Chapter Sixteen Hanna
Chapter Sixteen
Hanna
I wanted to start this day over. Climb back into bed and stay there. Carve out a safe space and breathe through the building
panic that Xavier’s death was the beginning of a nightmare, not an end to one.
Daniela had thrown a fit when I dumped cleanup duties on her and slipped out of the café. Totally understandable. I’d played
the boss card. Not my usual style but desperation had my thoughts in a tailspin. With a mumbled apology, I promised to be
back as soon as possible.
The only good news was that Jeremy had headed back to school for some social event debauchery I didn’t want any details about.
He wasn’t in attendance at the meeting even though the letter from the attorney had been addressed to both of us. The paragraphs
made clear that I could attend on behalf of Jeremy because he wasn’t yet twenty-one.
Every legal word sounded like a threat. A harbinger of bad news to come.
Xavier, what did you do?
The attorney finally started talking. The low rumble of his voice lacked emotion. I barely heard him over the banging of my
heartbeat in my ears. More than once I felt the heat of someone staring at me. Challenging me to answer why I deserved to
be in the room.
I didn’t. I didn’t want any part of this. I definitely didn’t want Jeremy dragged into whatever disaster Xavier’s devious
mind had planned on his way out.
The attorney stopped talking. I had no idea what he’d said but his droning had held the rest of the room in his thrall. Isabel
sat forward. Even Aubrey, who had been relaxing against the wall, stood up straight. She was the only one on her feet. Everyone
else had taken a seat. I’d dropped into the nearest chair as soon as I walked into the room out of fear my legs wouldn’t hold
me much longer.
“Xavier wanted all of you to know what provisions he’d made. The court will weigh in on the assets that require probate. Until
then there are some logistics that need to be worked out. After that, anyone who wishes to contest or make a claim can.” The
attorney glanced at Aubrey when he said that last part. “So, I will read the provisions in list form. Admittedly, I’ve never
done an actual in-person reading before, but with everything that’s happened I wanted to at least honor this part of Xavier’s
request and inform you all together of his final wishes.”
More than one of us looked at Aubrey. If she was worried about what came next she didn’t show it. Her expression bordered on serene. Unbothered. She stood there with her bag dangling from one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, like a young mother waiting for a parent-teacher conference.
I yearned to achieve that level of nonchalance. I’d bumbled my way through my twenties and was only slightly less awkward
now. Yet, here was Aubrey, out in the open and relishing being the center of attention after years of being cut off from any.
“Xavier had a will, of course, but the majority of his assets were placed in a family trust, which includes the proceeds from
the sale of his business last year. But I’ll come back to that.” The attorney stopped when Isabel made a strange sound, then
he continued. “Some items, those outside of the trust except for life insurance, which is a different asset altogether, meet
the monetary limit and will require probate.”
Isabel started to talk. “You mean—”
The attorney continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “Let’s start there. Xavier gave his Mercedes to Lukas Grange. Xavier’s note
says, As a thank-you and Lukas will know why.”
That got everyone’s attention. So did Lukas’s muttering.
“I actually don’t.” Lukas shook his head. “What’s he referring to?”
His stunned gaze met Stella’s. An indecipherable look passed between them. The kind of unspoken communication that came from
years of marriage. Must be a case of leftover intimacy or understanding because they hadn’t been a couple for a long time.
The attorney continued. “Xavier left his truck to his niece, Isabel Clarke. His note says, She earned it.”
“What?” Isabel’s mouth dropped open. “What am I supposed to do with a twenty-year-old piece-of-junk truck?”
It took every bit of willpower not to laugh. Xavier loved that hulking thing. He could barely haul his body in the vehicle at the end, but he loved to ride around town and his property in it. Lord over everything and everyone around him.
Seeing an aging millionaire gleefully clutching the oversized wheel as he maneuvered the massive vehicle on narrow streets
had been quite a sight and a regular occurrence. Isabel might not appreciate the gift, but it was as if Xavier had passed
his prized possession to her.
Unless it meant something only the two of them knew. If so, Isabel wasn’t talking. She was too busy sputtering.
The attorney didn’t even blink. “Xavier had a life insurance policy, which is a bit of a surprise in light of his age and
assets, but he maintained it. It’s very small in comparison to the estate, two hundred thousand dollars, and it goes to Isabel
Clarke, outside of the will and trust, of course.”
“Good.” Isabel’s tense shoulders relaxed but only slightly. “But there’s more. Clearly.”
My guess is she expected one line in these directions that said: Give everything to my niece. If so, she had no idea how little Xavier had thought of her. I did because Xavier wasn’t exactly quiet about his disdain.
He hated people who “mooched” off him, and he accused her of that often and loudly. Made it clear he thought she owed him.
The attorney continued. “Xavier listed Stella Clarke as the beneficiary of his retirement assets. There are two accounts.
One is more substantial and attaches to his former company. She can, but is not obligated to, provide a portion to her mother,
Isabel.”
“Stella controls my money?” Isabel’s voice shook with fury.
“Mom.” Stella’s mouth fell into a thin line. “Not now.”
Oh, boy. The family byplay came with an undercurrent of watching a car wreck that provided more than a little amusement. But I really didn’t need to be here for this.
Seeing Aubrey smile over the turmoil didn’t help my unsteady mood. Dark energy swirled inside me. The urge to bolt, to run
and keep running, slammed into me. I had to concentrate to keep my numb butt in that uncomfortable chair.
The attorney shot Isabel a look that telegraphed his annoyance at being interrupted. “Actually, it’s your daughter’s money.
She can share if she wishes. I will provide the insurance information after the meeting.”
Isabel wrenched away when Stella touched her arm. “You can’t—”
“Moving on.” The attorney’s voice rose, drowning out Isabel’s whining. “Victoria’s wedding ring, which was left on her bedside
table on the day of her . . . disappearance, goes to Marni Richards.”
Even Isabel fell silent at that.
The attorney cleared his throat. “The note says, Because it’s what you always wanted.”
“What? No.” Marni shook her head. “That can’t be right.”
“Interesting.” Aubrey didn’t sound upset. More like intrigued.
She wasn’t the only one. We all looked at Marni, some of us more obvious in our confusion than others. Marni visibly swallowed
as the spotlight moved to her. A red stain spread across her cheeks, but she didn’t say another word.
Xavier’s obscure note had all of us squirming. I experienced a severe case of secondhand embarrassment. The kind that wouldn’t fade for a long time.
“Xavier says he held and invested Patrick and Victoria’s assets for the benefit of his granddaughter, Aubrey. With her reappearance,
those assets, including the former family home, long since unoccupied, will pass to her.” The attorney flashed Aubrey a quick
look before focusing on the paper in front of him again. “Because of the, uh, issues involved with the disappearances and
Xavier’s refusal to have the whole family declared officially deceased—”
“That would have been awkward.” Aubrey smiled. A feral, scary-as-hell smile.
“Those items need to go through probate and require an official declaration of death for the other family members, but I can
provide the keys and entry information to the house in the interim.” The attorney rushed out the comment as if he feared the
room would turn on Aubrey or him.
“He knew you were alive?” I didn’t mean to ask the question. The words slipped out.
Aubrey smiled. “Interesting, right?”
Xavier had known Aubrey survived. But it was the things the note the lawyer was reading didn’t say that had my head spinning—Xavier
knew Aubrey was the only one alive. The attorney didn’t mention a provision for Noah or Patrick and Victoria. Only Aubrey.
The room closed in on me. It was as if the walls pressed against my chest, squeezing, collapsing my lungs and stealing my
breath.
“As for the family trust . . .” The attorney looked at me as he hesitated to deliver the news.
Oh, no. There was no way.
“This is an irrevocable family trust, which means the terms could have been modified by Xavier under certain circumstances
but were not,” the attorney explained.
Isabel huffed. “Why are you drawing this out? Family means family, right?”
“The family trust includes Xavier’s house and the extensive grounds, as well as all of Xavier’s investment and banking accounts.”
The attorney closed the file in front of him. “He established the family trust for the sole benefit of Jeremy Sato with Hanna
Sato as trustee. He’s quite clear that he intentionally excluded other family members.”
There it was. The answer I dreaded.
The room let out a collective gasp. I could feel everyone turn to me. I closed my eyes, hoping to disappear or wake up or
something. Anything but this.
Stella whistled. “That’s a lot of money.”
Tens of millions. Thirty-eight million the last time I heard. I knew because Xavier once tried to outline it all for me. I’d
told him no. The memories of our financial arguments flashed in my mind.
Don’t act like you don’t care, Hanna. You played this game well. You should enjoy the proceeds.
I gagged. Almost doubled over right there in the conference room.
The attorney continued. “Hanna Sato will receive one percent of the trust’s assets annually as trustee compensation. There are specific distribution terms for Jeremy Sato and rules his mother must follow and requirements about what happens with Xavier’s house and when.”
“That’s absurd,” Isabel said at a near yell. “This is a mistake. We aren’t related to her or that child.”
The attorney winced. “Well . . .”
After a beat of intense silence, I opened my eyes again. My vision remained blurred as if I’d been rubbing my eyes to the
point of pain. I tried to focus on the bookshelf across the room. On the line of books with red bindings on the second shelf
from the top. I couldn’t read the titles but I pretended.
Screaming echoed in my ears. It took me a second to realize the noise came from inside me. As they all shifted in their seats,
I could imagine the confused and angry thoughts whirling through their minds.
“Not to state the obvious but a family trust requires the beneficiaries be family members,” Lukas said.
Every word condemned me. Every shocked glance judged my life and my choices. Worse, they judged Jeremy.
“Yes,” the attorney said. “There is verification Jeremy Sato qualifies as a recipient. I can share that at a later time.”
I knew all the details of how. I remembered the covert DNA test done using my hair and my brush without my knowing to protect the family from a con artist. That was Xavier’s excuse for his behavior.
He promised me. He said he would protect Jeremy, and he broke his vow.
Damn him.
“Priceless.” Aubrey started laughing, low and soft at first, then louder, into a rich, amused sound. “It’s almost as if perfect little Hanna might not be so perfect after all.”
Nowhere near perfect. I never claimed to be that. I’d state it now, but the room wouldn’t stop spinning. Heat washed through
me.
“Perhaps there’s something you’d like to share with the rest of the class.” Aubrey’s sarcastic voice shut down all the muttering.
“Provide us with a juicy detail or two to clarify the trust language, yes?”
“Hanna, tell the attorney this is a mistake,” Isabel demanded.
I couldn’t because it wasn’t. Jeremy was Xavier’s heir . . . and now Jeremy was the only one who didn’t know the truth.