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That feeling I felt.
It was my father laughing at me from beyond the grave.
Chapter 3
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“The assets totaling fifty-one point eight billion dollars will be divided equally between Odette Rochelle Wyntor and Augusta Pearl Wyntor, for a total of twenty-five point nine billion each. Of which, the first one-third of their inheritance will be received upon their marriages to a person of respectable integrity, morality, and standing, lasting more than one year. After the first three years of said marriage, they shall receive the second third of their inheritance. And the last third shall be given upon the birth of their first child—”
“No matter how many times you read it, Odette, it’s not going to change,” my mother called out from her bathroom.
I couldn’t believe it. The more I read it, the more I shook. “He can’t do this!” I hollered across her room, waving the paper above my head like a crazy woman. “It’s chauvinistic! It’s archaic! It’s wrong!”
“It’s his money, Odette. He can make the rules for whoever gets it,” she said, coming back out with a facial mask all over her.
“I know, but these are dumb rules. He should be the last person to advocate marriage. I mean...ugh. I’m so angry! How could he do this?” I lifted the paper back up to my face. “And what does ‘a person of respectable integrity, morality, and standing’ mean.”
“It means, don’t go marry a hobo off the street to get the money,” she clarified, moving to sit at her vanity.
“I get what it means! What I don’t get is who the hell is going to decide what a ‘person of respectable integrity, morality, and standing’ is?” And listen to this. Dad must have had a ball coming up with is part. ‘Should either daughter fail to marry, the assets totaling fifty-one point eight billion dollars will be divided. The first half shall be given to the Marvin Wyntor Global Foundation, and the second reinvested in Etheus.’ He’s threatening us!”
“You have to love your father. He said his money was either going back to him or going back to his company, which is also him.” Wilhelmina snickered before rubbing cream onto her neck.
“Exactly. No matter what, his money stays connected to everything he created. That is selfish and conceited! But no, he’s not done.” I smacked the paper bitterly. “Should only one daughter fail to marry and provide a child, the full sum and assets will pass on to the child of the other daughter under the same aforementioned conditions—so much for not pitting Augusta and me against each other!”
“At least he didn’t put a time frame on it,” she replied calmly, patting under her eyelids.
I paused, staring as she comfortably prepped and primed her face.
Her eyes shifted and met mine in the mirror when I was silent. “What?”
“Why am I the only one upset, pacing, and yelling?”
“Good question. Will you sit down and relax? Try this new golden banana and orchid facemask I just got—”
“Let me rephrase the question,” I cut in because she obviously didn’t understand where I was going or understood perfectly and was trying to distract me. “Why don’t you seem surprised, Mom?”
