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My phone buzzed, jolting me from my daze. An unknown number flashed across the screen. I almost ignored it—what good news ever comes from a strange number?
“Ms. Emma Hayes?” a calm voice said. “This is David Lin, attorney with Lin & McCallister. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I have urgent news regarding your great-uncle, Mr. Charles Whitmore.”
The name froze me in place. Charles Whitmore. A man I hadn’t spoken to since I was a teenager. My parents used to talk about him—brilliant, stubborn, wealthy beyond measure—but after they passed, contact with that side of the family had simply disappeared.
“I’m afraid he passed away last week,” David continued gently. “But he named you as his sole heir.”
My breath caught. “I think you have the wrong person.”
“No mistake,” he said. “Mr. Whitmore left you his entire estate, including ownership of Whitmore Industries.”
For a long moment, I couldn’t speak. “Whitmore Industries? The energy corporation?”
“The very same. You are now the primary shareholder and beneficiary of an estate valued in the billions. However,” he paused, “there is one condition.”
Those words—“one condition”—hung in the air like thunder.
My story wasn’t over. It was only changing chapters.
