Chapter 4: The House of Cards
The front door chimed—a sound that felt incongruous against the chaos of the night. Eleanor didn't move, but the heavy oak doors of the library swung open. A man in a sharp, grey suit stepped inside, accompanied by two uniformed officers.
"Mrs. Blackwood," the man said, tipping his hat. "I’m the estate attorney. I believe we have a situation to resolve."
Clara’s legs felt weak. She sank onto the edge of the velvet couch. "Who... who is he?"
"He represents the new owner," Eleanor said.
"The new owner?" Clara felt the world spinning. "The estate is worth fifty million dollars! Who could possibly inherit it? There are no other heirs!"
The attorney stepped forward, holding a second, thicker file. "Ms. Blackwood, when your grandfather established the trust, he anticipated this exact scenario. He knew that the Blackwood bloodline was poisoned by entitlement. So, he made the beneficiary a perpetual charitable foundation focused on the education of underprivileged children in the valley."
Clara stared at him in horror. "A charity? You gave it all to a charity?"
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"And," the attorney added, "under the terms of the trust, as the primary trustee, Mrs. Eleanor Blackwood has the right to remove any individual who attempts to seize the property through coercion or psychological abuse. We have the video surveillance from the hallways, Clara. We saw you shove your mother. We heard you threaten her. The eviction order is already signed."
The realization hit Clara with the force of a tidal wave. She wasn't the master of the manor. She was an intruder. She was a trespasser in her own home.
