The underestimated heir

The divorce and the demand

The taxi dropped Gabriel off in front of Grandmother Abigail's house at exactly nine o'clock. The property was much smaller than the Morrison family mansion, but it had a warmth the other place lacked. He climbed up the brick walls. Flower beds lined the walkway. A big oak tree stood in the front yard, its branches spreading wide like protective arms.

Gabriel hadn't been here since Abigail's funeral six months ago. That day had been gray and rainy, matching the sadness in his heart. Abigail had been the only person in the Morrison family who'd treated him like a human being. Losing her had felt like losing his grandmother all over again.

Now, standing in front of the house again, Gabriel felt a lump form in his throat. He missed her terribly.

The front door opened before he could knock. A middle-aged man in a neat suit stood there, holding a briefcase. He had gray hair and kind eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Gabriel Carter?" the man asked.

"Yes," Gabriel replied, surprised the man knew his full name. The Morrison family only ever called him by his first name, when they bothered to call him anything at all.

"I'm Thomas Wright, Mrs. Abigail Morrison's personal lawyer. Thank you for coming. Please, come inside."

Gabriel followed Mr. Wright into the house. Everything looked exactly as he remembered. Family photos lined the walls. Comfortable furniture filled the living room. Books were stacked on every available surface because Abigail had loved to read.

But there were other people in the living room too. Gabriel recognized them immediately. The entire Morrison family was there.

Dominic and Margaret sat on the main couch, looking annoyed. Seraphina sat in an armchair, checking her phone. Her uncle David Morrison and his wife Patricia occupied another couch. Their two sons, Brandon and Eric, both in their late twenties, stood near the fireplace looking bored.

Everyone looked up when Gabriel entered. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"What is he doing here?" Margaret demanded, her voice sharp.

"Mrs. Morrison invited him," Mr. Wright said calmly, setting his briefcase on the coffee table. "She was very specific about who should be present for the reading of her will."

"The will was already read six months ago," David said, frowning. "We all got our shares then."

"That was the public reading," Mr. Wright explained. "Mrs. Morrison requested a private reading for family members only, to take place six months after her death. Today is that day."

Gabriel felt confused. Abigail had left him something? But why wait six months?

"Can we just get this over with?" Brandon muttered. "I have a golf game at eleven."

Mr. Wright opened his briefcase and pulled out several documents. He put on his reading glasses and cleared his throat.

"Let me begin," he said. "This is the last will and testament of Abigail Margaret Morrison, written in sound mind and body, dated March 15th, two years ago."

Two years ago. That was a year before Abigail got sick. She'd planned this for a long time.

"To my son Dominic Morrison," Mr. Wright read, "I leave the sum of two million dollars and the vacation home in Aspen, Colorado."

Dominic nodded, looking satisfied. Two million was nothing to sneeze at.

"To my son David Morrison, I leave the sum of two million dollars and the beach house in Miami, Florida."

David smiled. "Thank you, Mother."

"To my grandson Brandon Morrison, I leave five hundred thousand dollars and my collection of vintage wines."

Brandon's face lit up. "The wine collection? That's worth at least three hundred thousand by itself!"

"To my grandson Eric Morrison, I leave five hundred thousand dollars and my art collection from the study."

Eric actually smiled. "Those paintings are worth a fortune."

"To my granddaughter Seraphina Morrison," Mr. Wright continued, "I leave one million dollars and all of my jewelry, including the diamond set that belonged to my own grandmother."

Seraphina looked up from her phone, her eyes widening slightly. That jewelry was legendary in the family. Worth at least two million dollars.

Everyone seemed pleased with their inheritance. The mood in the room had shifted from annoyed to satisfied.

Then Mr. Wright cleared his throat again. "And finally, to my dear friend Gabriel Carter, I leave the following items."

The room went silent. Every eye turned to Gabriel.

"I leave Gabriel the property known as Riverside Plaza, located in the heart of downtown, including all twelve commercial buildings and the land they sit on."

Gabriel's heart stopped. Riverside Plaza? That was one of the most valuable properties in the entire city. The buildings alone were worth millions. The land was priceless.

"What?" Dominic jumped to his feet. "That's impossible!"

"Additionally," Mr. Wright continued calmly, "I leave Gabriel access to account number 7734-9821-5566 at First National Bank, the contents of which are to remain sealed until he accesses it personally."

"This is ridiculous!" Margaret shrieked. "Mother was clearly not in her right mind when she wrote this!"

"I assure you, Mrs. Morrison was completely sound of mind," Mr. Wright said firmly. "I have three doctors' statements confirming this, as well as video documentation of her explaining her wishes."

"But why would she leave her most valuable property to him?" David demanded, pointing at Gabriel like he was something dirty. "He's nobody! He's not even real family!"

"Yeah!" Brandon added. "He's just the loser Seraphina got stuck with!"

Gabriel stood frozen, unable to process what he was hearing. Riverside Plaza. That property was worth more than everything else in the will combined. Why would Abigail leave it to him?

"There must be a mistake," Seraphina said, standing up. Her voice was cold and controlled. "Grandfather built Riverside Plaza from nothing. It's a family legacy. It should stay in the family."

"Gabriel is family," Mr. Wright said quietly. "Mrs. Morrison considered him her grandson, even if not by blood."

"Well, he won't be family for much longer," Seraphina said. She turned to face Gabriel directly for the first time in weeks. Her beautiful face was completely emotionless. "I want a divorce."

The words hit Gabriel like a punch to the gut. He'd known their marriage was terrible. He'd known Seraphina didn't love him. But hearing her say it out loud, in front of everyone, made it real in a way that terrified him.

"Seraphina, what are you talking about?" Margaret said, though she didn't sound upset. She sounded pleased.

"I'm talking about ending this ridiculous marriage," Seraphina said. "It was Grandmother's idea from the start. Now that she's gone, there's no reason to continue this charade."

“And if I sign these papers, that means I'm entitled to half of everything he has and since my pathetic husband has nothing, I'll simply take the Riverside Plaza.”