HEART BOUND

HELLO DOROTHY!!

(Season 1)

CHAPTER 38

Mrs brown's eyes darted around the room, a desperate calculation taking shape: contest the will? Find a loophole? Buy off someone? Her face twisted, a snarl forming, but she forced it back, a poisonous smile surfacing instead.

"I see," she purred, her voice icy, but then one was on her mind that made her frown in conf. How was it possible that liora wrote this will?.... I mean she doesn't even know about the wealth her mother left her not until that day in the warehouse when Mrs brown told her.

"I'll be contesting this."she suddenly said. There was no way she was going to let what she had sacrificed so for go just like that.The lawyer's expression didn't change, a practiced neutrality.

"I'll prepare the necessary documents, Mrs. Brown. Though I must advise, the chances of success are—" Mrs. Brown cut him off, voice sharp as broken glass.

"Do it." Her eyes were cold slits, her mind racing – she'd find a way. The lawyer nodded, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

"Very well. I'll be in touch." He rose, signaling the meeting's end. Mrs. Brown stood, her movements stiff, her entire being focused on the battle ahead. Just as the lawyer's hand touched the door handle, the door swung open, cutting him off.

Mr. Brown – Liora's father, thought dead or gone for years – walked in. Mrs. Brown's face went white, her eyes wide in utter shock.

"H-how...?" she stammered, her voice barely audible. The lawyer's eyebrows shot up. Alex, standing by the wall, looked unsurprised. Mr. Brown's expression was gaunt, tired, but his eyes locked onto his wife.

"Hello, Dorothy." The room held its breath.

Mrs. Brown's shock morphed into something like panic. "R-Ruben?" she whispered, her husband's name like a foreign thing on her lips. Mr. Brown's gaze was a slow burn, taking in his wife's still-immaculate appearance, the designer suit, the calculated eyes. A flicker of disgust crossed his face.

"hello Peter ," he said, voice low. The lawyer cleared his throat.

"Ah, Mr. Brown... your reappearance is... pertinent. Liora's will leaves everything to the orphanage, but—" Mr. Brown raised a hand, his eyes never leaving his wife.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not here for that ." Mrs. Brown's face went slack – she'd missed that part..... How did he come back, how is this possible!!!!

The lawyer nodded, a hint of drama in his voice. He was not sure how to react to Ruben 's sudden appearance after so many years. Every concluded that he was dead a long time ago.

Mrs. Brown's eyes nearly popped – she'd lost it all. Her husband, the 'dead' husband, was alive, and he would take everything. A strangled sound escaped her, rage and disbelief wiping away her mask. Mr. Brown's expression remained gaunt, detached.

"where is my daughter?" ...Mrs. Brown's face was a frozen mask of shock, her eyes wide and unblinking as Ruben's question hung in the air. She was paralyzed, unable to move or speak, as if the very mention of Liora's will had brought a dark truth to light.

Why is Ruben sounding so detached and cold? He used to love her, he used to look at her like the most important thing in the world to him, but now she could see nothing but pure disgust..... Did know what she had done but that is not possible, There was no way he could have known. Ruben broke the silence, his voice low and gravelly.

"Where's my daughter?" he asked again , his eyes narrowing on Mrs. Brown. She forced a smile, her voice shaking.

"Jae's fine, Richard. She's—" But Richard cut her off, his voice rising.

"I'm not talking about Jae. I'm talking about Liora."Mrs. Brown's face went white, her eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. The lawyer's expression was confused, and Ruben's eyes were fixed on Mrs. Brown, his gaze unyielding. The air was thick with tension, and it seemed like the room was holding its breath, waiting for Mrs. Brown's response.

Mrs. Brown's smile twisted, a desperate edge creeping in.

"Liora... Liora's... gone, Richard." Her voice cracked. Ruben's eyes seemed to bore into her, his expression unyielding.

"What do you mean, gone?" The room felt suffocating. Mrs. Brown's hands fluttered, like birds trapped in a cage.

"She... an accident.....Ruben I tried to save our daughter but I couldn't" she cried slipping back to her drama and fake act of mourning, but Ruben's face didn't change, but his voice dropped to a whisper.

"You're lying." The lawyer shifted uncomfortably. Ruben's eyes never left Mrs. Brown – she was trapped.

Mrs. Brown's face contorted, a mixture of fear and calculation flashing across her features. "Liora's gone, you.... You've to believe that ." Her voice was shrill now, defensive. Ruben's gaze didn't waver, his eyes cold, but there was a flash of pain that crossed his eyes.

" what did you do with her money?" The question landed like a punch. Mrs. Brown's face went slack, a telltale flicker of panic in her eyes. "R-Ruben, what are you talking about?" The lawyer cleared his throat.

"Perhaps we should—" Ruben cut him off, voice rising.

"Tell me what happened to Liora's inheritance. Now."Mrs. Brown's eyes darted wildly, her breathing rapid.

" For our family...... I decided I was going to manage it." Her voice was a stuttering mess. Ruben's face was a stone mask...... What she said sounded so funny to him. He know exactly what kind of a person she was

"You touched Liora's money." It wasn't a question. Mrs. Brown took a step back, her shoulders hitting the wall.

"She was my daughter too, Richard. I did what was best." A cold smile twisted Ruben's lips. "Your daughter?...... I warned you to stay away from my child did I!!." His voice was a low growl. The lawyer intervened.

"This is getting—" Ruben turned, icy.

"Stay out of this!!!." The room froze. Mrs. Brown's voice dropped to a venomous whisper.

"You left us, Richard. You abandoned us." Ruben's gaze was glacial.

"I left?... Seriously?" Mrs. Brown's face twisted, a snarl escaping her lips.

"You think you can just waltz in here and accuse me? You, who left us to rot?" Her voice rose, losing control.

"I did what I had to! Liora was weak, she'd give it all away! I protected this family!" Richard's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to darken.

"Protected? You call stealing from a dead girl protection?..... And you said I left? You tried to silence me remember or do you want me to refresh your memory" The air was thick with venom. The lawyer took a step back,shocked with what he hearing .

The room went absolutely still. Mrs. Brown's face turned a ghastly white, her eyes bulging like they'd pop out. Ruben's expression didn't change, but his voice... his voice was a nightmare.

"You think I'd believe your act?......I trusted you and I gave you everything, but in turn you took everything I've cared about!!!." He took a deliberate step closer, his eyes blazing with a fury that made Mrs. Brown crippled.

"You killed me, Dorothy. You drugged me. You buried me alive." The lawyer's face was a mix of horror and confusion, like he'd stumbled into a car crash. Mrs. Brown's mouth opened, closed, opened again – a fish gasping for air.

"R-Ruben... no... it wasn't... I..." Richard's laughter was low, terrifying.

"Save it......you think I did not see your face that day?" The air was thick with the stench of secrets rotting. The room went absolutely still. Mrs. Brown's face turned a ghastly white, her eyes bulging like they'd pop out. Richard's expression didn't change, but his voice... his voice was a nightmare.

"Do you think I didn't see your face that day?" The question hung in the air like a razor poised to cut.

Mrs. Brown's mouth opened, closed, opened again – a fish gasping for air. "R-Ruben... I... what are you..."

Richard's eyes were ice. "I saw you, Dorothy. In the shadows. Watching. You didn't think I'd notice, but I saw. You wanted me gone."his voice thundered in the room...

TBC