Jenna was sitting next to Hansen all this while. She had no opinion to express regarding the will. She wasn’t interested in it. She was more concerned about the Richards Group’s current situation. If the verdict was reached, then she was most worried about the possible consequences towards Richards Group as a whole, as well as towards Hansen as an individual.
Hence, she didn’t have a second opinion.
However, Hansen, on the other hand, was seen frowning, and his expression was stony.
Several of them were sent to search Vivian’s bedroom while the others remained in the living room.
Hansen, Trevor, Claude, and Norton were the ones heading to Vivian’s bedroom, with Marissa following behind them.
Aunt Ella was feeding Vivian some congee when they arrived in her room.
They greeted her in unison.
They called out a few times to her, but she didn’t react at all. She was eating her congee, and with a slight tremble, she asked, “Who are you guys?”
They shook their heads helplessly. Vivian had long been tormented by her illness and she had aged badly. Her mental age was now that of a toddler, where she could no longer recognize her relatives, nor could she do even the most basic tasks.
They had no choice but to start searching around the room. After a while, they still couldn’t find anything.
“Aunt Ella, where do you think she could have placed her will?” Hansen asked. He didn’t join the people who were searching around blindly. Instead, he approached Aunt Ella.
Aunt Ella shook her head, but she said with certainty, “Young Master, if the black case I saw back then with Madam Vivian was the will you mentioned, then I’m sure she placed it around her bed. She has been bedridden for a while now. It wouldn’t make sense for her to place it any further from her bed.”
They agreed with Aunt Ella’s reasoning.
Thus, they began to rummage around the bed.
It didn’t take long for them to find the black case in the hidden drawer by the bed frame.
Aunt Ella took a look at it and confirmed it was the one she was talking about.
None of them would have noticed the hidden drawer until they started searching for one. Therefore, it would make sense for Vivian to hide the will in it.
If it wasn’t because of Aunt Ella, who had been taking care of Vivian all this while, and had seen Vivian reaching for the drawer while she was bedridden, they’d never have noticed it.
“Mom, is this your copy of the will?” Trevor showed the black case to Vivian.
Vivian’s gaze was blank and devoid of any reaction.
“Mom wouldn’t even recognize us, let alone this bag,” Claude said with a sigh.
Trevor’s heart was heavy. He had no choice but to take this case with him as they headed out of the bedroom.
As soon as they walked out, Mr. Pringle noticed the black case, and said immediately, “Yes, that’s it. The will is in that case.”
“How do you know that the will is in this, Mr. Pringle?” Trevor asked doubtfully.
Mr. Pringle smiled and said, “Mr. Trevor, I saw her putting the will inside this case back then when she called me over for the copy of the will. I’m sure about it.”
Trevor and the rest found his words believable.
“Mr. Pringle, since this is a will, please take a look at it and see if there’s any changes to the will. Now that everyone is present, let’s proceed with the reading too. I have to say it’s unlikely for Vivian to return to her senses again,” Trevor said, handing over the black case to Mr. Pringle.
“Sure.” Mr. Pringle took the case, and opened the case in front of everyone. There was a stack of documents inside, consisting of around two to three pages.
Everyone held their breath.
“It’s the will.” Mr. Pringle took a glance at the documents and said excitedly.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Mr. Pringle then took out his briefcase and pulled a document file from it. He revealed another stack of documents from the folder, and put on his glasses as he started to compare the two copies of the will.
Time ticked by, one second at a time.
Mr. Pringle carefully compared the documents. His expression was at ease at first, but as he read further on, he said, “Vivian had indeed revised the will. She added a few more sentences.”
Hearing this, everyone’s attention was on him. Someone asked, “What was it that she revised then? She is already so seriously ill. What could she have added to the will?”
Mr. Pringle’s expression was getting stranger, and he was visibly in disbelief.
How could this be? Why would Vivian wish for Hansen to get a second wife? However, it was indeed written in the will that Hansen must marry Liya as his second wife. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be eligible to inherit any assets under the Richards Group.
Mr. Pringle blinked his eyes and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and he was still reading the same sentence on the will.
It took him a while, and he still had doubts, yet he shook his head helplessly.
To be fair, it wasn’t a strange sight for the elderly among the noble families to wish that their grandsons would marry a second woman, especially for noble families in A City.
Moreover, the rumors of Hansen taking a second wife had spread like wildfire, even though Hansen had repeatedly released public statements that it was a fake marriage and an arranged plot. Perhaps Vivian saw this, and she had wanted to force Hansen into marrying a second wife, hence revising the will. Noble families had complex rules, which an outsider like Mr. Pringle would never understand, nor did he have a right to voice out against it. As a lawyer, it was also not professional for him to speculate on his client’s private life. His job was to carry out what was written in the will.
Mr. Pringle looked up and said firmly, “Mr. Richards, Vivian indeed added a few lines to the will. It seems to me that she really wanted me to be there when she revised the will, but I was too late and she was already unconscious by the time I rushed over. I’m guessing she must’ve written these lines knowing that she didn’t have much time left.”
“That’s possible.” Trevor nodded and asked, “Does it affect the legal implications of the will?”
Trevor asked in a low voice.
Mr. Pringle nodded solemnly and said, “Mr. Richards, it should still be effective by law, unless there are traces of forgery, fabrication, or other unique factors.”
Trevor nodded and said, “Please proceed with the reading then.”
“Sure, Mr. Richards,” Mr. Pringle replied respectfully. Yet, he stole a glance at Jenna.
Jenna was getting a little uneasy under his gaze.
Hansen was walking towards her, and Jenna asked in a soft voice, “Hansen, is Vivian okay?”
“Don’t worry. She was eating congee earlier.” Hansen took her hand in his, fingers intertwined, as he replied to her question.
Jenna was relieved.
Yet, she was still puzzled by Mr. Pringle’s gaze earlier. Something was off.
For some reason, she felt a strong sense of unease, and her heart began thumping loudly.
She tightened her grasp on Hansen’s hand as she leaned towards him.
Hansen noticed her unease. He glanced at her and smiled sweetly at her.
Jenna felt slightly more at ease.
Mr. Pringle began the reading.
The living room was once again in silence.
It was the same with the reading of Old Master Richards’ will earlier. No one had a second opinion, and they were all paying attention.
Jenna and Hansen were sitting casually at the side. They were snuggling up to each other, as if they weren’t concerned about the will.
After reading its contents, Mr. Pringle paused for a while before saying, “Next, I’ll be announcing the new revision to the will,” he said as he glanced around the room, especially towards Hansen and Jenna.
“Hansen must take Liya as his second wife. Otherwise, he will be deemed ineligible to inherit all the assets under Richards Manor.”
There was a moment of silence in the air after Mr. Pringle read out the sentence. After a short pause, everyone came back to their senses, and stared in disbelief at one another.
Was this really Vivian’s will?
Hansen was the first to react when he realized what was happening. He jumped up in shock.
Jenna was still sitting down in disbelief. She came back to reality but still looked confused.
“What did you say? Mr. Pringle, you should not joke about this.” Hansen rushed up immediately and snatched the document from Mr. Pringle.
He studied the document carefully, and no matter how he looked at it, it was written there in the will. He could recognize that it was indeed Vivian’s handwriting.
There must have been a mistake. How could it be possible? How could Vivian have asked him to take Liya as his second wife?
He flipped through it over and over again, staring at the contents in disbelief.
Trevor and Marissa were also dumbfounded. They couldn’t believe it.
Everyone was in disbelief. None of them knew what was happening.
“Mr. Pringle, can you confirm if this was indeed handwritten by Vivian? How could this have happened?” Trevor stared at Mr. Pringle in shock.
Mr. Pringle was a smart person. He could tell that Liya wasn’t welcomed in the Richards family. It was clear to him that they couldn’t accept the revised will.
However, he did examine the will carefully, and it was stated very clearly in the will.
He had no choice but to nod in confirmation.