You Want My Grandma’s $8 BILLION Inheritance DREAM ON! SCUMBAG, Watch Your Empire COLLAPSE Overnight! Chapter 10
The fourth day.
Langford Properties’ stock began to fall.
Not because of me.
I hadn’t made my move yet.
The drop came from normal market fluctuations, combined with media reports that the New York waterfront redevelopment project had fallen behind schedule.
The stock was down three percent.
Alex hadn’t texted me all day.
He was probably too busy dealing with the fallout.
While he was distracted, I took care of something important.
I went to a law office that specialized in notarization services in New York.
Every piece of evidence Julian had gathered—
The official marriage records from the State of New York.
The forged bank guarantee documents.
The handwriting analysis.
The Harbor Apothecary purchase records.
Dr. Finch’s medical opinion.
—
Carla’s sworn written statement.
I had every one of them notarized.
Five certified copies.
As the notary reviewed the documents, the expression on his face changed again and again.
In the end, he said nothing.
He simply stamped them.
When I walked out of the office, my phone rang.
A number I hadn’t expected.
Sophia.
“Ms. Grant… it’s me. Sophia.”
Her voice was exactly as I remembered it.
Soft.
Gentle.
Like a frightened rabbit.
“What is it?”
“Um…”
“Alex asked me to call you.”
“He said you’re coming over for dinner tomorrow, and he wanted me to ask if there are any foods you don’t eat so I can prepare everything
—
in advance.”
I almost laughed out loud.
She was asking about my dietary preferences.
In that house…
She was the hostess.
I was the guest.
“I don’t have any dietary restrictions.”
“Anything is fine.”
“Alright, Ms. Grant. Then I’ll—”
“Sophia.”
I stopped her.
“Yes?”
“How long have you and Alex been married?”
Silence.
A long silence.
“Ms… Ms. Grant…”
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Seven years, right?”
I spoke calmly.
—
“And the twins are already three.”
“That’s nice.”
The call disconnected immediately.
I looked at the screen.
The corner of my mouth curved into a faint smile.
Less than twenty seconds later, Alex called.
I declined it.
He called again.
And again.
I answered the fourth call.
“Evie!”
His voice sounded strained.
“What did you say to Sophia just now? She—”
“What did I say?”
My tone remained perfectly even.
“I just asked her how many years she’d been married.”
“Why?”
“Did she overreact?”
Silence.
—
I could picture the expression on his face.
Behind that perfect smile, his mind had to be racing.
How much does she know?
Who told her?
Can I still fix this?
Three seconds later, he laughed.
“Evie…”
“Did you misunderstand something?”
“Sophia’s just…”
“Just what?”
“She’s the daughter of our family’s chauffeur.”
“We grew up together.”
“I’ve always thought of her like a little sister.”
“Don’t overthink it.”
“Then do you know who she was married to?”
He hesitated only briefly.
“She married someone years ago.”
“They divorced.”
“Why do you ask?”
—
He really was good at this.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“Nothing.”
“I was just curious.”
“Evie…”
His voice softened again.
“Have you been under too much stress lately?”
“How about I cancel tomorrow’s dinner?”
“We could take a little trip together instead.”
“No.”
I smiled.
“We’re still having dinner tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
He fell silent again.
For two long seconds.
“Alright.”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
After I hung up, I already knew exactly what he would do that night.
—
First…
He would go see Sophia to make sure she hadn’t let anything slip.
Second…
He would meet with Diane to figure out a way out of this.
As for me…
All I had to do was wait.
Wait for them to panic.
Wait for them to expose themselves.
Sure enough.
At eleven that night, while lying in bed, I saw that Sophia had updated her Instagram.
Every single post featuring the children.
Every airport photo.
Every post thanking Alex.
Gone.
Her Instagram was completely wiped clean.
I took screenshots.
People liked to say the internet never forgot.
Fortunately…
—
Neither did I.
And I had saved far more screenshots than she could ever delete.