Words filter through my mind faster than they can connect with my mouth.
“Don’t worry, she told us why. Which is why you need to talk to the attorney now.”
I sit with the name they’ve given me for a moment. It sounds familiar. After sifting through the Rolodex of names I’ve encountered during my law career, I’m reacquainted with the person in question. He went to law school with me, but opted out of taking the New York state bar.
“I know him.”
“Then that should make it much easier,” they say in unison.
“I’m not following.”
Liam lowers the window, pressing the intercom button, and within an instant, a crackling voice answers.
“I’m sorry Mr. Hutchinson isn’t taking visitors,” the voice says, apprehensive.
“Tell him we have an old friend for him.”
They look back at me. “Go ahead. Introduce yourself.”
“Who is it?” the voice asks.
I say my name into the intercom and that’s all it takes for the gates to swing open.
Sarina’s brothers clap in satisfaction as we drive through.
“Is there something I should know before we head inside?” I ask, unable to ignore the sinking feeling that there is a major component they are leaving out.
The car rolls to a stop before I’m given an answer.
“Did Sarina tell you about James?”
“Other than they were engaged, no.”
I know there’s more there. A lot more. Just the way he looked at her and acted at Luxe, told me everything I need to know about that piece of shit.
They exchange a look that quickly leads to a unified sigh. “For years, our dad tried securing business ties with James’family, and it wasn’t until the marriage was put on the table for Sarina and James, that his family seemed keen on forming a business partnership, if you will. Everything was lined up to merge both family businesses, that was until Sarina broke off the engagement. Then James started hanging around my dad more, and that’s when we found out he had taken over as attorney for our grandmother’s estate.”
“Wait, so James is the attorney? Then why are we here?”
“This is where it gets murky since Hutchinson is who our grandmother had as her attorney, but at the reading of her will, we were informed of the change, and James was there in Hutchinson’s place. Our dad informed us that our grandmother, shortly before her death, had a change of attorney and new will drafted. None of us bought it. Especially not when the stipulation to Sarina receiving her portion was read.”
“So, James altered the will, is what you’re saying.”
“That’swhy we’re here. Small world that you two know each other, so this should make everything easier. Talk to your old friend about and find out for us.”
As I open the car door and spill out onto the cobblestone driveway with my pulse pounding in my ears, I’ve never been more determined in my life to find out the truth, or willing to potentially break the promise I made my dad. Because if all this is true, and the will was tampered with, I’m going to act with much more than words.
CHAPTER 31
SARINA
It’s been over an hour since Tomás left for a walk with my brothers, and I’m snuggled under the covers, thankful for cramps. One, because I don’t actually have them, and two, for as painful as actual menstrual cramps can be, they are in fact a godsend since they fall into the category of universal excuses that exempt you from social obligations.
Similar to having children with being able to say‘Sorry, I’d love to go but I don’t have a babysitter’or‘I’d love to, but the kids have…’insert whatever the fuck the kids have or don’t have. Either way, it’s your ‘get out of whatever you don’t feel like doing’ card. And since I have absolutely no interest in ever having kids, my options are period cramps and migraines. However, I don’t use the latter often. I noticed an unfortunate jinxing domino effect that results in me actually getting a migraine after, so I retired that one. I consider myself a strong, independent woman, but a migraine with aura is debilitating, so I alter my excuses to not have such a karmic effect, thank you very much.
So menstrual cramps were the excuse of choice this evening when my sister asked that I go out for drinks with her andher bridesmaids. The thought of having to put on a smile, and socialize, after being forced to see James at the rehearsal dinner, was torture.
Instead, I opted to disassociate in our room while I wait for Tomás to get back. It was going great until Lorena and Gabriella FaceTimed me and before I knew it, I was unleashing years’ worth of details I’ve been keeping from Lorena. Not that I intended to tell her —and Gabriella— about James, or the extent of my dad’s schemes with me sobbing, but I swear, those two are good. Within seconds they both picked up on me fake smiling, as they put it, and that was when the dam of tears broke —as did my ability to keep it in.
