Chapter 140
Oscar and I first went to Wintone Law Firm to meet Harold. After receiving and reading the will, we headed to the hospital.
William and Grace arrived one after another, but Gregory was nowhere to be seen.
Standing by the hospital bed, William looked at the unfamiliar lawyer with uncertainty: "Why did you call us all here at this time? Oscar, is this Harold?"
There was a hint of unease in his eyes.
Oscar glanced at Harold, who smiled and stepped forward to introduce himself: "Hello, Mr. William Lopez. I'm a lawyer from Wintone Law Firm. I'm here to announce Mr. Robert Lopez's will in his presence, with all relatives present."
Grace interrupted sharply. "What are you talking about? Wintone Law Firm? I’ve never heard of it. And my dad's will is right here with us. Where did you get this one from?"
Harold maintained his composed expression: "Ms. Smith, the authenticity of the will can be verified by notary institutions. This will was drafted by me at the law firm three months ago when Mr. Robert Lopez came in person. It has final legal effect. The will you have, unless it was signed within these three months, is considered invalid."
Grace's brows furrowed tightly: "How is that possible? William, say something."
William forced himself to remain composed, offering a strained smile as he looked at the lawyer. "Could there be some mistake? My dad made his will a long time ago when my mom was still alive. I'm his only son..."
Harold nodded politely. "Yes, Mr. Robert Lopez mentioned that. Mr. William Lopez, I think you should read the will first before saying anything."
Suppressing his unease, William glanced at Oscar and me with a strained smile: "Gregory is tied up with work and can't get away. I'll represent him. Just go ahead and announce the will."
Harold opened the envelope and took out a document: "This is a copy of the will. Mr. Oscar Lopez has already seen it. Mr. William Lopez, please take a look."
William skimmed through it quickly, skipping over the less important sections and turning straight to the property distribution. Within moments, he slammed the document onto the table and said coldly, "This will is fake. We don't accept it."
Harold smiled faintly and picked up the will again. “Mr. William Lopez, this document bears the notary office's stamp, Mr. Robert Lopez's personal signature, and the signatures of third-party witnesses. It is legally valid. I am here to confirm its contents with all present. All of Mr. Robert Lopez's property, real estate, and private assets are listed above. With the exception of one villa and one luxury car that have already been transferred to Mr. Oscar Lopez, the remaining assets will be distributed as follows: Mr. Oscar Lopez and Ms. Wilson will inherit sixty percent, while Mr. William Lopez and Mr. Gregory Lopez will each inherit twenty percent. The detailed allocation is listed below for your review."
William frowned at Oscar, his composure slipping. "What did you do to Dad? Why did he suddenly give most of his property to you? Oscar, you planned all this when you came back, didn't you?"
Oscar met his gaze without flinching, his voice firm. "William, don't forget that you were the ones who asked me to come back. You were also the one who said we're all family and shouldn't be so calculating. Why change your tune now that you’ve seen the distribution?"
William turned his attention to me. "What about her? She's just an outsider. Why does she get a share in the will? I seriously suspect this will was forged by you two, or did you trick Dad into making this will with sweet talk?"
Grace chimed in: "That's right. I'm his daughter-in-law. Even if he's dividing the inheritance, he should give that portion to me. When Sophia told me you were deliberately seducing Gregory, I didn't quite believe it. Now I see you're just a vixen."
I was just standing there watching, and still got dragged into it. How ridiculous.
Since she was being so rude,I had no intention of staying silent.
I stepped forward with a smile, my presence no less imposing than hers. "When Oscar and I first came back, Gregory was fooling around with his wife’s sister and even got her pregnant. At the same time, he claimed he wanted to compete fairly with my fiancé to pursue me. If this got out, people would definitely have something to say, wouldn't they?"
Grace's face flushed bright red. "If you hadn't seduced him, would any of that have happened? Who knows if you got this will through some shady means?"
My eyes narrowed, turning cold. "I suggest you watch your mouth."
Oscar stepped forward, shielding me behind him, his voice icy. "Emily is my fiancée. If anyone insults her, I don't care who they are—don't blame me for being rude."
Grace stepped forward defiantly: "And what are you going to do about it? You're an illegitimate child. To be honest, we don't even know if you're really Dad's son. And you want to fight for the inheritance through shady means? You're not even officially part of this family.”
Oscar let out a short laugh. "Really? Then let's do a paternity test. Dad's still alive. Not only will I do it, but William should do one too. If necessary, we'll use the test results to divide the inheritance."
Grace opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her anger seemed to choke in her throat.
William snapped: "Enough! Are we really going to argue like this? What would it look like if outsiders saw us? Dad isn’t in a clear state of mind right now This will is suspicious. Let's wait until Dad is lucid before making any decisions."
I let out a cold laugh. "Mr. William Lopez, as long as the will was made while Mr. Robert Lopez was of sound mind, it doesn’t matter whether he’s lucid now.”
William’s gaze turned icy. “So you’re getting involved too?"
I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'm one of the named beneficiaries in Mr. Robert Lopez’s will. Although Oscar and I aren’t married yet, as long as he acknowledges my status, I am his legitimate daughter-in-law. Some people don't get this daughter-in-law treatment—maybe they should reflect on whether they're doing something wrong?"
Harold politely reviewed the will once more before taking his leave. "Our firm retains the original document. Now that the will has been disclosed according to Mr. Robert Lopez's wishes, you may discuss the matter among yourselves. If you require anything further, feel free to visit the firm.."
Robert, who had been lying in the hospital bed, stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Then, in a weak voice, he spoke. "You're all here? I want to go home."