Chapter 23
‘Sabs, is this true? You’re the heiress to Logan Quick’s fortune?’
It was Mel Poulter on the phone, the mother of one of Darren’s best friends.
‘No, of course not. Who told you that?’ Half a day. They hadn’t made it through half a bloody day.
‘It’s all over the school. Everyone’s talking about it according to Stuart.’
Sabri sighed, making sure it was audible. ‘It’s a scam, Mel. I’ll bet loads of people got the same letter we did.’
‘Well, if they have, I haven’t heard about it. And the solicitors have confirmed its real. Well, that’s what Stuart said, anyway.’
‘What solicitors? And how would Stuart know anything about it?’
‘The kids are saying the letter you received came from a firm of solicitors and that Jason phoned them on the way to school this morning.’
Sabri leaned back against the kitchen wall.
‘Didn’t you know?’ Mel sounded gleeful.
None of them had been in touch. ‘I’ve had my phone switched off. Sorry, Mel, I’m getting another call.’
‘Could be the solicitors. How very exciting. Don’t forget your old friends when you’re billionaires.’
‘Bye, Mel.’
What the hell? She couldn’t phone Jason until lunchtime because the print shop where he worked didn’t allow personal phone calls.
He’d spoken to the solicitors? And they’d confirmed it was real? It wasn’t possible. Chinese Whispers had gone into overdrive.
But what if it was real? What if they were to become the people you occasionally heard about on the news; those to whom wonderful, unexpected things happened? Would she go back to medical school? Would she even get a place now with, at best, twelve working years left in her before retirement?
Her phone was ringing again, this time a number she didn’t recognise. Tentatively, Sabri pressed accept.
‘Mrs Carter, this is BBC Cornwall. I’m calling about a report we’ve received this morning that you’ve been named as the heir to Logan Quick’s fortune. We’d love to interview you on the show later.’
Sabri ended the call, realising as she did so that her world had shifted, irrevocably.