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Chapter Title: The Will and The Rejection
The announcement of Vicente Swann’s will sent shockwaves through the Swann family, throwing the entire venue into an uproar. Korbin, Vicente’s eldest son, immediately questioned the validity of the will, but it was Leonel Bolton, Vicente’s trusted lawyer, who had made the announcement. To add weight to the proceedings, Leonel presented a video recording that Vicente had made before his death, explicitly confirming the contents of the will.
The lawyer also revealed a startling clause: anyone from the Swann family who objected to the will would be disowned and expelled from the family, with all rights to the Swann fortune stripped away. This meant that the Swanns’ members, all of whom worked for the Swann Corporation, would lose everything if they opposed Vicente’s decision.
Now, the guests in attendance finally understood why Vicente had insisted on making the will public. He had carefully orchestrated this move to catch Korbin—and anyone else who might challenge his decision—off guard. The cunning nature of Vicente Swann was well known, and even in his final moments, he had managed to outsmart his family.
But the real question on everyone’s mind was: why had Vicente chosen Catherine, the second daughter of the Swanns, to inherit the family’s immense fortune? Catherine, the “jinx” of the Swann family, the one sent away to the countryside when she was just a child, was an unexpected choice.
As Catherine stood there, calm and composed, Leonel found himself unable to decipher her. She was an enigma, unlike anyone he had encountered before. However, his professionalism took precedence. He placed the will before Catherine and offered her a pen with a respectful gesture.
“Miss Swann, if you are in agreement with the will, please sign it, and you may inherit the full fortune of the Swanns,” Leonel said, his voice formal.
Catherine, without a word, left Leonel’s hand holding the pen suspended in mid-air. She did not reach out to take it. Instead, she pointed to a specific line in the will and raised an eyebrow in question. “What does that mean?” she asked, her voice filled with quiet curiosity.
Leonel, prepared for her inquiry, explained the condition attached to her inheritance. “This clause,” he began, “states that the Swann and Duncan families are to unite through marriage. Your marriage to Branden Duncan, the heir to the Duncan family, will trigger the effect of this will.”
The shock was palpable. The Duncan family, headed by the powerful and wealthy Branden Duncan, was one of the three most influential families in Casier. Branden was the heir to all their vast wealth and had long been a figure of admiration and desire among the elite of Casier. The very thought of Catherine marrying him left the crowd in stunned silence.
And yet, Catherine’s response was as direct as it was shocking.
“No.” Her voice was firm, her decision unflinching.
The room fell dead silent, and Leonel, standing on the stage, was left stunned. It was the first time he had witnessed someone reject such an enormous inheritance so nonchalantly. His mind raced, trying to understand her motives.
For a moment, the guests looked around, uncertain how to react. Catherine’s refusal seemed impossible—how could anyone, especially someone from the countryside, turn down such a staggering fortune?
But it wasn’t just Catherine’s rejection of the wealth that left everyone in disbelief—it was the audacity of it all. How could she, an outsider, refuse Branden Duncan, the most eligible bachelor in Casier?
It was then that the crowd turned to look at Branden, who had been sitting in the front row throughout the entire spectacle. His presence was commanding. Clad in a perfectly fitted black suit, his collar slightly open to reveal his tanned skin, Branden exuded an air of effortless power and charm. His features were sculpted like a work of art, and his gaze, though cool and indifferent, held a magnetic pull.
The crowd held its breath, waiting for Branden to respond. Surely, they thought, he would speak up—after all, this was his future, too.
But Branden did not speak. He simply lifted his eyes and met Catherine’s gaze. There was a shift in his expression, a faint flicker of interest as their eyes locked. Catherine didn’t flinch. She met his cold stare with equal resolve, and in that instant, Branden’s curiosity was piqued.
Interesting, he thought. For the first time, someone had looked at him without fear, without awe. He wanted to know what made her so different, what the old man had seen in her to make her his chosen heir.
As the room waited in suspense, Leonel stepped forward once again, holding another piece of evidence Vicente had left behind. “Miss Swann,” he said, “Vicente also recorded a message for you. He hoped that you would listen to it before making your final decision.”
Catherine, who had been preparing to leave, hesitated for a moment. She took the earbuds Leonel offered and plugged them into her ears, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her thigh as she listened.
The recording played, and as it did, Catherine’s brows furrowed in mild frustration. The message was long-winded, filled with logic and reasoning, but it only seemed to irk her. After a few minutes, she removed the earbuds and sighed. “So troublesome,” she muttered.
With that, she picked up the pen Leonel had handed her earlier and, without another word, signed her name on the will.
Relief washed over Leonel. He hadn’t expected her to go through with it so easily, but Vicente had been right all along. The old man had predicted this moment with eerie accuracy.
After Catherine signed the document, Leonel led her off the stage to formally process the will. The crowd buzzed with conversations, and the faces of the Swann family had never been more sour.
“Can a girl from the countryside really stand up to the cunning Swanns?” someone whispered. “Even if she inherits the fortune, she won’t be able to keep it.”
But another voice countered, “That’s not necessarily true. If someone were to help her, she might just manage.”
At that, everyone’s attention turned toward the man who had spoken. His presence was like a shadow in the room, his eyes dark and unreadable. No one dared to meet his gaze for too long.
It was clear: anything was possible.