Chapter 1
Chapter 1
It rained the day father passed away.
Not heavy, just a light drizzle pattering against the window.
He left at three in the morning.
I was right there beside him.
Only I was there.
My eldest brother Robert Harrison answered the phone only after I called three times.
“Mmh… what?”
His voice was muffled, like he had just woken up.
“Dad is gone.”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line.
“Oh.”
Another few seconds of silence.
“Well… you handle the arrangements for now, I’ll rush back tomorrow.”
He was in Silicon Valley.
It takes a three-hour flight to get back.
But he wouldn’t arrive until “tomorrow.”
Eleanor Harrison, my second sister, on the other hand, picked up quickly.
“Ah?
Dad is gone?”
The crying started immediately.
Very loud, very heartbroken.
“I’ll buy a ticket right now!
Waaah—”
She was in Austin.
Buying the ticket, taking the flight, and getting home took her twenty-six hours in total.
When she arrived, her makeup was perfectly done.
Her eyes weren’t swollen at all.
I kept vigil alone all night.
Changed father’s clothes, wiped his body, and called the funeral home.
Tears flowed all night, and by the next day, my eyes were swollen like walnuts.
Robert’s wife arrived together with him.
Her first word upon entering wasn’t “Dad,” it was—
“Where is the property deed?”
Seeing the look in my eyes, she gave a little laugh.
“I mean, we need to prepare the documents for the funeral arrangements.”
The third day after the funeral.
The whole family gathered in father’s old house.
Not to mourn.
But because the lawyer said the will was to be read.
Over a dozen people sat in the living room.
Robert sat on the main sofa, legs crossed, twirling his car keys in his hand.
His wife sat next to him, her eyes darting around the room.
I knew she was appraising it.
This apartment was in the city center; old, shabby, and small, but in a prime location.
It was worth at least three and a half million.
Eleanor sat on the other side, clutching a tissue and dabbing the corners of her eyes from time to time.
But her eyes were dry.
A few uncles and aunts had come too.
Sitting on the side chairs, drinking tea and cracking salted peanuts.
Just here for the show.
I sat in the corner.
On the furthest chair.
No one poured me tea.
The lawyer arrived.
His name was Leo Sterling, in his forties, wearing glasses, with a very serious expression.
As he walked in, he swept his gaze across the room.
His eyes paused on me for a second.
Then moved away.
“Hello everyone, I am Leo, the lawyer appointed by the late Mr. William Harrison.”
He opened his briefcase and took out the documents.
“Today I will read Mr. Harrison’s will.”
Robert sat up straight.
His wife’s eyes lit up.
Eleanor gripped her tissue tighter.
“Before we begin.”
The lawyer paused, “Please listen to the very end before making any decisions.”
He emphasized the words “the very end” heavily.
No one cared.
Robert said: “Mr. Sterling, please begin.”
He couldn’t wait any longer.
