Chasing | Ongoing

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕

"My silence is not weakness, but the beginning of my revenge."

I never thought I would go to war with someone over a guy, but here I was strategizing how to win against my stepmother. Damien and his family had disappeared from public view, but Haven managed to text Nike every few days letting us know that they were okay and alive.

The run-in with my mother at the boxing gym was the last straw that it took for me to reach out to my lawyers. I needed to get my inheritance so she or my father wouldn't be able to follow me anymore. My lawyer, Helena, was one of the sweetest ladies on the planet, however, that was outside of her practice. When working she was cold and terrifying.

Helena quickly had contacted her old partner—my grandfather's lawyer, Frank Gayes, a man that had almost become my grandfather in some respects.

"So your father only recently informed you of your inheritance?" Frank asked me as I sat across from him in his office. A row of bookcases sat behind him filled with various legal documents and books, a window that encased the entire wall to the right of me, gave a wonderful view of the city below our 10-story height. Frank's grey eyes scanned me as he sighed, glancing toward his computer. 

"My parents kinda forgot to mention it, but it should take long for me to inherit it, right?" I asked, and Frank nodded. Helena glanced at me, her dark braids swaying slightly with the movement. "There wasn't any time limit that he put in his will right, Mr. Gayes?" she checked.

"No, I will just need to have to confirm your ID, but the process will take six months as your grandfather didn't just leave you with some money, Ella," Frank said, glancing back towards his computer.

"What do you mean? I was just told that he left some money behind for me," I ask nervously, and Frank turns to me, his eyes widening for just a moment.

"Ella, he the entirety of his estate to you. All businesses, money, estates, whatever, are in your name. They're currently being cared for by a third party he hired, but you simply needed to say that you wanted them and they're yours." Frank said, and Helena stood up.

"Why wasn't I contacted about this?" she stated, glaring at Frank who sighed.

"I contacted John Carter's Lawyers and he said he would send it through. Ella was still a minor at the time, so we had to contact her legal guardian," Frank stated. 

"Can I sue him for withholding this information?" I asked and Frank's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's possible, but that's not my area of expertise," he said, and Helena nodded.

"So, the deceased Mr. Carter left everything to Ella, by name, correct?" she checked, and Frank nodded.

"He left everything to his granddaughter Eleanor Carter," he said, and Helena nodded.

"Where should I go to start the inheritance process?" I ask, and Frank turned around to grab a file from his bookcase.

"Sign here, and I'll take care of everything," he said, and Helena took the file to read it.

"It's basically explaining what I've already told you, I signed it a few years ago, because I didn't know when you would be coming in," he explained, and Helena nodded, handing the document to me. I quickly scanned the contents, before pausing.

I glance once more at Frank before signing the paper, and he nods, moving it from my hands to a different area of his office.

After that, Helena and I left, as Frank prepared the document to be mailed.

"Are you okay, Ella?" Helena asked, and I nodded. 

"What about everything that's going on at The Pumpkin, I saw reports of what happened that night. Did you get out okay?" she asked, and I nodded.

"I was with a friend that night, and thankfully we got out quickly. I spend the night at his house because he has better security than I do," I say, and Helena raises an eyebrow.

"The pair of you use protection?" she asks and I feel my ears turn red.

"...yes."

"Good, I'm proud of you," she says, glancing down at her watch. "Do you want help with anything else?" she asks, and I pause. "If my parents had any illegitimate children would they be entitled to anything?" I ask.

"Not anything from your grandfather's will. It's all left to you by name. The only problem would be if their name was also Eleanor Carter, but that would be easy enough to remedy as at the time of his death, their name wouldn't have been tied to 'Carter.' Why do you ask?" Helena asked.

"I'm just worried because my father and stepmother tried to get me to sign something that would give my stepsisters some of the inheritance from him," I say, and Helena freezes.

"Now that would be something you could definitely sue them for. I would think about doing that, but try to get that contract in your hands. It's better to have physical evidence of that document with their signatures on it, something that you cannot fake," she says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll be in touch about your inheritance, also don't let the media know about your identity as the Solon Boy's Cinderella," she says, and I freeze.

"I don't know what you're talking—"

"Nice try Ella, but I know your frame anywhere, and the scar on your back didn't exactly help hide your identity either. Keep it covered for right now, or you might have a few stalkers trying to find you or even kill you. If you want me to, I'll contact the Solons to keep you out of this, at least until you have received your inheritance," she says, and I nod.

"I appreciate it. I'll email you about contacting the Solons today," I say, and Helena sighs, pulling me into a hug.

"You're going to be okay, Ella, I promise," she says, before leaving. I get on my motorcycle afterward—I had gotten it back from the Pumpkin a few days earlier, thankfully it was unharmed—and drove back towards my apartment complex.

"Nike, I'm home," I say opening the door and hearing quite a bit of chatter. I blink, Haven and Nike wave at me from the couch, while I spot Damien standing in the kitchen. He smiles at me, with a polite nod.

I stare at him for just a moment before Nike clears her throat, "Ella, you want to come and sit down?" she asks.

"Why?" I say, on guard now because of her tone.

"Ella," Damien says, as I close the door behind me, "My parents know you were the girl with me at the ball. They want to see you again if that's okay," he says, and I freeze.

You've got to be kidding me.

(1194 words)

Hello everyone. So, I'm going to be needing surgery. I had a flare-up over the holidays and I have crawled my way out of it. I'm not quite as dead anymore but eh, I've been better.

I'm going to be getting a port soon, but I hope I can finish this fricking book before that happens. Anyways, I hope you are all having a lovely day and enjoyed this (very, very late) chapter.

Stay Safe!