Tears Of Destiny

Chapter 20

"Well, tell me why I came here", I said eagerly. I was currently sitting in a chair across from Mr. Smith, my legs were shaking and my palms were sweating but I kept my face calm.

I was nervous, I'm not sure if I wanted to know in the first place but then again I kind of want to know, I deserve to know. But the look on his face was not helping at all. His brows were pushed up worryingly and it was not helping my anxiety. Not to mention his eyes constantly glancing at the clock behind me.

The clearing of a throat brought me out of my thoughts and I met his eyes. "There's no easy way to tell you this so I'll do my best, let's start from the beginning shall we?"

Nodding, I urged him to continue "I'm your family's lawyer. You see your family is involved in a lot of", he paused before continuing. "illegal businesses and I would cover for them to ensure they didn't get caught. I covered their tracks when it came to the law and I was very good at it.

Since you moved out I've been secretly keeping an eye on you. I know you have a job at Forest Enterprise and I know you found those documents about your parents and your boss.

"Cecile", I said shocked. Nodding he said "yes Cecile filled me in she's one of my eyes I have at the cooperation"

"That's why she didn't tell on me"

"Yes that's right"

"Please continue"

"Ahh yes as I was saying, Your family is into a lot of illegal stuff but the reason I'm telling you this is because of something that has to do with you.

"me, what do I have to do with this?"

"Your grandparents were powerful people, they had the entire country wrapped around their fingers".

My brows shot up in surprise "I knew they died but I didn't know anything about them, Why didn't I hear about them?"

"That was for a reason, your parents tried to conceal the truth from you for as long as possible"

I shook my head still not understanding "What truth?, What are you talking about?".

"Your grandparents were filthy rich Olivia and they left everything to you"

I was left gaping at the words I just heard. "Did you just say they left everything to me?, for how long now?"

Me. Smith sighed as he leaned back into his chair "the inheritance belonged to you before you were even born, it was yours all along".

I shook my head refusing to believe this "That's not possible, it I had an inheritance why wasn't I informed?"

He didn't answer but he didn't have to because it all started to come together in my head. "My parents, they hid it from me but why?, what, why would they do that unless they-", I stopped talking as my eyes widened at Mr. Smith.

"They wanted it to themselves, didn't they ?"

He merely nodded as he ran his hand over his face "Yes Olivia", Mr. Smith confirmed. "Your grandmother's wealth was substantial, and your parents, entangled in their own ambitions and financial struggles, saw it as a solution to their problems. They believed that by pushing you away, they could eliminate any potential obstacle to their claim on the inheritance."

I felt a mix of shock and betrayal, struggling to reconcile the image I had of my parents with this new, unsettling truth. "So, they used me as a pawn in their scheme?"

Mr. Smith nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so, They wanted to distance you from the inheritance. They hoped that by isolating you emotionally and manipulating the circumstances, they could ensure that you wouldn't stand in their way and the fact that they didn't exactly like you helped to make that situation easier."

"Okay but financial struggles? I thought my grandparents were rich, why would they be struggling financially and why did I get everything?, what about my parents?"

"That's how your boss comes in, he and your parents used to work together until he tricked your parents leaving them bankrupt. That company Forest enterprise was a business your grandfather started, it was passed down to your parents but they used it for money laundering.

They were bankrupt and they went to your grandparents for help, by that time she found out she was pregnant with you so she used the pregnancy card but it didn't work out as she imagined, it backfired on her. Because instead of her getting the riches of her parents, it went down to you.

Your grandparents helped them get back on their feet but that was as much help they got and one of the only reasons they helped was because of you. Your mother even tried having an abortion when she found out. But, her mother threatened to bring her in for all the illegal stuff they were involved in. Ever since they have been trying to find a way to break the inheritance but it's solid.

I felt a mix of emotions - disbelief, anger, confusion. "So that explains why they hate me."

I started laughing, really laughing. I laughed so hard my stomach started to hurt and I had to hold it. Tears welled in my eyes but I aggressively wiped them away.

"You mean to tell me all this struggle I've been through, all the shit I've been through was over as stupid inheritance", I raised my voice.

"No, there has to be another reason, tell me that's not the reason. Please tell me you're joking, this has to be a prank, where are the cameras?"I said looking around, my voice cracking.

"This is the truth Olivia, I'm sorry"

I stood up quickly causing him to do the same. "you can tell them that they can have it, I'm done with all of this, I'm done"

He only looked at me sadly and it was then that I realized the complexity of my family's secrets. Inheritance, danger, and a past I knew nothing about - it was a lot to take in. Mr. Smith looked at me with sincerity, "Olivia, you need to be vigilant. There are people who would stop at nothing to get their hands on what rightfully belongs to you.

Listen, your parents are clearly shitty people but you have a decision to make. You can let them win by giving up or you can show them that you're stronger than they think. It's up to you", he said, handing me a bunch of papers.

"When you're ready just sign this, the rest of the information is on here so you can contact me and we can go from there. This inheritance is yours Olivia it's your birthright.

I looked down at the paper and took it then looked back up at him "So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You expect me to believe you don't get something out of this, you worked for my parents for years, how do I know this isn't their doing?"

"Fair point, but I was tired of seeing you suffer, I owe you this, I helped your parents bury the inheritance so you wouldn't find out. Trust me I know the risks of telling you this because your parents are dangerous but I'm done with them. I've downloaded some information on a drive, you need to give it to this person if anything happens. ", he says, handing me a drive and a card.

I put it along with the paper in my bag. "I know this is a lot to take in now but read through it, the sooner you sign the better so you can finally take what's yours. Here is a burner phone, text me if you have any questions, don't call just text, got it? I can't let them know that you know because of me okay?"

Nodding, I took it and pushed it in my bag. "I got it"

"Okay now go"

I was turning to leave when he called to me "And Olivia, remember that it's your birthright."

I din't answer as I opened the door and went outside. Holding my bag for dear life as I hailed a taxi and went home.

I sat down and thought about what I learned today. With a heavy heart, I absorbed the truth about my parents and the complicated web of their actions. The path ahead was unclear, but one thing was certain - I had to navigate the intricacies of this hidden legacy, even if it meant facing the people who, in their not so love, chose to keep me at arm's length.