Chapter 109 The Inheritance Truth
Briar's POV
I pulled out my phone and opened the probate version that Marcus had shown me years ago, the one filed with the court. According to that document, I had inherited five percent while Marcus received thirty-five percent with full control.
"Fucking bastard," I whispered, my eyes flashing gold as Selene snarled inside my chest. Marcus had forged my grandfather's will and stolen thirty-five percent of my inheritance, leaving me powerless.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Marcus's number, my hand shaking with rage as it rang once, twice, three times before going to voicemail. I tried again with the same result, then a third time just to confirm he was actively declining my calls.
While waiting for the fourth attempt to connect, I forced myself to think through what I had discovered. The forty percent wasn't just about money or power—my grandfather had been giving me an escape route, a safety net that would guarantee my survival no matter what happened with the family.
I hung up and pulled out the other documents from the leather folder, my hands moving methodically as I pieced together the full picture. Then I found the stock transfer agreement dated three months before my grandfather's death, showing Marcus had sold fifteen percent of his shares to Diane Harper.
I cross-referenced the dates on my phone and my stomach churned as the timeline became clear. Diane had purchased those shares two months before Leo was born. Marcus and Diane had conspired together to carve up what my grandfather meant for me, redistributing it to secure Leo's future while cutting me out entirely.
I leaned back against the bed frame and a cold laugh escaped my throat. "If Grandpa hadn't kept this backup, I'd have been their fool forever."
I wasn't going to call the police or file a lawsuit. I had something better—leverage and the element of surprise. I pulled up the family group chat and found Marcus's message from this morning announcing Leo's birthday party on Friday evening. Three days from now.
I typed out a warm response confirming I would attend, keeping my tone casual as if I had simply been too busy to visit lately. The message sent and I imagined Marcus reading it, probably wondering what had prompted this sudden olive branch after two years of silence.
I carefully packed all the documents into a waterproof bag along with the lockbox. My grandfather had given me a weapon, and I would use it when it would have maximum impact—at Leo's birthday dinner with the whole family gathered around the table watching Marcus's world collapse.
---
Monday morning arrived with an inbox full of urgent messages about our product launch. Vance Botanicals' collaboration with Apex had gone live at midnight, and the Lunar Essence series had generated over fifty thousand pre-orders in the first six hours alone.
I stood in the warehouse at seven AM watching my small team frantically pull inventory while my phone buzzed nonstop. Rowan's MoonCalm hashtag had caught fire over the weekend, and by ten AM we had blown through our initial stock of ten thousand units with pre-orders still climbing.
"We need more people," I told Sarah, my logistics manager. "How fast can we hire temporary workers?"
"I can get ten by this afternoon if we pay premium rates," she said, already scrolling through contacts.
I shook my head. "Hire twenty and tell them to report by two PM. I'll train them myself."
The next sixteen hours blurred into receiving shipments, organizing inventory, training new workers, and personally supervising quality control. I skipped meals, surviving on coffee and protein bars while Selene fed me enough energy to keep moving when my body wanted to collapse.
By eleven PM we had processed eight thousand orders and established a system to handle the remaining backlog. I walked out to find Lucian leaning against his SUV looking concerned and annoyed.
"You didn't answer any of my calls," he said.
"I was busy. The launch went better than expected." I climbed into the passenger seat, too exhausted to elaborate.
We drove in silence until I pulled out my phone and sent him a text even though he sat three feet away: [I need to go to Leo's birthday party on Friday. Family dinner at my father's house.]
His phone buzzed and he glanced at it at a red light. A moment later my phone rang with his call.
I answered on speaker. "What are you doing?"
"I'm coming with you," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I closed my eyes and leaned back. "I need to handle this alone. It's dirty, ugly family business and I don't want you dragged into it."
"I'm your mate. Your business is my business."
I squeezed his hand but shook my head. "Not this time. I need to do this on my own terms."
The silence stretched between us before he finally responded. "Call me if you need me. I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Wait for me," I said softly, the words carrying weight beyond Friday's dinner.
---
Marcus's POV
I was reviewing quarterly projections when Leo burst through my office door, his face flushed with excitement as he waved his phone. "Dad! Sister texted she's coming home for my birthday!"
I set down my pen and masked my surprise behind a neutral expression. Briar had sworn one year ago never to return, had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with our family beyond the minimum required by her company position.
Diane appeared in the doorway, arms folded across her chest. "Why did you invite her? Your sister doesn't even like you."
Leo's face fell. "That's not true! Sister loves me, she's just mad at Dad about something."
I gave Diane a subtle head shake, reminding her we had agreed not to poison Leo's relationship with his half-sister. "Let her come. We'll have dinner together."
Leo's smile returned immediately. "Can we have chocolate cake with raspberry filling? That's Sister's favorite too!"
"Of course, sweetheart," Diane said, her voice softening. "Whatever you want."
Leo hugged her and ran back out, his footsteps thundering down the hallway. Diane waited until his door closed before turning back with narrowed eyes. "This is a mistake."
Diane crossed to my desk, her voice dropping. "She slapped me three times. It still hurts."
I stood and placed my hands on her shoulders, feeling the tension. The memory flickered through my mind—Diane's cousin Cole mentioning at that charity gala that he'd seen Briar's photo in Julian's wallet. Cole had known exactly what he was implying when he suggested Sterling's investment arm might be interested in Vance Botanicals.
And Diane had known too, even if we never spoke about it explicitly. She had understood that sacrificing Briar was the price to save the company from bankruptcy, to secure Leo's inheritance. I had raised Briar for eighteen years. She owed me payback for those years, and if that payback came through attracting a wealthy husband who could inject capital into our failing company, then so be it.
"You've suffered enough," I said, stroking her hair. "Briar will behave herself at Leo's party."
Diane pulled back slightly. "Should we invite Julian over? Maybe his presence would help smooth things over."
I frowned, my instinct rejecting the idea. But she had a point that he might serve as a buffer. "Do what you think is best. But make it clear this is family dinner, not business."
Diane nodded and left, pulling out her phone.
---
Leo grinned and sprinted upstairs two at a time. I heard his bedroom door slam then reopen, followed by him running to the second-floor balcony overlooking the front driveway.
A shout from upstairs: "Sister's here! Dad, she's here!"
I moved to the window and saw Leo at the second-floor balcony with binoculars pressed to his face, jumping up and down with excitement. "She's here!" he shouted again, then threw down the binoculars and disappeared from view.