Julian walked towards me, his steps quiet on the polished floor. He reached out, his hand gently touching my arm, a warmth spreading through me that I hadn’t felt in years.
“Clara,” he murmured, his eyes searching mine. “I’m so sorry. I should have been here sooner.”
My throat tightened. “Julian. I didn’t know you were coming.”
Marcus appeared in the doorway, his face twisted. “What is *he* doing here? Trying to worm his way into my mother’s fortune now, Julian?”
Julian’s hand dropped from my arm. He turned to Marcus, his posture stiffening. “I am here because Beatrice asked me to be.”
“Don’t pretend she cared about you,” Marcus spat. “You abandoned her, just like you abandoned this family.”
“That’s not true,” Julian countered, his voice low. “She wrote to me. Weeks before… before she passed.”
Julian pulled a folded, aged envelope from his inner jacket pocket. He unfolded a letter, its paper thin and delicate. “She urged me to return. To protect her legacy. And to protect Clara.”
He handed the letter to Mr. Pendelton, who took it carefully. “This is Beatrice’s handwriting,” the attorney confirmed, his eyes scanning the page.
Marcus scoffed. “More lies. You two cooked this up, didn’t you? A convenient way to steal what’s rightfully mine.”
Julian shook his head, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You’re the liar, Marcus.”
He retrieved the letter from Mr. Pendelton, then smoothed out another, smaller piece of paper that had been folded within. This one looked older still.
“This is from fifteen years ago,” Julian said, his voice laced with a bitter edge. “A demand, signed by you, Marcus.”
He held it up. “It details how you threatened to expose my private investments, investments you knew were meant for Beatrice’s charity work, if I didn’t leave Boston and sever all contact with the estate.”
My gaze snapped to Marcus. He flinched, a flicker of panic in his eyes, quickly masked by anger.
“She wanted me gone,” Julian continued, his voice heavy. “Because she knew you planned to slowly dismantle her life’s work. She knew you wouldn’t stop at anything.”
Marcus clenched his fists. “This is nonsense! A pathetic attempt to rewrite history and justify your return.”
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