I glanced at Margaret, who was sitting up straight with an expectant smile on her face.
She looked proud, almost smug, like she was about to receive her rightful reward. Hannah sat beside her mother, equally confident.
Robert opened his briefcase and pulled out a document. “Your father-in-law was very specific about his wishes. He spent a great deal of time considering how to distribute his estate.”
Margaret leaned forward slightly, her hands folded in her lap.
“Walter has left his entire estate,” Robert continued, looking directly at me, “to his daughter-in-law, Ava.”
The room went completely silent.
“He what?” Margaret’s voice was barely a whisper.
“He left everything to Ava,” Robert repeated calmly, “because he believed she was the only person who would divide it fairly among the family. He trusted her judgment above everyone else’s.”
Margaret gasped so loudly it echoed off the walls. Her face went from confident to horrified in the blink of an eye.
