Chapter 24: Did You Plan This?

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t insult me. I am only a messenger, so if you have any issues, you can take it up with your husband. Now then, I shall read the final part of the will. And it goes thus: I know that there will be a lot of questions and anger following my decisions in this will, but I trust that you will all come to understand the reason behind my actions soon enough. Dante, I have given you the keys to my kingdom, and the crown is now upon your head. It is a heavy crown that comes with many responsibilities, but I know you will rise to the challenge and take care of the family just like you promised. I love you, my son, and all of you, my family. And I wish you spend many more years on this Earth before coming to be with me. Your father and husband, George Lucas.”

“I can’t believe this.”

The matron looked like she was on the verge of having an absolute meltdown after hearing everything that was written in the will! She couldn’t understand how George could have done something like this! George actually abandoned his legitimate children to a life of mediocrity, and he gave everything that he had to this bastard!? The matron turned to look at her first son, and she stormed towards him and grabbed his shoulder with a shout!

“Are you just going to sit there and allow this to happen!? This was supposed to be yours! All of it was meant to belong to you! How can you remain calm when it’s being taken from right under your nose!?”

Fredrick could barely hear anything that the Matron was saying! The Matron was right about Fredrick expecting all of this to come to him! Fredrick had been preparing himself for this day ever since he heard that his father had died, and there was never a moment when he thought that he wouldn’t be the boss! Fredrick had strengthened his heart and made plans to improve the Lucas Family name once he had the title, but all of a sudden, all of that seemed completely pointless!

It felt like Fredrick was underwater! His mother’s shouts and screams were muffled to his ear, and he could only stare out into space with a faraway look as he wondered what could have made his father do this to him? Was he not good enough? All those days he spent beside his father learning about the family business and trying to make him proud… had it all been useless?

It was a very sobering realisation for Fredrick, and he wasn’t able to come to terms with it for a long time as he just sat there in silence, but Richard was not having any of this nonsense! Richard immediately stood up in anger and reached behind him for a gun he always carried around while shouting!

“Did you plan all this, you fucking cleaner!? You think you can change the will and take everything from us!?”

Bang!

A gunshot suddenly rang out, and everyone paused as Risa’s eyes narrowed towards Richard. Richard turned his head around slowly, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw the bullet that flew past his cheek and hit the wall behind him! Richard turned to look at Risa, and he saw her giving him the nastiest glare he had ever seen in his life! Risa spoke up with a clear, confident voice.

“If even one of you raises your hand against the master, then you will lose your life where you stand. This is your final warning.”

It was obvious that Risa was prepared to kill anyone who dared to stand up against Dante, and Richard felt his hand tighten around his gun in anger! But Richard didn’t dare to raise his gun since Risa’s gun was still aimed at him! He knew that if he tried to attack Dante, then he would die!

“You dare shoot at us!? Have you finally grown wings now that your master has stolen the title from us, you lowly servant! I could always tell that you hated me! You were always jealous of us, and this is what you’ve been waiting for! Well, come on then! Kill me and see if I don’t haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life, you slave!”

The matron shouted while pointing an accusing finger at Risa, but Risa didn’t move from her position at all! Her eyes were set in an impassive look as she glanced over everyone there, and her gun was pointed directly at Richard as she dared him to try and make another move!

“You don’t actually think that this will is binding, do you? There are laws about succession rights. You can’t just give everything to Dante like this. What about Fredrick?”

Angelina finally spoke up as she stood up as well. Angelina was also in disbelief about what she had heard from the lawyer, but she was the only one who managed to remain calm as she spoke! The only thing that showed she was confused or angry was the slight furrowing of her brow as she glared at the lawyer! The old lawyer was already packing up his bags, and he stopped and clasped his hands as he spoke up in an even voice.

“The will read today has been scrutinized and overseen by an entire fleet of lawyers, and you can be certain that there is no part in it that can be redacted or changed by the court. Although there are succession laws regarding the transfer of property to the firstborn son, that is only in the case where the will does not explicitly state who should own the majority shares and title. Dante has been confirmed as the legitimate son of George Lucas, and therefore, he has every right to take over as the next boss of the Lucas Family.”

“But it isn’t right! Fredrick worked all his life for this! My son deserves to be the boss!”

The matron shouted in anger as she squeezed her hand down on Fredrick’s shoulder, and the lawyer just shook his head and said that there was nothing he could do about it. The will was as explicit as it could be! The matron grit her teeth, and she turned down to speak to Fredrick in a furious tone! She commanded him to speak up and do something about this! Fredrick had studied law in the university, so she was sure that he knew one or two loopholes that would allow him to rectify this mistake!

But Fredrick didn’t even look like he had heard anything that she had to say. Everyone watched as Fredrick slowly stood from the seat while shrugging his mother’s hands off his shoulder. Fredrick turned around to give Dante an emotionless stare, and Dante stared back at his half-brother with a calm gaze.

Dante had no idea how Fredrick would react to all of this. It was something that no one expected to happen – not even Dante. So they were in completely foreign territory right now! Dante was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was the boss, but he did his best to remain perfectly calm while facing Fredrick. Dante just watched as Fredrick walked up to him at a calm pace. Risa held her gun tightly while keeping a close eye on Fredrick in case he made any threatening moves, but Fredrick never looked like he was going to attack Dante.

Once Fredrick was close enough, he and Dante stood just a meter away from each other and stared each other down silently, and after a few seconds, Fredrick shook his head and pat Dante’s shoulder before he turned away and walked out of the room.

“Fredrick! Fredrick, where are you going!? Come back here and fix this!”

The Matron quickly ran out of the room to follow her son, and she gave Dante a scornful look before leaving! Richard cursed silently as he put his gun back into the holster behind him, and he left the room as well. Angelina turned and looked at Dante with an expression that Dante couldn’t recognize. Angelina was the only one in the family who still looked like she could think clearly, so Dante wasn’t surprised when she spoke up.

“Did you plan this, Dante? Was this why you spent all that time with Dad before he died? You wanted to take the family away from us?”

Dante’s eyes narrowed into a glare once he heard that accusation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep