Chapter 3 - The Gathering at the Oak Table
The law office of Penelope and Associates was a place of heavy wood and hushed voices.
It felt like a cathedral of justice,
where the air was thick with the scent of old paper and sealing wax.
I arrived early,
wearing a black dress that felt like armor.
Ms. Penelope met me at the door,
her eyes offering a silent nod of encouragement.
"They are in the conference room,"
she whispered,
referring to the trio of shadows that had darkened my life.
I walked into the room,
and the temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees.
Tabitha was there,
dressed in a vibrant red suit that screamed for attention.
Calvin sat beside her,
looking uncomfortable in his expensive silk,
avoiding my gaze.
Kyle sat at the far end of the table,
his face a mask of cold,
calculated indifference.
"Good morning,
Paige,"
Tabitha said,
her voice dripping with that fake,
saccharine sweetness.
"I see you didn't start packing yet."
I didn't answer her;
I simply sat down at the head of the table,
the place where my father should have been.
Penelope sat beside me,
placing a thick,
leather-bound folder on the oak surface.
"We are here to read the last will and testament of Everett Thorne,"
Penelope began,
her voice echoing with authority.
Kyle leaned forward,
his fingers drumming a nervous rhythm on the table.
"Let's get to the amendments,"
he interrupted,
his voice sharp.
"The ones made in the last six months."
Penelope looked at him over her glasses,
a slow,
predatory smile touching her lips.
"We will get to everything in due time,
Mr. Thorne."
She began to read the initial will,
the one that left the house and the business to me.
Tabitha smirked,
knowing that the amendments they had forced would change everything.
"Wait for it,"
she whispered to Calvin,
her hand resting on his arm.
Penelope turned a page,
her voice dropping to a low,
deliberate tone.
"I now come to the codicil added three weeks before Mr. Thorne's passing."
Kyle smiled,
believing this was the moment his greed would be rewarded.
"However,"
Penelope continued,
"this codicil includes a specific condition regarding the 'state of mind' of the testator."
Tabitha's smile faltered,
her eyes darting toward me.
"State of mind?"
she repeated,
the words tasting like ash in her mouth.
"Yes,"
Penelope said,
pulling out the recording device we had found in the shed.
"Mr. Thorne was concerned about undue influence,
particularly from his son and his former son-in-law."
The room went silent,
the only sound being the frantic beating of Kyle's heart.
"He recorded his conversations with all of you,"
I said,
my voice steady and clear.
"Including the ones where you discussed how to manipulate his medication to make him sign those amendments."
Calvin's face went from pale to a ghostly,
translucent white.
Kyle stood up,
his chair scraping harshly against the floor.
"This is a setup!"
he yelled,
but his voice lacked conviction.
"No,"
I said,
standing up to meet his gaze.
"This is the truth you thought you had buried in the garden."
Penelope pressed play on the device,
and my father's voice filled the room,
strong and clear,
exposing their plot in his own words.
May you like
The vultures had circled,
but the candle had one final flame to burn.
