Chapter 223

S21 53. Unexpected Announcement

Morris cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. “I have come to

announce something very important.”

A second later, he looked around. The corners of his lips rose slightly. “Since everyone involved has gathered, may I begin?”

Frank raised his hand towards the sofa. “Please have a seat, Mr.

Morris. We are ready to listen.”

“Thank you.”

The notary put his bag on the table. When he opened it, Melanie’s heart fell into her stomach. The woman no longer realized that she

was the only one standing still.

“Mrs. Harris, would you like to sit down please? You are the main character today.”

Melanie swallowed hard. Her hands clenched into fists and her breathing turned heavy. She didn’t dare move her head when she met the other’s gaze. She was like a defendant ready to be judged.

Before Melanie could break the stiffness, tiny fingers suddenly touched her hand. “Come on, Grandma. Sit down. Mister Morris doesn’t seem to be able to wait long

Melanie snorted harshly. Without responding to Emily’s invitation, she turned towards the sofa. As she sat there, her eyes narrowed towards

Barbara.

Barbara’s shoulders stiffened as well. It was as if she could hear the voice of her mother’s heart. “If the inheritance is cancelled, you will suffer the consequences!”

Barbara lowered her head and squeezed her white fingers. She

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realized that she was the reason behind Morris’ arrival. Now, she could only guess what punishment waited.

“Good evening, the Harpers, the Harris, and Philip.” Morris raised his head and smiled at everyone. A document was standing by on his lap.

“On this occasion,” Morris adjusted his glasses and checked the date, “I will read the final judgment of the will addressed to Melanie Harris by the late Rowan Harper.”

Frank’s eyebrows suddenly pressed against his forehead. He glanced at Kara. His wife apparently also had the same expression.

“Grandma also inherited?” Louis represented everyone’s surprise.

“But there’s no Grandma’s name in the will that Mr. Morris read first,”

Emily tilted her head. “Why?”

Morris cracked a smile. “It’s because this will is confidential. Only the person addressed has the right to know.”

“If it’s a secret, why did Mr. Morris announce it in front of us?” Louis’ neck extended.

Morris blinked slowly. His gaze shifted towards the woman who seemed to have forgotten to breathe. “That’s because a violation occurred. Melanie Harris was declared unable to fulfill the requirements so her rights to all the gold belonging to Rowan Har were revoked.”

Melanie’s eyes widened. Getting up from the sofa, she shouted, “No! I did not violate the rules. Take a look! Barbara is here. She still lives in

this house with me!”

Morris twitched an eyebrow. He turned to the family on his left. Seeing the same furrowed brows, he leaned his head forward.

“For your information,” his tone was gentle, “Mrs. Harris can claim the inheritance if she and her daughter can survive in this house for one

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month. The late Rowan seemed to hope that the two parties would

get along.”

“We get along!” Melanie nodded quickly. “You saw how that little girl grabbed my hand just now? She invited me to sit down! That’s proof

that there is closeness between us.

Morris straightened his body again. While looking closely at Melanie,

he let out a faint sigh. “Sorry, Ma’am. That’s not the problem here. There is something else you have violated, despite you and your daughter being here.”

The confusion on Melanie’s face suddenly unraveled. With a limited

shake of her head, she wondered. “Not that? So what? Isn’t that the

only requirement put forward to us?”

Clearing his throat, Morris turned the page. “Just like how this will is confidential, the late Rowan Harper also prepared confidential terms.

Melanie’s jaw dropped. Her eyeballs trembled looking for a loophole that escaped her anticipation. “What did I break? I did nothing wrong!”

“Based on the information I got, Harris’ company has received half a billion in funding from Mrs. Harper. Is that true?”

Getting a glance from the notary, Kara quickly nodded. “Yes.”

Morris raised the corners of his lips. “That is the point that has be

violated. In the original document, Rowan Harper wrote that Melani Harris could only receive an inheritance from him if she fulfilled two

conditions.”

While Melanie sighed in disbelief, Morris continued, “First, Melanie Harris had to stay at Frank Harper’s residence with her daughter, Barbara Harris, for an entire month. Second, Melanie Harris should

not receive more than one hundred million dollars from Frank Harper and his family.”

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“Wait a minute!” Melanie raised both hands, asking for attention and an opportunity to speak. “I wasn’t the one who received the money, but my husband.”

“I haven’t finished reading yet,” Morris replied patiently.

“The second point is that Melanie Harris cannot receive more than one hundred million dollars from Frank Harper and her small family, including through her husband and daughter. In this case, the amount you receive far exceeds the specified limit. Even if the number is divided by three….”

Morris sighed in resignation. “It’s still a violation.”

Melanie shook her head quickly. “No! You’re not very thorough, Mr. Morris. Paul Harris is my ex-husband.”

Melanie hurriedly snatched the roll of paper from Philip. After getting the pen from Morris’s hand, she signed it.

“Look! We have agreed to divorce. Once this letter is processed, we will no longer have a relationship! He is no longer my husband. So, I didn’t violate the second point!”

Frank and Kara secretly glanced at each other. They felt bad for

Morris. Melanie’s reaction was too much.

Meanwhile, Barbara looked down, hiding her face. Her feelings we mixed. She was annoyed, disappointed, and embarrassed. Why wa her mother willing to throw away her marriage for the sake of wealth?

“Sorry, Mrs. Harris.”

“I’m no longer Mrs. Harris,” Melanie interrupted, holding her divorce papers closer. “Look at this, Mr. Morris. I was divorced. I am now Mrs. Harper, Frank’s mother.”

Morris took a deep breath. “Sorry, Mrs. Melanie,” he changed his

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greeting, “although you have signed the divorce papers, your and Paul Harris’ current marital status is still legally valid. So, you still violate point number two. Because of that….”

Morris pushed the crumpled paper out of his face and took another document from his bag. “This is a good time for me to read a letter of

recommendation.”

Everyone was wide-eyed. They knew that Rowan was a well-prepared person, but who would have thought that he also provided a backup will?

This is an:

“No! not I’m not the one breaking the terms. Why should I bear the loss?” Melanie grabbed his head and started pulling his hair. Emily leaned closer to Kara seeing her act.

Meanwhile, Barbara could no longer contain her embarrassment. Please stop, Mom! Don’t exaggerate it anymore. The gold did not belong to you from the start. Why do you feel like you’re losing out if you fail to have it? There’s nothing missing from you, apart from the marriage that you threw away.”

Melanie started to growl. Her shoulders shook violently, her hands. forming claws. She looked like she was ready to tear her da apart. However, before she could take a step, Morris cleared his

throat.

“In exchange for the gold you failed to claim,” he glanced sidewa making sure Melanie heard him, “you are entitled to another asse

Melanie blinked with a deadpan look. After smoothing her hair, she whispered, “I got another asset?”