Inheritance
891 Words
The moment Leon’s will is read, the world erupts into chaos.
News anchors struggle to contain their shock as they announce the headline that no one, not even me saw coming.
LEON DELACROIX LEAVES ENTIRE EMPIRE TO SECRET HALF-SISTER
HIDDEN HEIR TO A BILLION-DOLLAR DYNASTY REVEALED
FAMILY IN DISARRAY: IS THE WILL REAL?
I sit frozen in the grand conference room of Delacroix Towers, the glossy black table stretching endlessly before me. Across the room, my father’s closest advisors and shareholders murmur among themselves, a swarm of whispers, speculation and disbelief.
At the head of the table, Valeria Delacroix. Leon’s mother, the woman who has spent my entire life pretending I don’t exist stares at me with cold, predatory rage.
She rises slowly. Deliberately.
And then she speaks.
“This,” she says, her voice sharp as broken glass, “is a joke.”
I expect the room to erupt into arguments. But it doesn’t.
Because no one argues with Valeria Delacroix.
Her power doesn’t come from kindness or legacy. It comes from fear.
She turns to the estate lawyer, a man who looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“My son was not stupid,” she says coolly. “He would never, never hand over the company to some illegitimate child with no business experience.”
I flinch at the word.
Illegitimate.
Like I’m nothing more than a mistake Leon’s father made once, a problem that should have stayed buried.
The lawyer clears his throat. “Mrs. Delacroix, the will was verified by...”
“I don’t care,” she snaps, eyes burning into me. “She is not one of us.”
Her words are a dagger, but I keep my face blank. I will not let her see me break.
Then, she smiles. Slow. Cruel.
“Darling,” she purrs, too sweet, too sharp, “if you truly care about this family, you’ll do the right thing. You’ll decline the inheritance.”
A deathly silence fills the room.
I feel every pair of eyes on me. Waiting. Pressuring. Expecting.
And for a split second, I almost do it.
I almost tell them I never wanted this. That I don’t belong in their world.
But then I remember Leon’s blood on the marble floor.
I remember the gunshots. The way Caius Wolfe dragged me from that room like he knew this was coming.
And I remember the note I found slipped under my hotel room door this morning.
“Leon’s death was only the beginning. You’re next.”
My fingers tighten around the arms of the chair.
I lift my chin.
And I say, “No.”
Valeria’s lips press into a thin line. “Excuse me?”
I force myself to keep my voice steady. “No,” I repeat. “I won’t decline.”
A ripple of shock moves through the room.
For the first time, Valeria looks… surprised.
She recovers quickly. “Zariah, you have no idea what you’re doing.”
“Then I’ll learn.”
A beat of silence.
Then she laughs. Not amused. Not pleased. A laugh laced with pure condescension.
She steps closer, places manicured hands on the table, and leans in.
Her voice drops to a whisper only I can hear.
“You have no allies here,” she murmurs. “And the people who killed Leon? They will come for you next.”
I keep my face neutral. But my heart slams against my ribs.
She knows.
She knows his death wasn’t random.
But before I can respond, before I can process the warning disguised as a threat, the conference room doors burst open.
And suddenly, everything goes to hell.
Gunfire.
Glass shatters.
Screams erupt.
I barely have time to react before I’m yanked out of my chair. Caius.
He moves fast, a gun already in his hand as he drags me toward the emergency exit.
“Move,” he orders.
My mind is spinning, but my survival instincts take over. I run. Hard. Fast. My heels slip on the marble floor as Caius fires a shot over his shoulder.
I don’t see who’s shooting at us. I don’t even try.
I just keep running.
The next thing I know, we’re in the underground parking garage.
Caius shoves me toward a black SUV. “Get in.”
I whirl on him. “Who the hell were they?”
His jaw clenches. “Not the time.”
I plant my feet. “Who were they, Caius?”
For the first time, something flickers across his face.
A hesitation.
Then, he says five words that change everything.
“They weren’t here to kill you.”
A cold weight settles in my stomach.
“What?”
His dark gaze pins me in place. “They weren’t aiming for you. They were trying to kill me.”
My breath catches.
I don’t understand. I barely know this man.
But before I can push further, he pulls a burner phone from his pocket, dials a number, and says one chilling sentence.
“She’s made her decision. Plan B starts now.”
My pulse spikes. “Plan B?”
Caius finally looks at me.
“You want to stay alive, Zariah?” he asks, voice quiet, but full of something dangerous.
I nod slowly.
His lips curl into something almost amused.
“Then marry me.”
- Writer
