S21 53. Unexpected Announcement
Morris cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. “I have come to
announce something very important.”
A second later, he looked around. The corners of his lips rose slightly. “Since everyone
involved has gathered, may I begin?”
Frank raised his hand towards the sofa. “Please have a seat, Mr.
Morris. We are ready to listen.”
“Thank you.”
The notary put his bag on the table. When he opened it, Melanie’s heart fell into her
stomach. The woman no longer realized that she
was the only one standing still.
“Mrs. Harris, would you like to sit down please? You are the main character today.”
Melanie swallowed hard. Her hands clenched into fists and her breathing turned heavy.
She didn’t dare move her head when she met the other’s gaze. She was like a defendant
ready to be judged.
Before Melanie could break the stiffness, tiny fingers suddenly touched her hand. “Come
on, Grandma. Sit down. Mister Morris doesn’t seem to be able to wait long
Melanie snorted harshly. Without responding to Emily’s invitation, she turned towards the
sofa. As she sat there, her eyes narrowed towards
Barbara.
Barbara’s shoulders stiffened as well. It was as if she could hear the voice of her mother’s
heart. “If the inheritance is cancelled, you will suffer the consequences!”
Barbara lowered her head and squeezed her white fingers. She
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realized that she was the reason behind Morris’ arrival. Now, she could only guess what
punishment waited.
“Good evening, the Harpers, the Harris, and Philip.” Morris raised his head and smiled at
everyone. A document was standing by on his lap.
“On this occasion,” Morris adjusted his glasses and checked the date, “I will read the final
judgment of the will addressed to Melanie Harris by the late Rowan Harper.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtFrank’s eyebrows suddenly pressed against his forehead. He glanced at Kara. His wife
apparently also had the same expression.
“Grandma also inherited?” Louis represented everyone’s surprise.
“But there’s no Grandma’s name in the will that Mr. Morris read first,”
Emily tilted her head. “Why?”
Morris cracked a smile. “It’s because this will is confidential. Only the person addressed
has the right to know.”
“If it’s a secret, why did Mr. Morris announce it in front of us?” Louis’ neck extended.
Morris blinked slowly. His gaze shifted towards the woman who seemed to have forgotten
to breathe. “That’s because a violation occurred. Melanie Harris was declared unable to
fulfill the requirements so her rights to all the gold belonging to Rowan Har were revoked.”
Melanie’s eyes widened. Getting up from the sofa, she shouted, “No! I did not violate the
rules. Take a look! Barbara is here. She still lives in
this house with me!”
Morris twitched an eyebrow. He turned to the family on his left. Seeing the same furrowed
brows, he leaned his head forward.
“For your information,” his tone was gentle, “Mrs. Harris can claim the inheritance if she
and her daughter can survive in this house for one
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month. The late Rowan seemed to hope that the two parties would
get along.”
“We get along!” Melanie nodded quickly. “You saw how that little girl grabbed my hand
just now? She invited me to sit down! That’s proof
that there is closeness between us.
Morris straightened his body again. While looking closely at Melanie,
he let out a faint sigh. “Sorry, Ma’am. That’s not the problem here. There is something
else you have violated, despite you and your daughter being here.”
The confusion on Melanie’s face suddenly unraveled. With a limited
shake of her head, she wondered. “Not that? So what? Isn’t that the
only requirement put forward to us?”
Clearing his throat, Morris turned the page. “Just like how this will is confidential, the late
Rowan Harper also prepared confidential terms.
Melanie’s jaw dropped. Her eyeballs trembled looking for a loophole that escaped her
anticipation. “What did I break? I did nothing wrong!”
“Based on the information I got, Harris’ company has received half a billion in funding
from Mrs. Harper. Is that true?”
Getting a glance from the notary, Kara quickly nodded. “Yes.”
Morris raised the corners of his lips. “That is the point that has be
violated. In the original document, Rowan Harper wrote that Melani Harris could only
receive an inheritance from him if she fulfilled two
conditions.”
While Melanie sighed in disbelief, Morris continued, “First, Melanie Harris had to stay at
Frank Harper’s residence with her daughter, Barbara Harris, for an entire month. Second,
Melanie Harris should
not receive more than one hundred million dollars from Frank Harper and his family.”
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“Wait a minute!” Melanie raised both hands, asking for attention and an opportunity to
speak. “I wasn’t the one who received the money, but my husband.”
“I haven’t finished reading yet,” Morris replied patiently.
“The second point is that Melanie Harris cannot receive more than one hundred million
dollars from Frank Harper and her small family, including through her husband and
daughter. In this case, the amount you receive far exceeds the specified limit. Even if the
number is divided by three….”
Morris sighed in resignation. “It’s still a violation.”
Melanie shook her head quickly. “No! You’re not very thorough, Mr. Morris. Paul Harris is
my ex-husband.”
Melanie hurriedly snatched the roll of paper from Philip. After getting the pen from Morris’s
hand, she signed it.
“Look! We have agreed to divorce. Once this letter is processed, we will no longer have a
relationship! He is no longer my husband. So, I didn’t violate the second point!”
Frank and Kara secretly glanced at each other. They felt bad for
Morris. Melanie’s reaction was too much.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMeanwhile, Barbara looked down, hiding her face. Her feelings we mixed. She was
annoyed, disappointed, and embarrassed. Why wa her mother willing to throw away her
marriage for the sake of wealth?
“Sorry, Mrs. Harris.”
“I’m no longer Mrs. Harris,” Melanie interrupted, holding her divorce papers closer. “Look
at this, Mr. Morris. I was divorced. I am now Mrs. Harper, Frank’s mother.”
Morris took a deep breath. “Sorry, Mrs. Melanie,” he changed his
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greeting, “although you have signed the divorce papers, your and Paul Harris’ current
marital status is still legally valid. So, you still violate point number two. Because of
that….”
Morris pushed the crumpled paper out of his face and took another document from his
bag. “This is a good time for me to read a letter of
recommendation.”
Everyone was wide-eyed. They knew that Rowan was a well-prepared person, but who
would have thought that he also provided a backup will?
This is an:
“No! not I’m not the one breaking the terms. Why should I bear the loss?” Melanie
grabbed his head and started pulling his hair. Emily leaned closer to Kara seeing her act.
Meanwhile, Barbara could no longer contain her embarrassment. Please stop, Mom! Don’t
exaggerate it anymore. The gold did not belong to you from the start. Why do you feel like
you’re losing out if you fail to have it? There’s nothing missing from you, apart from the
marriage that you threw away.”
Melanie started to growl. Her shoulders shook violently, her hands. forming claws. She
looked like she was ready to tear her da apart. However, before she could take a step,
Morris cleared his
throat.
“In exchange for the gold you failed to claim,” he glanced sidewa making sure Melanie
heard him, “you are entitled to another asse
Melanie blinked with a deadpan look. After smoothing her hair, she whispered, “I got
another asset?”
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