I Was A Stand-In, Now I Own The Family

Chapter 4 The Final Will

The lawyer had barely stepped out the door before the Thorne family turned the house into a celebration.

"Congratulations! We're finally rich!"

Corvin stood in the center of the room with a champagne glass raised high, his face glowing with excitement. He looked like a man who believed he had already won everything.

After all, they thought billions were about to fall into their laps. It was enough money to satisfy generations of greed and excess.

"Elara, come join us for a drink!" Mrs. Thorne called out with a smile so fake it made me sick. For the first time, she treated me like family. "Today's success is all thanks to you."

I didn't respond. Sitting alone in the corner, I held the envelope Mr. Halberg had given me against my chest, gripping it so tightly my knuckles turned white.

The party continued for hours, growing louder and uglier as the night wore on.

By midnight, Corvin was thoroughly drunk. With Sophia tucked against his side, he rambled loudly without caring who heard him.

"Billions!" he shouted, sloshing champagne onto the floor. "Do you realize how much money that is? We couldn't spend it all if we tried!"

"And that i***t still thinks she'll get a piece of it." He burst into laughter. "She actually believes we're going to share."

"Once she's locked away in a psychiatric hospital, everything becomes ours. Every last cent."

Each word felt like a blade sinking deeper into my chest.

There was almost nothing left inside me anymore. The betrayal, the humiliation, the helplessness had hollowed me out.

I knew exactly what I was in their eyes. A disposable pawn, trapped and powerless, waiting for the moment they decided they no longer needed me.

Then, without warning, the doorbell rang.

"Who the hell is showing up this late?" Corvin grumbled as he stumbled toward the front door, irritation written all over his face.

Several uniformed officials stood waiting outside.

"Are you Mr. Corvin Thorne?" one of them asked formally. "We're from the probate office. Mr. Halberg passed away earlier this evening. We've come to announce his official will."

"The official will?" Corvin blinked in confusion, some of the drunkenness instantly leaving his face. "Wasn't the will already notarized yesterday?"

"Mr. Halberg revised his will before his passing." The attorney stepped into the house, carrying a sealed document folder. "This is the final and legally binding version."

The room immediately fell silent. Everyone rushed forward, eager to hear the details.

I remained where I was, frozen in my chair. My eyes burned as fresh tears gathered. Grandpa was gone. He was really gone.

"We will now read the final will and testament of Theodore Halberg." The attorney adjusted the document and cleared his throat.

"I, Theodore Halberg, hereby leave all assets under my name to Corvin Thorne's former wife, my biological granddaughter, Elara Ashford."

The champagne glass slipped from Corvin's fingers and crashed onto the floor, exploding into countless shards at his feet.

"What?!" The color drained from Corvin's face as he shot to his feet. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and his voice cracked with panic. "That's impossible! You read it wrong! How could the inheritance go to Elara?"

The attorney didn't react to the outburst. He simply adjusted the document in his hands and replied in a calm, professional tone, "There's a second provision in the will."

"In addition, I request that law enforcement be notified immediately. Someone previously impersonated my granddaughter with the intention of fraud and attempted murder."