Victor sat down and spoke directly, explaining financial troubles and acknowledging the strangeness of his return. Then he revealed the real reason, saying he believed he had a right to part of Ruth’s estate as Melissa’s former husband.
Emily listened without interruption, then stood and brought a blue folder from the study.
“Open it,” she said.
Victor opened the file and saw the notarized will leaving everything equally to Emily and Jason. There was no mention of him anywhere in the document.
“You and my mother had a prenuptial agreement,” Emily said calmly. “You have no legal claim here.”
He tried to argue about the house and finances, but Emily cut him off with steady precision.
“This house was paid for by Ruth after you stopped sending support.”
She opened the next section, showing detailed records covering eighteen years of expenses written carefully. Tuition, medical bills, groceries, utilities, and everything else was documented with exact totals.
“Three million four hundred twenty thousand dollars,” she said evenly. “That is what she spent raising us, not including higher education.”
Jason finally spoke, his voice steady and cold.
“Did you come here to talk about inheritance?”