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Chapter Twenty-Six
As she cleanedoff her desk, Sera was still trying to control the shaking that had started during her meeting with the board. They were still in there, probably discussing her because she had stepped way over the line this time. They were sure to fire her on Monday, if not before. But she stood by what she had said; things had to change.
Sadly, she had said out loud that Harrison had had sex in the office after the countless times he had said he hadn’t. It wasn’t relevant, and she wasn’t going to bring it up, but Miles had pissed her off. She had slipped up.
Sera grabbed her briefcase to leave just as Dawn stuck her head in the door. “Sera, you have a phone call. He says it’s important.”
“Sure.” Sera went back to her desk and picked up the phone, hoping she wouldn’t need her computer as she’d already turned it off. “Sera Lovely, Director of Human Resources.”
“Ms. Lovely, this is Simon Aldon. I have a few questions for you,” a voice stated.
“Sure, go ahead.” Shifting the received to her other ear, Sera moved files on her desk to clear it off.
“Are you Seraphina Hawthorne? Daughter to Gaines and Marlo Hawthorne?” he asked.
“That I am, but I can assure you that they have spent years trying to forget I exist.” She shoved files in her filing cabinet, not caring if they were organized or not.
“I represent the Hawthornes and am helping them prepare their will. I would like you to come to my office and fill out some paperwork in regard to that.” His voice was smooth and self-important.
“I really don’t think so, Mr. Aldon. My parents have no interest to me, and I’m not interested in them.”
He dismissed her refusal and continued, “I just need you to sign off on the will.”
“Why? I’ve never had to do that before. Why suddenly now?” She wondered why this lawyer was working so hard to get her to sign something. How worried were her parents about her getting any of their money?
“My clients are concerned that you will contest any will that they have prepared.”
“I will not. I have no interest in their money or anything else that they have.”
“My clients need to make sure that your issuance will not make any claims on their estate either.”
“You mean their grandchildren? Most people don’t call their grandchildren ‘issuance.’ Then again, most people love their grandchildren. My issuance have no interest in my parents’ money. In fact, they don’t even know that my parents have money or even that I have parents. We have been happy without Hawthorn money and will remain happy without it.”
“I will still need you to fill out the forms.”
“I know for a fact you don’t need me to fill out any forms. I will not get in the way of Kaine and Arabella’s inheritance.”
“My clients are leaving their money to a charity,” he said, avoiding the topic of her siblings.
“Why not Kaine and Arabella?” she pushed. She had always assumed they were with her parents. Why wouldn’t they be? Their parents loved them.
“I also need to contact them about filling out a form about their issuance.”
All this time, she assumed her brother and sister were still a part of her parents’ lives. Never had she thought they would do something that would also get them disowned, not after she had shown them that it was possible. When had that happened? How would she even find them? Would they want to be found?
“When you do, call me, and I will come in and fill out the forms. Until then, just forget I exist.”
“I can’t—”
Sera hung up on him.
The one nice thing about working with lawyers was that she didn’t have far to go if she needed one. If her parents’ lawyer called her back, she would get one from the office on the line with her. She wasn’t signing anything. Not that she wanted their money, but it would serve her parents right if they had to leave her something. Then the girls would get to go to college on their grandparents’ tab.
Sera decided to head out of the office. She couldn’t stay there any longer. A long weekend was exactly what she needed. Monday would come soon enough to find out if she had a job. She made it to the parking lot, only to realize she’d forgotten her briefcase by her desk. So much for getting a head start on the harassment policy this weekend.
She made it into the house across town and found all of her girls were already home, which was early for a Friday afternoon. The curtains were pulled, and the TV was on, though they were all looking at her. She was never home on a Friday afternoon.
“Hey, Mom. Tough day?” Mabel asked.
