Grandpa left me $5 million, so my estranged parents sued me, claiming he was “mentally unfit.” In court, my dad whispered, “You really thought you’d get away with it?” I stayed silent. Then, Judge Reyes looked at me and froze. “Wait…Are you Ethan Carter?” he asked. My parents’ smug smiles vanished instantly when the judge stood up and revealed the terrifying truth about how he knew me…

The summons to the reading of the will come a week later.

I walked into the law offices of Harper & Associates, feeling entirely out of place in my off-the-rack suit. The office smelled of lemon polish and serious money. Sitting in the plush leather chair across from me was Mr. Glenn Harper, my grandfather’s oldest friend and attorney.

He looked tired. His eyes, usually sharp and bright, were rimmed with red.

“Ethan,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Mr. Harper.”

He hesitated, his hand remaining on a thick folder sealed with a red wax stamp. The Ashford crest. “Your grandfather loved you very much, you know that?”

“I know,” I said, a lump forming in my throat. “He was the only one who did.”