Everything that took him years of effort to achieve, Livinus did effortlessly.
It was like he was looking down from the top of a mountain, watching Richard struggle and make a fool of himself.
Why?
“What do you mean by that?” Richard snapped. “This is Father’s will! His will, not mine!”
Livinus let out a small laugh, his tone sharp. “The old man would never draft such a ridiculous will. Giving 70% of the inheritance to you? That’s exactly the kind of thing you would do, Big Brother. After all, you’ve always wanted to take everything for yourself.”
Richard’s heart clenched.
Everyone was staring at him now.
He frowned.
“Stop spouting nonsense! Why would I do something like that?”
“You see, this is why I said you always rush things,” Livinus said with a smirk. “You never stop to think before making your next move.
“If I were you, I would have confirmed Father’s death first before announcing this ridiculous fake will.”
“You—! Father is dead! You were the one who covered it up! I know exactly what you were trying to do! You just needed time to forge your own version of the will!
“What’s wrong, Livinus? Are you panicking now that I’ve exposed you?”
Livinus’s smirk deepened.
His gaze held nothing but pure contempt.
“Big Brother, let me ask you—why are you so desperate to convince everyone that Father is dead?”
“I’m not lying!”
“You’re not?” Livinus arched an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you turn around and see for yourself who just walked in?”
A hush fell over the room.
Expressions shifted in slow motion.
Gasps of shock rang out.
Some people covered their mouths, eyes wide with disbelief.
Scott Justin and Scott Weston ran forward.
Andrea?
She went pale.
She staggered backward, screaming like she had seen a ghost.
It was like time had slowed.
Richard wanted to turn around, but his body wouldn’t move.
Sweat dripped down his temples.
And then—
The sound of a wheelchair rolling across the floor.
The familiar voice of the old man.
“Richard, were you hoping for my death?”
Richard’s soul nearly left his body.
His knees hit the floor.
“Father! No! I wasn’t! I—I had nothing to do with this!” he wailed.
The old man closed his eyes.
Disappointment weighed heavily on his features.
This was the son he had raised?
The son who, for the sake of a bigger inheritance, had been willing to kill him?
Had money really blinded him this much?
His gaze moved to Andrea.
She was trembling violently, inching further away.
“N-no… It wasn’t me! It wasn’t—!”
In her panic, she lost her footing.
She slipped, tumbling down the stairs.
A sickening crack.
She clutched her leg, writhing on the floor in agony.
At that moment, the old lady rushed out.
She fell into the old man’s arms, sobbing.
“I thought you were really dead! You scared me half to death!”
The old man chuckled weakly.
“If I had died, how would you have managed all this on your own?”
“And yet you dared to trick me?!”
“I didn’t trick you! I just didn’t want you to worry.”
After their little exchange, the old man turned his cold gaze back to Richard.
By now, Richard knew it was over.
He had lost.
Completely.
He had thought he was in control.
He had thought his victory was guaranteed.
Everything had been going according to plan.
So where had it all gone wrong?
How had it all crumbled right at the finish line?
His face was drenched in sweat.
His hands trembled.
He couldn’t even look at his father.
Shame.
Regret.
He hated himself.
He hated that he had let greed cloud his judgment.
And worst of all—
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how his father must have felt, knowing that Andrea had tried to kill him.
But it was too late.
Everything was already ruined.
“Father, I was wrong, I…” Richard knelt on the ground, pleading for the old man’s forgiveness.
The old man let out a weary sigh but didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he looked at the rest of the family, his voice carrying a deep exhaustion.
“Since we’re already here, I might as well take this opportunity to divide the inheritance.”
Richard’s heart sank.
He had done so much, yet the old man would never leave him a single cent.
The lawyer arrived and began reading the old man’s actual will.
In addition to the assets that Richard had just listed, there were other valuable additions—investments that had been forgotten over time.
Back in the ’70s and ’80s, jade, antiques, and collectibles were cheap, and the old man had bought them in bulk simply because he liked them. But as the years passed, their value skyrocketed. Some items that had once cost mere pennies were now worth millions, even tens of millions.
The old man decreed that any national treasures among his collection should be donated to the state. The rest would be evenly divided among his children.
As for the company itself and all related business investments, they would exclusively go to Livinus.
The remaining properties, land, cash, and antiques would be equally split among the other three brothers.
Richard’s head snapped up in shock.
His eyes turned red, and he mumbled in disbelief.
He had never expected the old man to still leave him a portion of the inheritance.
Scott Justin and Scott Weston had no objections. They had never been involved in the company’s affairs, so it made sense for Livinus to take charge.
