Chapter 4
I didn't sleep that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Daniel Brooks repeating the same sentence.
You signed away your inheritance.
Except I hadn't.
I had never even known I had an inheritance.
At two in the morning, I sat on my bed surrounded by books, photographs, and letters from my mother's study.
My room suddenly looked different.
The pale blue walls.
The antique furniture.
The reading chair by the window.
For years, Vanessa had made me feel like a guest in that room.
Now I wondered whether the entire house had legally belonged to my mother.
And whether Vanessa had known that all along.
I heard a soft knock.
“Nia?”
It was Dad.
“Come in.”
He entered carrying two cups of tea.
He placed one beside me.
Then he sat on the edge of my bed.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he whispered, “I'm sorry.”
I stared at him.
“For what?”
He looked down.
“For allowing Vanessa to treat you the way she has.”
I felt anger rise again.
“You watched her.”
“I know.”
“You heard her call me useless. You let her throw away Mom's things. You let her take money from my college fund.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I know.”
I shook my head.
“Then why didn't you stop her?”
He rubbed his face.
“After your mother died, I didn't know how to survive. I was grieving, and I was terrified of raising you alone.”
“So you married Vanessa.”
He nodded.
“She helped with the house. She handled bills. She made decisions when I couldn't.”
“And eventually you stopped making decisions at all.”
He looked at me.
I hadn't meant to sound cruel.
But I couldn't take the words back.
Because they were true.
Dad sat quietly.
Then he whispered, “You're right.”
I felt my anger weaken slightly.
Not disappear.
Just weaken.
“I needed you,” I said.
A tear slid down his cheek.
“I know, sweetheart.”
“No. You don't understand. Every time she hurt me, I looked at you. I thought if I waited long enough, you'd remember I was your daughter.”
He covered his face.
That was the first time I had ever seen my father cry like a child.
I wanted to comfort him.
But another part of me was still the little girl waiting for him to defend her.
So I stayed where I was.
The next morning, Daniel Brooks arrived at ten.
He wore a gray suit and carried a leather briefcase.
He looked at me with such sadness that my eyes immediately filled with tears.
“You look like your mother.”
I swallowed.
“People tell me that.”
“She was a remarkable woman.”
He sat at the dining table and opened his briefcase.
Vanessa appeared moments later.
She wore a white blouse and expensive gold jewelry.
“Who invited a stranger into my home?”
Daniel looked up.
“Mrs. Vanessa Williams?”
She stopped.
“Yes.”
“My name is Daniel Brooks. I represented Elena Williams and continue to serve as counsel for her trust.”
Vanessa's expression tightened.
“I know who you are.”
Daniel nodded.
“Then you understand why I'm here.”
He placed several documents on the table.
My father sat beside me.
Maya watched from the doorway.
Daniel explained that my mother had inherited substantial assets from her father.
She had created a trust to preserve those assets for me.
Until I turned twenty-one, the trust was supposed to be managed by an independent trustee.
After my birthday, I would become entitled to information, distributions, and control rights defined in the trust agreement.
I stared at him.
“How much money are we talking about?”
Daniel hesitated.
“The most recent verified asset statement showed property and investments worth approximately four million dollars.”
My breath caught.
Four million.
I looked at Dad.
His face was pale.
Vanessa gave a bitter laugh.
“That's absurd.”
Daniel calmly opened another folder.
“Three rental properties. One commercial building. Investment accounts. And a controlling ownership interest in this residence.”
I stared at him.
“This house?”
He nodded.
“Your mother placed her ownership interest in the trust.”
Dad leaned forward.
“Are you saying Nia owns this house?”
“Not in the simple sense of having unrestricted title today. But she is the principal beneficiary, and the trust holds a controlling interest.”
Vanessa slammed her hand onto the table.
“Impossible!”
Daniel looked at her.
“Mrs. Williams, I have the recorded deeds.”
Silence fell.
Then Daniel turned another page.
“Unfortunately, there is a serious problem.”
My stomach tightened.
He showed us several documents.
They contained signatures that looked like mine.
A power of attorney.
A beneficiary consent form.
And instructions transferring trust-controlled assets into a newly formed company.
I stared at the pages.
“I didn't sign those.”
Daniel nodded.
“I suspected that when you failed to respond to our notices.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Perhaps she forgot.”
I turned toward her.
“Forgot signing away millions of dollars?”
She looked away.
Daniel continued.
“The power of attorney names Vanessa Williams as your authorized representative.”
Dad stood abruptly.
“Vanessa?”
She shrugged.
“Nia asked me to help her with financial matters.”
I stared at her.
“I never asked you for anything.”
She smiled coldly.
“You're inexperienced. You probably signed something without understanding it.”
My hands clenched.
“No.”
Daniel held up another document.
“The notarization was completed on August fourteenth.”
I froze.
August fourteenth.
I remembered that day.
I had been working a double shift at the campus café.
There were security cameras.
Clock-in records.
Receipts.
I looked at Daniel.
“I can prove I wasn't there.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
Vanessa's face changed.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
Then Maya suddenly stepped into the room.
“Mom?”
Vanessa snapped, “Go upstairs!”
But Maya didn't move.
She was staring at the documents.
“I remember August fourteenth.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Maya looked at me.
Then at her mother.
May you like
Her voice trembled.
“Mom made me practice writing Nia's name that night.”
