten a lump sum,” Ernestina, the youngest of the siblings griped. “Nobody fucks a hundred-year-old man for nothing when they’re her age.”

“He wasn’t a hundred” Olympia grumbled.

“Close enough,” Ernestina shot back.

“Again, I cannot comment on their marriage other than the contract stipulated she entered and left with nothing.”

“He’s dead. Surely you can tell us,” Olympia pushed again.

“Attorney-client privilege extends beyond death, Mrs. Rapallino.”

“Then what about the rest of his estate.” Olympia threw her hands up in irritation. “You’ve accounted for half of his wealth. He has a company and businesses.”

The lawyer took a deep breath, “as you know, your father stepped down as CEO a year ago. The man he appointed as his successor will continue to run the company and actually initiated the buying out your grandfather’s shares a year ago and this was legally settled six months ago.”

“What?” Ruggero was stunned. “You’re kidding me. There is no way he was of his right mind if he sold off the shares of his company. He lived and breathed the company.”

“Mr. Rapallino, your grandfather was of sound mind. In fact, when he broached the sale one of the company, I personally asked for him to be psychologically assessed and he agreed. Until the day your grandfather passed away, he was sharper than any man I’ve ever met.”

“Why did he sell?”

“Perhaps he knew he wasn’t going to live forever. Mr. Rapallino, you were never going to take over his company. He admired and appreciated your brain and your intellect, but he was well aware, the offspring of his only child kept their own agendas in life. You are running a fortune five-hundred company and a billionaire in your own right.” He addressed Perla, “you’re a high-profile attorney and made it clear to him at a family function you would never want to run his company,” he looked at Ernestina, “you teach quantum physics at the university and do not have a brain for business. None of you were prepared to run his company. He wanted it to continue after his death and in securing the sale and naming the person he trusted most to run his company, he knew he could die in peace and know his legacy would continue.”

“The person he trusted most! I’m his daughter. Who did he trust more than me?”

The silence from the lawyer insinuated Ercole Muraro essentially trusted everyone but her and she folded her arms in a huff.

“Where are his profits from the sale? If he sold off his shares, he should have more than what was mentioned in the will.” Ruggero questioned.

“He sold it for one million dollars.”

Now the room was shocked to silence.

After several long seconds, Ruggero whispered, “Impossible.”

“It is why I insisted he prove he was of sound mind. We knew when this came out, his family would question it. I assure you, the sale, though kept quiet, was legal.”

“Why only a million dollars? It was worth at least a half billion dollars or more!” Eusebio was clutching the edge of his chair.  “He was swindled.”

Ruggero considered even though his father hated his grandfather with a burning passion, even he was worried the old man had been duped. He admitted he was of the same mindset.

The lawyer gave a loud sigh, “Mr. Rapallino, while I appreciate your concerns, the company and the shares of the company are not part of the estate. What I have revealed today aside from a very large contribution to a handful of charities his previous wife, your mother,” he nodded at Olympia, “was a patron of and a few animal shelters in the state of New York, there is no other money.”

“What are the chances his wife contests this?” Perla went back to Delfina.

“I have a copy of the marriage agreement. Should she attempt to do such a thing, it would be open and shut in front of a judge. She has no grounds.” He rose from the boardroom table, “I will leave this with you,” he slid the will, accompanying documents and the safety deposit box across the table. “I do have another meeting but please, take all the time you want.”

“I think we’re good.” Ruggero spoke for his family and rose from his seat.  He passed the contents of the safe deposit box to his father and then took all the documents into his possession. He shook the lawyer’s hand and then followed his family out of the offices.

“None of this makes sense,” Eusebio muttered as they got into the elevator together. “I can’t believe he didn’t give her a thing. I really expected to see her here in one of those low-cut dresses she loves to wear and dripping in gold begging to take our inheritance.”

“I agree.” Ruggero nodded as he kept his sisters close to his side dropping a kiss on top of Perla’s head before doing the same to Ernestina. “He was a prick, but this is low even for him.”

“What if she was blackmailing him?” Ernestina questioned looking up at her brother.

“With what?” Ruggero questioned, “and more importantly, if she was blackmailing him why was she letting him,” he almost gagged with the memory, “fuck her.” His mother swatted at him, but he stared back at her seriously, “come on, Ma. You saw her. She was a ten. A ten all the way. He was barely a four.” The first time he’d met his grandfather’s wife, he’d sported an instant erection which immediately deflated when the old man kissed her passionately under a ball of mistletoe with tongue and an ass grab which made Ernestina snort wine out her nose. He wouldn’t lie and say he hadn’t more than once got hard in the following three years simply from one look at her however every time he looked sideways at her, his grandfather would smugly mark her like he was a dog pissing on a hydrant. “If she was blackmailing him, why was she the one suffering through his old and decrepit dick.”

“Can we not talk about my father’s sex life?” Olympia rubbed her forehead and collected herself as the elevator doors opened. “Maybe there are answers at the house. Let’s go to the house and go through it with a fine-tooth comb.”

Ruggero decided it was the best course of action and if he happened to stumble across Delfina Muraro’s secret stash of lingerie or lace panties, then all the better. Maybe he’d finally have more than a simple fantasy to get him to sleep tonight.