Crystal found her voice first, sharp and offended. “Where did you get ten million?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
My lawyer opened the folder like a magician revealing the trick.
“Mrs. Washington,” he said, “is the sole beneficiary of her late husband’s company sale. The sale finalized one day before his death. Five hundred million dollars, after taxes.”
The silence that followed was so pure it felt holy.
Beverly’s hand trembled.
Crystal’s face drained white.
Andre looked like he might be sick.
Howard’s mouth opened, then closed, like a man trying to swallow a world he didn’t know existed.
“That’s impossible,” Howard finally said. “We went through everything.”
My lawyer smiled without warmth. “The company was Mr. Washington’s separate property. Built without family funds. It passed to his wife. It’s legal. It’s final. It’s hers.”
Beverly’s mind recalibrated in real time. You could see gears turning—rage to strategy, cruelty to performance.
“Well,” she said brightly, voice too loud. “This is wonderful news. Family helps family.”
I looked at her the way a nurse looks at a patient insisting they’re fine while bleeding.