There was silence on the other end, the kind that told me she was scrambling for a hold on the situation.
“You’ve underestimated what this house and my father’s legacy truly mean,” I continued. “And now, the truth will come out.”
She hung up without another word, leaving the echo of her frustration to fade into the evening.
I stayed outside until the stars began to blink in the darkening sky, their light mingling with the glow from the porch lantern. There was a strange kind of peace in knowing that my father’s plan was unfolding just as he had envisioned. Eleanor’s grip was slipping, and soon everyone would see her for who she truly was.
The next day, Benjamin and I met again. This time, in the quiet corner of a small cafe that smelled of fresh pastries and roasted coffee beans. He brought along a folder filled with documents that detailed the layers of protection my father had built around his estate.
