Chapter 9
The grand hall of the manor smelled of lilies and old money.
Eliseo's mother, Beatrice, came rushing toward them. She was wearing black silk and diamonds, her face a mask of performative grief.
"Where have you been?" she hissed, ignoring Flavia completely. "The lawyers have been waiting for an hour."
Eliseo's father stood by the fireplace, swirling a glass of whiskey. He looked annoyed, checking his watch.
Flavia stepped slightly in front of Eliseo.
"Mother, Eliseo needs to see his grandfather first. The lawyers can wait."
Beatrice's eyes snapped to Flavia. "You don't get to speak here."
Eliseo's voice was low, dangerous. "Enough. Flavia is right."
He pulled Flavia toward the viewing room.
As they passed the parlor, Flavia saw Tinsley, Eliseo's cousin. She was holding a phone with a ring light attached to it. She was pouting at the camera.
"Guys, I'm literally heartbroken. My grandpa just died..."
Flavia stopped. She walked over to Tinsley and snatched the phone out of her hand. She ended the livestream.
"Hey!" Tinsley shrieked. "I had ten thousand viewers!"
"This is a funeral, not a content opportunity," Flavia said, her voice cutting through the room. "If I see that phone again, I will throw it in the Hudson River."
Tinsley gaped, terrified by the cold menace in Flavia's eyes. She shrank back into the sofa.
Eliseo watched, a flicker of admiration crossing his face.
They entered the viewing room. It was quiet. Only Mrs. Higgins, the housekeeper, was there, weeping silently in the corner.
Eliseo walked to the casket. He fell to his knees. His shoulders shook.
Flavia stood behind him. She placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing firmly. A physical anchor.
"I will help you hold this house," she whispered. "I won't let them strip it for parts."
An hour later, the family gathered in the library. The air was thick with greed.
The lawyer, Mr. Henderson, cleared his throat.
"Arthur made a change to his will three weeks ago. He appointed a new executor."
Everyone looked at Eliseo's father. He straightened his tie, looking smug.
"The executor is... Flavia Lancaster."
The room exploded.
Beatrice screamed. "That's impossible! That gold-digging nobody?"
Eliseo stared at Flavia, his mouth open.
Flavia didn't blink. She sat perfectly still, her hands folded in her lap. She had suspected. Arthur had asked her questions about the trust structures months ago. He had secretly hired her to find the forty million his sons had hidden in offshore accounts. This was her reward, and his final move.
She stood up. The room went quiet.
"As executor," Flavia said, her voice clear and steady, "I am freezing all disbursements from the family trust effective immediately. No allowances. No bonuses. Until the audit is complete."
The silence that followed was absolute. She had just cut off their oxygen supply.
Beatrice looked like she was going to have a stroke. Eliseo looked at his fiancée, realizing he had no idea who she really was.
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