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Matt indicated to the chairs, and we all sat; Toby relaxed back in his chair while I continued to perch on mine with my hands clasped in my lap.
“I have discussed this with you both already but for clarity’s sake, I must go over some details again.” Matt opened the leather binder on his desk while Toby roughly cleared his throat. “As per the last Will of Francis Ashbluff, being of competent and sound mind at the time of writing has left the entirety of his Estate to all living children. Until the reading of the Will, the family were under the impression that this was just Toby until Francis’ letter about his relationship with Amy and his resulting daughter were brought to light.”
Toby scoffed under his breath, a soft sound like the annoyed chuff from a dog, and a wave of prickling heat stabbed down my spine. Hearing all of this in my kitchen had been one thing but it was quite the other to sit here, so close to my brother and hear it read out so coldly.
Matt continued. “Due to the nature of Francis’ affair and his final wishes laid out in that letter, the Ashbluff Estate in its entirety is to be split equally between all living children.”
As Matt continued to speak, I found myself sneaking glances at Toby. He was definitely older than me, and an elegant air made even his relaxed posture seem slightly intimidating. During the flight, I had rehearsed speeches about what to say to my brother or any other family members that might be present. Now that I was here, Toby’s indifference was quickly squashing that dream.
“The resulting 50/50 split is to be negotiated as seen fit, although Francis had one request and that was that Ashbluff Winery is to go to his son, Toby.” Matt finished and my head snapped up, confusion adding to the complicated nest of emotions already coursing through me.
“I’m sorry, negotiate? I thought… I thought I was just here to sign some papers?”
“The Ashbluff Estate is hefty,” Matt explained. “There are several businesses, land contracts, charities and a fortune left behind after Francis’ passing. You two are his only heirs, so that responsibility falls to both of you.” His gaze darted between the both of us, then he clasped his hands together on the desk. “You both must come to an arrangement that will then be drawn up into paperwork requiring both of your signatures. The arrangement can be whatever you feel works the best, such as co-managing the Estate to?—.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Toby cut in quickly and he finally straightened up in his chair. His elbows came to rest on his knees, pulling his sleeves up slightly and revealing a large, diamond-encrusted wristwatch. It was difficult not to stare; I’d never seen anything like it. The watch was a distraction, however, because Toby’s apparent disagreement with Matt’s suggestion had sent my gut falling right out of my ass.
Suddenly, Toby turned to me and finally looked me in the eye.
“The only reasonable thing to do here is that I buy you out.”
“Excuse me?” I stammered.
“I buy your share. In short, I give you a ton of money, and you relinquish all claim to anything within the Estate. It’s the fairest option,” Toby said smoothly. “And the better one. We’re not family; we don’t know each other, so you should not be entitled to anything in my life. Don’t you agree?”
His words were cold and yet his tone was as sticky as honey. It felt like he was insulting me and at the same time, offering me something too good to pass up.
“It would be for the best,” Matt agreed, his gaze locked onto me also.
“I…”
What was I to do? I was so out of my depth here and this had gone nothing like I imagined. There was no excitement to see each other, no desire from Toby to learn anything about me and his words were clear; I was not a part of this world.
Should I be angry? Maybe. But it was easy to reason that things weren’t easy for Toby. He had just lost his father and then learned that he was a cheater who had left behind a kid. It was a lot to process from both sides.
“Yes,” I said finally. “I suppose that does make the most sense. Yes.”
It was easier for me to agree because coming up with a counter argument on the spot was not my strong point - and it would surely be a lot of money. It wouldn’t matter until I signed anything anyway and I found myself wanting to be agreeable, if only so Toby would keep talking to me.
“Excellent,” Matt said, and he started to scribble something down while Toby chuckled and turned away.
“Could you imagine the alternative?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, but Toby didn’t even look at me. “The alternative?”
“Well, yes.” Toby threw a glance over his shoulder. “If you tried to buy me out, it would be hilarious!”
That was his alternative? Was there no version in his mind where he even considered us working together?
I pressed my lips together to stay calm and curled my hands into fists to control the nervous tremble that worked through me. Had they brought me here to ensure I knew I wasn’t part of the family? I was just supposed to go back home with a chunk of cash like none of it happened?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was probably the best outcome. There was no family here, not for me.
“Oh, there is one thing,” Matt said, lifting his head. “If you sign away your half of the Estate, you will have to give up your home.”
My mouth fell open and I froze, ice clawing up my spine. “I’m sorry?”
“The house at your current address and a cabin up in the mountains is part of Francis’ Estate. The agreement for rent-free only extended to your mother; given that she passed away some years ago, you’ve been living there rent-free for years, which is quite gracious.”
