Page 18 of Fight Or Flight

Ethan turned in his seat toward Speeler, waiting patiently.

“Doctor?”

He glanced at her and nodded, then turned his attention back to Speeler.

“Elizabeth loved the work you’re doing on the property. She wanted to be sure you would see it through. So she left the pond in your trust. These are the coordinates. It’s all the land east of the manor grounds.”

Ethan sat up straighter, surprised. He took the paper and stared at it. “Wow.”

“The rest of the property,” Speeler continued, “including the house and its surrounding property, river and waterfall, has been left to Natalie Alvarez and Chelsea Davenport.”

Chelsea let out a gasp. Her blue eyes lit up. “Oh my God! Really?!”

Natalie sat in shock for a moment, taking in her sister’s and Ethan’s gleeful faces, before shaking her head.

“Why would you let her do this?” she asked.

“Elizabeth decided how she wanted her property divided. Not me. I simply wrote the will.”

“This isn’t fair.”

“Fair? You just inherited fifty percent of a property worth twelve million dollars.”

Natalie shook her head. “I mean, it isn’t fair to lead these two on like this,” she said, gesturing to Ethan and Chelsea. “Elizabeth shouldn’t have done this.” Her head wouldn’t stop shaking back and forth now. “We shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

“Deal with what?” Ethan asked.

He turned an intense deep stare at her, waiting. When he said nothing else, she wondered whether he would wait forever or eventually blow up.

Something told her he had a very long fuse.

“Deal with the Monroes,” she said. “Elizabeth told me that when her husband died, he didn’t have a will, and his brothers wanted the house to go to them, but Elizabeth took them to court.”

“Yes. That is exactly what happened,” Speeler said. “I represented her myself. She won, and the property was legally hers. Now it’s yours.”

Natalie dropped her head into her hand and rubbed at her temples. She knew this would never happen. The Monroes were extremely wealthy. And old school. They would never allow their family home to be given to Robert’s illegitimate children.

That cab was looking superb right about now.

When she looked across the table, Ethan was staring at her again.

“I guess you’re not a distant relative?” he asked.

She shook her head.

He looked at Chelsea, then back at her. “Robert’s daughters?”

She nodded.

He looked to Speeler. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“Potentially, yes. Elizabeth left the shares she owned in Monroe Corp. to Edward’s remaining brothers. Victor is the eldest and acts as President and CEO. She left most of the antiques and family heirlooms in the home to all the other family members. I met with them last night.”

“And they are satisfied with that?”

Speeler paused for a deep breath. “No. But they are never satisfied with anything. The shares are a small amount compared to the fortune they’ve already amassed. The property has deep sentimental value to them.”

Chelsea’s small voice broke in, resigned. “So, we aren’t actually going to get it?”

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