“It just doesn’t make sense. Vivian must have been too ill to think straight. It shouldn’t count towards the will.” Marissa shook her head in objection.
Mr. Pringle said seriously, “Madam, the revision handwritten by Vivian was consistent and clear. It doesn’t seem like she wrote it when her judgement was clouded. With this alone, your statement is without any legal basis.”
Mr. Pringle’s words were like a ball of thorns rolling towards Jenna. She suddenly felt pain all over her body.
Wasn’t it a little unbelievable that Vivian would ask Hansen to take Liya as his second wife, and even add this to her will?
Why would Vivian, who had always adored her, treat her this way?
Could Jenna stay happy in life if Hansen really took Liya as his second wife?
How could it have ended up like this even after all the effort they poured in to prevent this from happening?
Jenna sat there in a daze.
“This is impossible.” Hansen gritted his teeth and landed a fist on the table, where the will was placed. His eyes were red as he kept denying the reality.
This was definitely not Vivian’s idea. Someone must have imitated her handwriting and added it to the will. Vivian wouldn’t be this foolish. The Richards Group no longer had anything to do with Liya. It didn’t make sense for Vivian to ask him to take Liya as his second wife.
His fist was clenched tightly. He felt awful. At that moment, he was reminded of something and immediately rushed over to Jenna.
Jenna was still sitting there in a daze, as if she hadn’t understood what she heard.
Hansen approached her and pulled her into his embrace.
Jenna looked up confusedly, staring straight into his tender gaze.
They were gazing at each other, expressing all their love through their exchanged gazes.
Hansen gave her an encouraging smile.
It took Jenna a while to return a smile at him finally.
“Jenna, let me take you back to the room for a rest,” Hansen whispered gently to her ears. His hot breath stirred up something within her.
Hansen would rather have Jenna heard nothing at all about the reading earlier. That way, he could have felt more at ease.
Jenna nodded obediently and followed him back to their bedroom.
They sat on the edge of bed in silence.
It was as if there were pieces of ice crackling in the air before falling apart. They could even hear each other’s heartbeats in the air.
“We shouldn’t have come back today,” Hansen said lightly.
Indeed, how good it would be if they were still at Collier Manor. They would still be in their sweet dreams!
Instead, they came back!
“Hansen, why did Vivian make such a will?” Jenna tugged at the sleeves of Hansen’s shirt and asked innocently, “Could it be that she had always wanted you to marry Liya?”
Hansen turned around and looked at her. He patted her head as he gulped and said, “Jenna, don’t be silly. Vivian is smart and wise. Why would she agree to let me marry someone like Liya? This is just absurd. I’m sure there’s some misunderstanding in this. Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to investigate this.”
He pulled her into his embrace and sighed softly.
“Don’t worry. I would be a fool to marry someone like Liya. Even if Vivian’s will was legitimate, even if she really did revise it while fully conscious, don’t you worry about it. I will never agree with it. It’s just the right of inheritance anyway. I can live without it. You and our children are enough to complete my life. We can start from scratch. Those assets don’t mean a thing to me,” Hansen said casually as he comforted her.
Jenna looked up at him. His resolute face, bright eyes, and solemn commitment made her feel at peace.
She believed his words. She buried her head against his chest.
Later at night, in Richards Manor, some crickets were forming a choir with the frogs out in the yard. It was a rare and precious sight to be this close with nature within an urban city.
Hansen headed to the reception room in the Ink Garden.
Trevor, Claude, Marissa, and Norton were all there.
Their eyes fell on him as soon as Hansen walked in.
“Why are we all here for tonight’s duty?” Hansen said in a joking manner as he greeted them one by one.
Trevor’s expression was solemn. He said, “Hansen, we have to discuss the will.”
Hansen knew the intention that they were gathered together. He yawned and stretched his arms as he said, “Dad, there’s something wrong with the will. It shouldn’t be considered legitimate at all. We don’t have to dwell on it.”
“Hansen, be serious. We must treat this matter seriously.” Trevor was not as optimistic. He said carefully, “How are you certain that the will is not legitimate? Just because it didn’t sound possible?”
The Richards Group was in one mess after another. It was as if the entire group was covered by a dark web, and the dark web was manipulated by someone else. They were pulling at the thread, making it difficult for the trapped ones to breathe.
“Dad, isn’t it obvious? Why would Vivian set her will this way?” Hansen sneered. “I will never carry it out.”
“I agree. I don’t think Vivian would make a will like this. Perhaps she wrote it when she was less conscious, and it shouldn’t be deemed effective. Moreover, since the assets were allocated across our Richards family, and we are the only heirs, it wouldn’t make any difference if Hansen didn’t want his share, as we will reject our shares too. We can never let Hansen marry that kind of woman,” Norton said. He never liked Liya, and he would never allow Liya’s existence to hurt Jenna.
Claude nodded in agreement.
However, Trave put on a grave expression.
“You are all too naïve. How can we be so childish when it’s the family inheritance we’re talking about? Even if we don’t acknowledge it, what would the outsiders say about this? Especially when there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this will? I’m just concerned that this would become an excuse for someone else to threaten us. We will be in huge trouble then,” Trevor said.
His thoughts were far more complicated than them. There was something off in this situation.
It was obvious that Vivian would never set a will like this. However, if it wasn’t Vivian’s intention, then how could this will exist?
“That’s right. If Vivian didn’t write it, who wrote it then? It was clearly her handwriting. Why wouldn’t she wait for Mr. Pringle’s arrival before she added the sentence to it?” Claude had a lot of questions in mind too.
“If Vivian revised the will because something happened to her, then there must be someone behind this, and we shouldn’t take this lightly at all,” Trevor said.
“That’s horrible. How could someone plot against us in this manner? Are they really fearless of the law?” Marissa said. She was already concerned about the contents, and she’d almost fainted after hearing the new revision to it.
Hansen was her son. She knew well that Hansen would never marry Liya. However, if he lost his right of inheritance because of this, Marissa might as well end her life by then. Hansen was her only son. She couldn’t allow him to give up on the inheritance.
“You don’t have to be so worried about this. No matter if the will was legitimate or not, I will never marry Liya. What’s more, I can just give up on the inheritance. It doesn’t matter to me anyway,” Hansen said casually.
He really wasn’t concerned about the inheritance at all. He would never do something he didn’t want to. No one could force him, let alone a mere inheritance!
“Hansen, it’s not only about the inheritance. Let’s put any conspiracy theory aside. With our current situation alone, you have to prioritize the inheritance and never give up on it. You have to own your inheritance, and make it clear to the world,” Trevor said firmly.
Hansen shuddered slightly with fear as he stared at Trevor.
“Hansen, you can’t take this lightly.” Trevor stood up and said solemnly, “It’s a critical moment now. Do you know what it means if you gave up on your inheritance?”
“What is it?” Hansen turned a little pale as his voice trembled.
“It means that you’re not the head of the family anymore, and you are no longer leading the Richards Group. Do you understand the consequences now?” Trevor’s question reverberated throughout the room.
Marissa lowered her head and sobbed.
Hansen was shocked and fell back into his seat.
“Although it was our generation who built up the Richards Group, we are still bound by Richards Manor, which was the original founder, and it was still due to part of Old Master Richards’ efforts. If you give up on your inheritance, then you will be giving up the Richards Group at the same time.” Trevor continued saying, “If we were safe and sound now, if we were still at our peak, then you could have been as noble as you wanted and given up on everything, as you have started a new life with your wife and your children. But you know clearly what situation we are in right now, don’t you? The Richards Group is facing the punishment for breaching the security rule, and is being suppressed by Yadriel. Zoella’s plotting in secret as well. None of these problems are easy. We are trapped within them. Can you still say you want to give up on the Richards Group at a time like this? Can you be so irresponsible as to throw everything away?”
“He’s right. Hansen, there are hundreds of thousands of employees under the Richards Group right now. They’re waiting for you to lead them to the peak. If you give up on your inheritance, then you’re giving up on them too, and putting the Richards Group in even bigger risk. You shouldn’t be doing this,” Marissa said with a sob.
Hansen’s mind was in a mess as he stood there in a daze. He wasn’t willing to face these consequences at all. He was just an ordinary man seeking to build a family. Was that wrong?
Trevor’s expression turned grave increasingly. “The Richards family is in a critical period now. We should join forces as the present and future generations of the Richards family to get everyone through this crisis. Our family principle teaches us not to bully others, but at the same time, not to allow others to walk all over us too. We should adhere to this, and do our best as part of the family. No one should be casting away their responsibility. We have to prepare ourselves,” Trevor said.
Claude also stood up and said, “Trevor, don’t worry. We will protect Richards Manor with our lives. We will protect our family business, and keep it prosperous.”
Trevor nodded gratefully in return.
“There’s definitely something wrong with Vivian’s will. How about this? We’ll check the surveillance camera clips in the security booth tomorrow, to see if there have been any suspicious visitors recently. It’s getting late now, though. So, we should head back to our rooms to rest,” Trevor said at the end. They agreed and then retreated to their rooms.