Chloe: My father didn't die twenty years ago?
They sat at a small corner table inside the quiet coffee shop across the street from the restaurant. Marcus placed a warm cup of tea in front of Chloe as she stared at the thick envelope on the table.
Marcus: No, Chloe. His name was Arthur Sterling. He was the founder of Sterling National Real Estate.
Chloe: Sterling Real Estate? That's one of the biggest commercial property companies in the state!
Marcus: Yes. Arthur was an extraordinarily wealthy man. But twenty-three years ago, when your mother was pregnant with you, Arthur's family threatened to strip him of his inheritance if he married her.
Chloe: So he abandoned us for money?
Marcus: No, Chloe. He tried to take your mother away, but his father used corrupt connections to file false fraud charges against your mother's small business. They threatened to send her to state prison unless she disappeared and cut all ties with Arthur.
Chloe wiped a fresh tear from her eye, her voice shaking with quiet anger.
Chloe: My mother worked three cleaning jobs my entire life just to keep food on the table! She died two years ago from exhaustion and illness because we couldn't afford her medical care!
Marcus: Arthur spent the last fifteen years of his life secretly tracking you down. He wanted to reach out, but he knew his family's lawyers were watching his every move.
Chloe: So why now? Why send you with money today?
Marcus: Because Arthur passed away four weeks ago. And in his final, legally binding last will and testament, he left fifty percent of his estate directly to you.
Chloe nearly choked on her breath, staring at Marcus in complete disbelief.
Chloe: Fifty percent? Of a real estate empire?
Marcus: That envelope on the table contains fifty thousand dollars in emergency cash and a cashier's check for two hundred thousand dollars to pay off your mother's remaining debts and your back rent immediately.
Chloe: This... this is life-changing money, Mr. Hayes! My little brother can finally go to college!
Marcus: That check is just a small advance from your trust fund, Chloe. Your total inheritance is valued at over forty million dollars.
Chloe covered her mouth with both hands, tears spilling onto the table as the weight of the news hit her like a tidal wave.
Chloe: Forty million dollars?
Marcus: Yes. But there is a serious problem.
Chloe: What problem?
Marcus: Arthur's second wife, Victoria, and her son have spent the last three weeks trying to destroy Arthur's original will. They filed a petition in probate court claiming you don't exist.
Chloe: Claiming I don't exist?
Marcus: Victoria hired private investigators to track you down. She knows you work at that restaurant. And if I am not mistaken, she has already bribed someone close to you to steal your biological DNA records.
Chloe's eyes went wide as she remembered a strange incident from the previous week at her apartment.
Chloe: Oh my god... someone broke into my apartment five days ago and stole my mother's old medical boxes!
Marcus: Victoria is trying to wipe away any legal proof of your lineage before the probate court hearing tomorrow morning.
Chloe: What are we going to do?
Marcus: Tomorrow morning at nine, we step into that courtroom together. And we make sure Arthur's true legacy is honored.