Chapter 152
William wasn't willing to give up our rightful inheritance as specified in Robert's will. Instead, he took us to court.
When we received the court summons, even Oscar was caught off guard. He looked at the document in his hand in amusement. "Instead of trying to quickly divide up the inheritance and sell it off, William chose the longest route possible. Looks like they still have money."
But I wasn't so sure. "I bet he's going to use your background against you. Maybe they want to gamble on challenging the inheritance distribution and push for the first will instead."
Oscar smiled. "Let him do whatever he wants. Without this buffer period, they won't get another chance."
I walked over and patted his shoulder. "You should be prepared, okay? Make sure you keep that DNA test result safe. Now that your dad's gone, that's the only thing that can prove who you are."
They never got the chance to make Oscar prove his identity, because Alan made his move at the crucial moment.
The Novagen Group's taxes were audited, and Ralph personally led its tax department.
Within three days, they reached a conclusion: The Novagen Group had evaded taxes for years, totaling several billion dollars. After review, they decided to fine The Novagen Group $1.583 billion. Combined with the unpaid taxes, everything needed to be paid within a month, or the company would be legally shut down and the legal representative would face criminal charges.
Alan only sent Oscar one message: [I'll help you with what you couldn't bring yourself to do.]
Oscar's expression turned serious. "No wonder The Novagen Group suddenly got shut down. Alan works fast."
I turned to ask him, "What do you think? Having second thoughts?"
Oscar shook his head. "I'm not that soft-hearted. I just think he was pretty ruthless, showing no mercy at all. After all, William and his family raised him for twenty years. If he doesn't care about that relationship at all, then the ten years we spent together probably don't mean much to him either."
Oscar was right. Someone like that wasn't suitable as a friend.
In the middle of the night, William knocked on our door again. When he saw Oscar, he grabbed his hand like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline. "I'm sorry Oscar, I've already dropped the lawsuit. We'll follow Dad's will like he said before he died. The car, the house, the land—I'll give you everything. Just pay me the market value in cash. No—not even market value. If you think it's fair, you can give me less. I need it now."
Oscar stared at him. "You're planning to run?"
William shook his head. "Not run—I want to avoid trouble. Now that the announcement is out, all our business partners are blocking the company entrance, and many have even shown up at my house. I don't know how things suddenly got this bad. Someone must be setting us up. Oscar, you have to help me. Don't worry, when we bounce back, we'll definitely find a way to repay you."
Oscar took the inheritance distribution agreement from his hand. Looking at all the assets listed there, he still warned him. "If you run, the consequences won't be as simple as just owing money."
William gritted his teeth. "But if I don't hide, we'll end up like The Brown Family, stuck in some cheap motel, looked down on by everyone, with no reasonable quality of life. If I take this money and leave, at least I can live peacefully for a while and have a chance to start over. Oscar, you're the only one who can help me now. I'm begging you. I'll even get on my knees if you want."
Oscar looked at him with interest. "Even when you're begging, you're calculating, aren't you?"
William froze. "What do you mean? What calculation?"
Oscar casually placed the documents on the table. "William, all your assets are already frozen, right? Once you give me all this inheritance, it becomes disputed property. Whether I can actually get it is one thing, but even if it's eventually notarized, will the transfer go smoothly?"
William's face went pale. "How could that be? I just didn't want these things falling into someone else's hands, so I thought of selling them to you. After all, you're part of the Lopez family."
But Oscar refused to fall for such a ploy. "You should know that the Lopez family's properties can't be liquidated right now, yet you want me to buy them?"
I couldn't help but look at William too. This bastard was always scheming.
William dropped to his knees. When he looked up at Oscar, his eyes were bloodshot. "Oscar, I'm not scheming. I really have no other choice. I don't know who else to ask. You're really the only one who can help me. I'm begging you."
I pulled Oscar away from him. "Don't try to guilt-trip us. If you want to kneel, that's your business. You'll run off later while he has to stay and face everyone's judgment. That's not fair."
William looked at me with desperate eyes. "Emma, I know the Lopez family wronged you, Gregory let you down, but we really have nowhere to turn now. I'm completely broke. I'm the company's legal representative—if it comes down to it, I'll go to prison."
I laughed lightly. "What does that have to do with us?"
William slumped to the floor, looking at Oscar. "Right, you're still the smart one. After you came back from Solstice, when we asked you to invest, you said your funds were tied up. When Dad wanted to give you shares, you politely declined. Did you already see this day coming back then?"
I looked at him in amusement. "Are you angry because I exposed your scheme? William, you blame everyone else, but have you ever thought that you brought all this on yourselves? Did Oscar tell you to evade taxes? Did Oscar teach you to embezzle funds whenever you felt like it? You've got too much dirty laundry that can't stand up to scrutiny. Who can you blame?"
The anger in William's eyes couldn't even spill out before my words blocked it. He stared at me blankly, not knowing what to think or say.
Oscar let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "Even if you give me the inheritance now, I can't actually get it. So I only want my share. Tomorrow, you'll come with me to handle the paperwork. After that's done, I'll give you two hundred thousand dollars. Take that money and go wherever you want. After that, we're even."
William frowned at him. "Two hundred thousand dollars? That's barely the cost of one of your parties. That's all you can give me?"
Oscar replied expressionlessly, "Didn't you just say you couldn't even come up with two hundred thousand dollars? I'm giving it to you for free and you're complaining that it's too little? Do you know how long an ordinary family can live on two hundred thousand dollars? If you think it's too little, forget I said anything."
William quickly said, "Deal. I want cash. All the money in my accounts is frozen. I need cash."
Oscar didn't look at him. Instead, he showed him out coldly. "Then be ready to go with me tomorrow to handle the paperwork. It's late, we need to rest. You can leave now."
William quickly got up from the floor, nodding at Oscar. "Okay, I'll leave right now. I'll definitely be there on time tomorrow."