Page 77 of Dominate
This money will give you authority. It will give you control. It will give you freedom. And please always remember that the woman who holds the purse strings, holds the power.
Sincerely,
Margaret Coleridge
When I look up, the lawyer has a second envelope for me and another for Callum.
Cal rips his open and stands up, nearly kicking his chair over as he does. “This is ludicrous! My mother was not of sound mind when she signed off on this. She couldn’t have possibly been!”
“Callum,” Harry interrupts, stopping my pacing ex-husband in his tracks. “I assure you, Margaret was of very sound mind.”
The veins in Callum’s neck protrude angrily. “How could she possibly have these feelings about me? I’m her only son.”
I look down and tear open my second envelope. The moment my eyes focus on the number of zeroes, I begin to have my own internal fit. Although, I’m guessing our reactions are for very different reasons.
Harry turns to hand me Sophia’s envelope next. A bit thicker since it’s a trust and not only a cheque.
I can barely see straight let alone open hers, so Harry takes pity on me and calmly states, “It’s even more than yours.”
My head is shaking back and forth, but my eyes are trained on Harry. “This has to be a mistake.”
“That’s what I’m saying!” Callum barks, splaying his hands out on the mahogany desk and leaning over Harry.
Harry’s demeanour is completely composed when he replies slowly, “It’s not a mistake.”
“How much did she get?” Callum asks, moving over to peek at the cheque that’s already folded back up inside the envelope. “Sloan, please tell me how much you and Sophia received.”
Harry quickly interjects. “Ms. Montgomery, I advise you to not say a word at this time. This is a lot of information you need to digest.”
I nod thoughtfully and look up at Callum. A light sheen of sweat has broken out on his forehead, and I can’t help but puzzle over how things changed so drastically between him and his mother. It wasn’t long ago that they were a united front, intimidating me into split custody. Now, it seems Margaret is onmyside.
“So, what now?” I ask, my throat constricted as I turn my gaze back to Harry.
Harry opens a large manila file. “I have some paperwork for you to sign and that’s it. I can recommend a good financial advisor to you as well, or I will transfer the details over to whomever you’d like. I do suggest you speak with someone about how to best handle this amount, Ms. Montgomery. It’s important.”
I swallow slowly, taking in his advice as Callum drops back on the edge of his chair. “So she gets the family fortune and I get the dilapidated house on Rossmill Lane? This isn’t right, Harry! The Lake District is a family estate! Sloan’s not even a Coleridge. She never took my legal name.”
Harry slides a stiff glance to Callum, who looks like he’s going to stroke out at any moment. “I’m afraid this is what it is.”
I swear I see a twinkle in the lawyer’s eyes as he points to all the places I need to sign and hands me the keys to the Lake District estate.
Harry dismisses me, but before I walk out, I turn around and ask, “What about Rex, the dog?”
“Oh! I almost forgot. Mrs. Coleridge bequeathed Rex to Sophia. He is currently living with the groundskeeper in the home on the backside of the property. Rex can stay there, or Sophia can take him with her. It’s entirely up to you.”
I smile. “Please call and let him know that I am coming to get Rex now.”
Harry smiles and nods. “Very well.”
“Thank you for your time,” I reply.
Without another word, I leave his office, my entire world completely transformed in front of a couple of mallards.
When the buzzer sounds off, I hop out of the ice bath. I wrap a towel around myself, hunching over and trying to stop my body’s trembling while wiping away the horrifyingly cold liquid dripping off of me. Bloody ice baths are medieval torture. But the older I get, the more I need them. I used to be like the younger players, training for hours a day and going out the same night without a second thought. Not anymore.
Now, I can barely make it to nine o’clock at night before falling asleep. Luckily, the routine at Sloan’s house has been an easy one to fall in to since Sophia’s around a lot more. Sometimes we go to bed when she does and, bloody hell, it’s nice.
My phone lights up on the stretching table beside me, so I hobble my frozen bones over and swipe the screen to answer.
