Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 107: Reading the Will (2)

Chapter 107: Reading the Will (2)

The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on the lawyer as he rifled through the documents. "Edwina understood the potential for rivalry and conflict among her heirs. Therefore, she included a clause that stipulates any attempts to contest the will result in significant penalties."

This time, it was Ava who spoke up," What kind of penalties? And what does Serena have to do with this. The lawyer cleared his throat again," I’ll clear the questions at the soonest,"Miss Serena, are you married?"

Serena clenched her jaw and nodded once. The lawyer nodded and then shook his head," In the event that Miss Serena is married when the will is read, there will be additional changes made to the will. The reason for this is that the will was originally made when Miss Serena had not joined the family. In order to not leak the contents of the will, instead of changing it entirely, Miss Edwina preferred to simply add a few stipulations.

"While the properties and trust funds are to be divided as such, the exectution of the will rests in the hand of Miss Serena. She may choose to execute the will immediately or she has the power to put a hold to this for the next three years after the date of this reading.

"This means that should she choose not to execute this will, then she will be the sole caretaker of the properties and the trusts with absolute power of attorney to decide what to do with them."

"Finally, the shares in the family business will be solely left in the hands of Serena, making her the next biggest shareholder in the company."

Serena felt the weight of the room pressing down on her and gave a small smile. The lawyer’s words hung in the air like a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment. As he finished, the silence felt almost suffocating, interrupted only by the rustle of paper as he slid the document toward her.

"Please, sign here, Ms. Dawn," he instructed, his voice steady amidst the chaos brewing around them.

Without a word, and as if unaware of everyone glaring at her, she walked forward and signed on this piece of document.

The moment the pen left the page, chaos erupted.

Daniel shot to his feet, his chair screeching against the floor. "This is preposterous! You can’t be serious! This won’t mean anything!" His voice rose above the din, fueled by indignation.

Matthew chimed in, his tone harsh. "How can you allow this? She’s just a—"

"Enough!" The lawyer’s voice boomed over the chaos, attempting to regain control. "These are the terms set forth by Edwina Dawn. They are legally binding."

Ava, standing to the side, looked between the lawyer, her father and uncles, her expression a mix of confusion and anger. "This is ridiculous. There must be a mistake! You’re telling me a servant has control over everything our grandfather built? You’ve got to be kidding! This is ludicrous!"

"You’ll regret this, Serena. This isn’t over. We’ll fight this, and you’ll see just how quickly the tides can turn." His voice dripped with disdain, as Daniel Dawn glared at the girl standing there, looking down on him, his voice now so low pitched that he sounded more like a harp than a man. "This is our family’s legacy, and you are nothing but an imposter at the table."

She felt the weight of their stares, the venom in their words, yet she refused to be swayed by their vitriol. Instead, she allowed a small, imperceptible smile to grace her lips, knowing that this moment, long awaited, was hers. As her eyes met Daniel’s the man shivered and looked away, feeling chilled to the bone.

Matthew joined in, as he stood up and walked closer to Serena. "You’ll regret this, Serena. This isn’t over. We’ll fight this, and you’ll see just how quickly the tides can turn." His voice dripped with disdain, an open challenge in his tone. "This is our family’s legacy, and you are nothing but an imposter at the table."

"An imposter?" Serena echoed, her voice steady and cool. "Is that what you tell yourselves to cope with your own failures? I didn’t ask for this, but here I am, the one who gets to make the decisions."

"You think you can just walk in here and take what’s ours?" Daniel seethed, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "You’re nothing without us. Without our name, you’re just a nobody!"

"Exactly!" Matthew chimed in, pointing an accusatory finger. "We will not let this happen. You’re an outsider, and you don’t belong!"

Amidst the uproar, the lawyer raised his voice, attempting to regain control. "Gentlemen, please! The will is—"

But his words were drowned out by the clamor of rising accusations as both the brothers screamed on top of their voices while the cousins also all started to talk loudly, either trying to calm down their parents or simply joining in screaming at Serena.

You can’t possibly think we’ll let you get away with this! You’re stealing our inheritance! We’ll take you to court! We’ll—"

"Court?" Serena interrupted, her voice low but resonating with strength. "Please, do try. It’s only more public humiliation for your family. Can’t you see how foolish this all looks?"

Matthew scoffed. "You think this is a game? You will rue the day you signed that document!"

The lawyer tried to intervene again, his patience wearing thin. "I must remind you, the terms set forth are—"

"Terms? There’s no way this can stand!" Daniel yelled over him, his face turning red with frustration. "We’ll fight you every step of the way, Serena. You have no idea who you’re dealing with! This is all your fault, Daniel! If,as the eldest you had done your duty...."

As the shouting intensified with Daniel and Matthew Dawn hurling more threats her way and then turning on each other, Serena felt a strange sense of tranquility wash over her.

With no intention of even entering into this argument, Serena turned around and walked away. No one noticed her movement, so consumed were they by their own anger and indignation.