Chapter 83 - A Daughter's InheritanceVictoria requested another meeting.
This time, Helen agreed to attend.
We met at a small conference room in town.
Victoria arrived carrying a large leather briefcase.
She looked composed, but there was tension around her eyes.
I sat opposite her.
"Let's get straight to the point."
She nodded.
"My mother is dying."
The words caught me off guard.
"Eleanor?"
Victoria looked down.
"She has been seriously ill for several months. She doesn't have much time."
I felt a wave of sadness.
Despite everything, Eleanor had helped us uncover the truth about Caldwell.
I had no desire to see her suffer.
"Then why are you threatening our property?"
Victoria opened her briefcase.
"Because my mother believes your father made a promise that was never fulfilled."
She produced a document.
It was older than the previous agreement.
The title read:
Mountain Community Water and Property Trust.
Helen examined it.
I leaned forward.
The document described a trust created to protect the spring, the northern access road, and several surrounding properties.
My father's signature appeared at the bottom.
So did Eleanor's.
But there was another name.
Michael Bennett.
Not my stepfather.
The deceased brother we had recently discovered.
Victoria explained that the original trust had been established using funds from Eleanor's investment company.
My father had managed the property, while Michael Bennett had helped establish the legal structure.
The trust had never been fully registered because the original beneficiaries had not completed their declarations.
"Then why are you claiming it now?" I asked.
Victoria looked directly at me.
"Because my mother believes the trust should be activated."
Helen raised an eyebrow.
"That would require evidence of the original beneficiaries and a proper legal process."
Victoria nodded.
"I have the evidence."
She opened another folder.
Inside were letters, bank records, and a handwritten declaration.
But something was missing.
The final page.
"The original document is incomplete," Helen said.
Victoria's expression hardened.
"The missing page identifies the person responsible for administering the trust."
"Who?"
Victoria looked at me.
"Your father named someone."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Who?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she handed me a sealed envelope.
It contained a letter addressed to my father.
The handwriting belonged to Eleanor.
Robert, I have agreed to transfer the trust administration to your family. But you must understand that this is not a gift. It is a responsibility. If the family ever uses the property for personal profit at the expense of the community, the trust must pass to the next eligible beneficiary.
I looked up.
"Next eligible beneficiary?"
Victoria nodded.
"That's why I'm here."
Helen leaned forward.
"Are you claiming to be the next beneficiary?"
Victoria smiled faintly.
"My mother believes I am."
I looked at the document again.
There was a list of potential beneficiaries.
The first was my father.
The second was Michael Bennett.
The third was Rebecca.
The fourth was Daniel.
And the final line had been left blank.
I felt a chill.
"Why is there a blank?"
Victoria closed the folder.
"Because your father never completed the final declaration."
"Then how can you claim anything?"
"Because the missing declaration exists."
Helen looked at her sharply.
"Where?"
Victoria stood.
"Somewhere your father hid it."
I stared at her.
"Then why not tell us where?"
She leaned closer.
"Because I believe someone in your family already knows."
She walked out.
I returned to the lodge with a terrible feeling.
That night, I placed the trust document beside Dad's photograph.
Michael examined it for a long time.
Then he spoke quietly.
"I think I know who the final beneficiary was supposed to be."
I turned.
"Who?"
He looked toward the staircase.
"Your father once told me that the lodge would eventually belong to someone who wasn't born into this family."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
May you like
Michael lowered his eyes.
"Someone who would understand what it means to lose a home."
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