The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 458 - 467: The Fight for the Inheritance

Chapter 458: Chapter 467: The Fight for the Inheritance

Everyone was waiting for Sarah Grandy to express her stance when the door was knocked on. Someone immediately went to open it, and Helen Wilson walked in.

"Charlotte, these are the things your parents left for you." Helen Wilson walked up to Sarah Grandy and handed her a document envelope.

Sarah didn’t move, so John Brown casually took the envelope and said to her, "Charlotte, take a look at these items. These are things your parents left to you."

Sarah’s body trembled before she quickly snatched the envelope. With trembling hands, she opened it and began examining everything inside item by item.

Tom Johnson and Christopher Johnson also leaned in to look, but their faces quickly became grim as they discovered it was a last will and testament along with some property certification documents.

Sarah’s parents had already transferred all their assets into Sarah’s name long ago, dashing any hope of the relatives claiming a share of the inheritance.

John Brown glanced at the dates on the documents, which were from just a few months ago, and deduced that Sarah’s mother had long made up her mind to die alongside her husband. To prevent her daughter from being bullied after her death, she had the assets transferred into Sarah’s name during those months.

Sarah’s father likely had no objections to transferring the assets to their daughter. He might have agreed at the time because his wife feared he would blow the money on other women or because, during that time, she was acting very agreeable toward him.

After Helen Wilson delivered the documents to Sarah, knowing John Brown was present and that nothing would go wrong, she left. Once Helen exited, the tension among Sarah’s relatives exploded. While Sarah’s family wasn’t extraordinarily wealthy, their assets amounted to three to four million dollars. Split into three portions, each side could theoretically receive one million dollars. Though that million was ostensibly for the elderly members of both families, everyone knew those funds would eventually trickle down to them.

Their original expectations had been completely shattered. Realizing that they were entirely excluded from the inheritance enraged both factions of the families, prompting loud complaints. One side criticized Sarah’s father while the other blamed her mother. Eventually, Sarah’s paternal relatives blamed her maternal relatives, threatening to sue her mother’s side. In retaliation, her maternal relatives dredged up accusations against Sarah’s father.

Amidst their heated arguments, Sarah remained stoic, repeatedly going over the items her parents had left her, especially her mother’s will. It detailed the reasons for her suicide, expressed regret toward Sarah, and included encouragements for her daughter to stay strong.

After a prolonged quarrel, the relatives finally calmed down. Over the last few days, they’d diligently studied inheritance laws in hopes of claiming part of the assets. They now knew that no amount of arguing would grant them any property unless Sarah voluntarily gifted it to them.

Tom Johnson cleared his throat and said, "Charlotte, we’re all your elders. While both your parents have passed away, we still have a responsibility to care for you. I suggest you come live at your uncle’s house; it’d be much easier for him to look after you."

Christopher Johnson immediately grew anxious and retorted, "Charlotte, didn’t you love visiting your uncle’s house when you were little? From now on, move in with us. I promise you won’t be mistreated."

Tom waved dismissively and replied, "Christopher, your suggestion doesn’t make sense. Charlotte’s last name is Smith, tying her to the Smith Family. It’s only proper that we Smith Family Members take care of her."

Christopher argued back, "Come on, it’s a longstanding tradition that maternal uncles have the greatest connection to their nieces. Charlotte has always been closer to our side of the family. Just ask her; she’ll surely choose us."

Tom discreetly motioned to the younger children of his side of the family, prompting them to quickly coax Sarah into staying with them. Meanwhile, Christopher’s side wasn’t idle—Sarah’s cousins surged forward, loudly offering their encouragement for her to move in with them instead.

Sarah raised her head and looked at everyone, her lips moving slightly. She had cried often over the last few days, rarely speaking, and seemed unsure of how to find her voice.

The room fell silent. Everyone held their breath, tense and staring at Sarah, awaiting her decision—a verdict that could sway millions in assets.

"I’m not going anywhere." Sarah finally uttered those five words.

Tom immediately protested, "What? That won’t do! You’re so young; how can you live alone? We can’t possibly feel at ease with that arrangement. Besides, your grandmother has been missing you terribly."

Christopher also grew impatient and pushed back, "That’s not acceptable, Charlotte. You can’t just go with the flow. Come live with your uncle, and you’ll see your grandmother every day. She’s always been the one who doted on you the most."

Sarah, still resolute, shook her head firmly and replied, "I know both Grandma and Nana care for me. I also know you all just want a piece of the money. My parents’ honoring them is part of their duty, and although they’re gone now, I won’t shirk that responsibility. I’ll give them a share eventually, but for now, I’m staying put—I’ll live with Uncle John. He’ll take care of me."

As she spoke, Sarah tightly grasped John Brown’s hand and looked at him pleadingly, "Uncle, please don’t leave me."

John sighed deeply. He marveled at how Sarah, despite the circumstances, still managed to handle these matters so maturely. Yet her words ultimately directed the burden squarely onto him. There was no way he could avoid taking responsibility now, so he clasped Sarah’s hand in return, nodded firmly, and said, "Uncle will take care of you."

"I knew Uncle wouldn’t abandon me," Sarah whispered as she nestled into John Brown’s arms, sobbing softly once again.

For the past two days, everyone had been observing John closely. They’d speculated extensively about him, trying to pry into his background. However, during this time, Sarah was in no condition to talk, and John merely introduced himself as a friend of Sarah’s.

This ambiguous relationship had fueled wild conjectures among the relatives. Hearing Sarah now explicitly state that John would care for her further stoked their outrage and apprehensions.

"No way! Absolutely not!" Tom shouted, glaring at John Brown. He gritted out, "Charlotte can’t be with you under any circumstances. She’s only eighteen, and you’re so much older than her. She might be naïve, but we won’t let you deceive her."

Christopher echoed the sentiment, glaring at John, "Exactly! I don’t care who you are, tricking Charlotte is out of the question."

John smiled faintly and replied, "I understand your concerns. This can be resolved easily. I will sign a formal notarized agreement with Sarah, ensuring that I don’t touch a single penny of hers. What’s hers belongs to her."

Tom and Christopher scoffed, unwilling to believe him. Tom frowned and argued, "A notarized document means nothing. If you end up taking off with Charlotte’s money, where would we even find you?"

Christopher added urgently, "No, it’s completely unacceptable. We don’t even know who you are. On what grounds should you care for Charlotte?"

John momentarily struggled to answer this question because, indeed, he had no formal grounds to care for Sarah. Suddenly, Sarah straightened up and shouted, "Uncle John is my man, okay? What’s mine is his; I’m willing to give it to him. You all have no right to interfere."

John broke out into a cold sweat, realizing that Sarah’s words had only thrown him deeper into the fire.

The room erupted in fury. Tom slammed the table and bellowed, "Charlotte, you’re being completely ridiculous! You’re only eighteen, fresh out of high school, and you’re already claiming to have chosen a man? Especially someone so much older than you? He’s clearly fooling you—how can you be so blind?"

Raising her chin defiantly, Sarah declared, "I’m eighteen—I’m legally an adult. I have the right to make my own decisions. My parents knew Uncle John. They even mentioned him in my mom’s will, asking him to take care of me."

John let out another forced smile. What Sarah said was indeed true; her mother had explicitly mentioned in her will for John to care for her. However, even John found it perplexing why Sarah’s mother would trust him so profoundly while disregarding her extended family.

Christopher, now furious, growled, "Your mom was clearly unwell! She poisoned her own husband and chose to end her own life—how could any decision she made be rational?" Although Sarah’s mother was Christopher’s sister, her choice to entrust a stranger over her own relations infuriated him.

Sarah shot to her feet, her face pale and voice firm, "Your opinions don’t matter. I’ll stay with Uncle John, and no one can stop me. What’s mine will not be taken by anyone."

"Insane! You’ve lost your mind!"

"Charlotte, why are you so foolish? He’s obviously duping you!"

"We’re your family—we’d never wish anything but the best for you. You need to think this through!"

Everyone tried persuading her desperately, but Sarah remained unmoved. A defiant girl’s heart, once committed, was difficult to sway—especially someone like Sarah, who carried a streak of rebellion. Her decisions, once made, could hardly be undone.

"Enough! If all of you keep this up, I won’t give you a single cent. This money is mine alone, and no one else has any claim to it." Sarah’s ultimatum silenced the room. While she may still have been young, the reality was clear: she held sole control over the assets.