Chapter 10 - The Inheritance
The sun was just beginning to crest over the harbor on Monday morning when I finally opened the manila envelope my father had left behind.
Inside, alongside the cracked parchment deeds to the old family homestead, was a single handwritten note on heavy stationery. The handwriting was shaky, different from the bold, authoritative signature I had spent my childhood trying to impress.
“I built an empire on sand, but you built yours on rock. Take care of what's left of us.”
I laid the note down beside my laptop as my phone began to buzz insistently. It was Marcus Vance.
I tapped the screen and brought the call to my ear.
“Liv, are you seeing the morning briefs?” Marcus asked, his tone brisk and professional. “Apex’s board just held an emergency session. Because of the way the acquisition contract was structured, and with Williams Logistics now under your direct trusteeship control through the family trust transfer, Apex wants to restructure the entire logistics vertical. They want you to head the new supply-chain division.”
I looked out the window at the sprawling city below. Five years ago, I had sat in an unheated studio apartment, coding on a broken screen while my family toasted my brother’s success and told me I had nothing to show for my life. Now, the entire corporate infrastructure they had worshiped was sitting in my hands, waiting for my next move.
“Tell them I'll review the restructuring terms by noon,” I said calmly.
“Will do,” Marcus paused, a faint note of hesitation in his voice. “One more thing, Liv. Your mother's attorney contacted our firm an hour ago. She’s officially filed for divorce.”
The news didn't shock me; it felt like the final, inevitable domino falling in a house that had been rotting from the inside out for decades.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked.
“She’s moving into a small apartment downtown,” Marcus said. “She didn't ask for financial support from Apex, but she did leave a message with my assistant for you.”
“What was the message?”
“She said she hopes you'll visit her. Sometime when you have room in your schedule.”
May you like
I ended the call, setting the phone down on the marble counter next to my father’s handwritten note and the old deeds. The war was over. The empire had fallen, and I was standing in the ruins, holding the keys to whatever came next.
I picked up the key to the family homestead, turned it over in my palm, and walked toward the door.
