A SON IN LAW TURNS BILLIONAIRE AFTER DIVORCE

Chapter 19

If Leonard had bought the lottery tickets after the divorce, then the winnings obviously wouldn’t be marital property.

Susan had never studied law in her life, but even she knew that basic rule.

“Based on the financial timeline and purchase records, your ex-husband probably bought the tickets either on the exact day of your divorce or within the two days leading up to it,” Joe Dexter analyzed over the phone, his voice steady and professional. “If he bought them during those two days before the ink dried, then the winnings definitely count as joint marital property. But if he bought them on the day of the divorce itself, everything hinges on whether the purchase was made before or after the judge officially signed off.”

Susan let out a long, shaky breath, closing her eyes as a wave of hope rushed back through her veins.

It had to be before. It just made too much sense.

“I’m positive he bought them before the divorce,” she said firmly, her voice rising with sudden, desperate confidence. “Otherwise, why else would he suddenly agree to walk away with absolutely nothing? He must have known he hit the jackpot, so he rushed to divorce me to keep it all to himself!”

It sounded completely logical at first glance.

Except for one glaring flaw: the massive lottery hadn't even been drawn yet when they signed the papers. How on earth could Leonard have possibly known he was going to win?

Joe Dexter didn’t point that out. Until he had the hard security footage and bank timestamps in hand, he wasn't going to argue with a client's wishful thinking.

Susan, however, was already practically vibrating with excitement.

“Mr. Dexter, please file the emergency motion right now to have my ex-husband’s bank accounts frozen!”

“Alright, I’ll submit the paperwork,” Dexter agreed, though he was mostly just hoping Leonard really had bought the tickets beforehand. Landing a high-profile divorce case involving nearly four hundred million dollars would make his career in Sydvale’s legal community overnight.

The second she hung up the phone, Susan’s fingers flew across her screen. She dialed Jonathan immediately.

“Jonathan—”

She barely managed to get his name out before he interrupted her with a harsh, defensive snap.

“Do you have any damn idea how many people in city hall are whispering about us right now?! And you’re still calling my personal line? Are you out of your mind, Susan?!”

His rough, aggressive tone was just as grating as she remembered, but she didn’t care about his attitude anymore. Not today.

“No, stop yelling and just listen to me!” Susan took a deep, steadying breath. “Leonard didn't just get lucky. He got rich because he won the lottery.”

Jonathan paused on the other end. That pathetic, obedient loser had actually gotten that lucky?

“Guess how much,” Susan pressed, a manic grin spreading across her face.

She didn't even wait for him to guess. “Five hundred million dollars. About four hundred million net after taxes.”

CRASH!

A loud, violent clatter echoed through the phone speaker. Apparently, Jonathan had dropped his coffee mug right onto his office floor.

Four hundred million dollars.

To any living soul, hearing a number like that was enough to stop your heart. Jonathan was instantly consumed by a blinding, choking wave of green-eyed jealousy.

Then, his brain caught up with the reality of the situation. That massive fortune might legally belong to them.

“When... when did he buy the tickets?” Jonathan asked, his voice suddenly dropping into a breathless whisper.

That was the million-dollar question.

“Dexter checked everything,” Susan whispered back, clutching the phone with both hands. “It had to be either on the day we divorced or within the two days right before it. The drawing was that same night. There were one hundred winning tickets worth five hundred million total, and it looks like Leonard bought the entire batch.”

Susan felt a physical knot of nausea twist in her stomach just thinking about the hundred million lost to state taxes. In her mind, at least half of that remaining fortune rightfully belonged to her.

Jonathan’s heavy breathing crackled over the line as his greed took the wheel.

“So as long as we can legally prove he bought those tickets before the divorce was officially finalized by the clerk, the winnings remain joint marital property—even if he cashed them out afterward,” Jonathan reasoned, talking fast.

“Exactly!” Susan beamed. “Our divorce papers weren't stamped and finalized until 11:30 that morning. As long as we rule out the afternoon, he must have bought them while we were still legally married!”

She rushed on, fueling her own delusion. “And think about it, Jonathan! Leonard was the one who practically begged to walk away with nothing. If he didn’t already know he was holding the winning numbers, why the hell would he do that?”

Jonathan found himself completely convinced by her logic. More importantly, four hundred million dollars was simply too much money to walk away from. He couldn't even think straight.

“Jonathan, we’re going to be unimaginably rich!” Susan laughed softly, tears of greed pooling in her eyes. “You can finally quit that miserable job at City Hall. We can take Mark and move abroad—live like royalty anywhere we want!”

Jonathan stood in his office, staring out the window as he weighed his entire life on a single gamble. After a moment of heavy silence, he nodded.

“Yeah... that might actually be best,” Jonathan muttered. “Everywhere I walk around the city now, people are staring and whispering. Even my wife found out about the forum post. She’s been screaming at me since last night, talking about divorce and threatening to swallow pills. I’m so sick of her.”

The truth was, he had never loved his wife anyway. The only reason he had stayed in that miserable marriage for years was because his father-in-law held a high-ranking government position that greased the wheels of his career.

But now?

Even taking just half of Leonard’s money would leave him with two hundred million dollars. With that kind of obscene wealth, he could buy a mansion anywhere on earth and never look back.

“Alright. Keep a very close eye on the lawyer and get that money locked down immediately,” Jonathan instructed, trying to sound like a commander giving orders, though his hands were shaking.

“I will,” Susan promised.

After sitting on the edge of her bed for a long time to calm her racing heart, Susan finally opened her bedroom door and walked out into the hallway.

“Dad, Mom, Joseph... come into the living room. I have incredible news to tell you.”