Chapter Five: The Reading
Thomas Patterson adjusted his glasses.
He looked at each of them in turn.
Dererick sat back in his chair. Confident. Relaxed.
Vanessa had her hand on Dererick’s arm. Possessive. Smug.
Simone sat straight. Hands folded in her lap.
“The last will and testament of Harold Eugene Bennett,” Patterson began.
His voice formal and measured.
“Executed on March fifteenth of this year. Witnessed and notarized according to all legal requirements of this state.”
Dererick smiled.
March fifteenth. That was just two weeks before Harold died.
Perfect timing, Dererick probably thought.
Clear mind. Clear intentions.
“Before I begin reading the specific bequests,” Patterson continued.
“I need to inform you that this document contains several unusual elements.”
“Mr. Bennett was very specific about how he wanted this reading conducted. I’m required to read the entire document without interruption. You’ll have time for questions afterward.”
“Just get on with it,” Dererick said impatiently.
“We all know what it says.”
Patterson gave Dererick a long look.
“Do you?”
Something in his tone made Dererick shift slightly.
But his confidence didn’t waver.
“Dad and I discussed this years ago. Everything goes to me. I’m his only child.”
“We’ll see,” Patterson said.
He began reading.
“I, Harold Eugene Bennett, being of sound mind and body, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. I hereby revoke all previous wills and codicils.”
Standard opening. Dererick nodded along.
“First, I want to address the nature of this document. Some people may question my mental competency given my stroke three years ago. To address this concern directly, I have included video recordings of my meetings with my attorney, Thomas Patterson, showing my clear understanding of these decisions. I have also included a letter from my physician, Dr. Richard Chin, attesting to my mental clarity.”
Dererick frowned slightly.
This was more defensive than necessary.
“Why would Dad need to prove his competence?”
Patterson continued reading.
“Second, I want to state clearly that I have been fully aware of everything happening in my company and in my household for the past three years. Despite what some may have believed, my stroke affected my mobility and speech. Not my mind. I have watched. I have listened. I have documented.”
The room grew quieter.
Dererick’s smile faded.
“Third, before I distribute my assets, I must address several matters that have come to my attention.”
Patterson pulled out another folder.
“For the past two years, my son Dererick Bennett has been embezzling money from Bennett Manufacturing. The total amount stolen is approximately eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
Dererick shot to his feet.
“That’s a lie.”
“Sit down, Mr. Bennett,” Patterson said firmly.
“You’ll have time to speak later.”
“I’m not sitting here and listening to these insane accusations. My father was senile. This will is obviously—”
“Your father wasn’t senile,” Patterson interrupted.
“And I have proof.”
He pulled out documents.
“Bank records showing wire transfers to an offshore account in your name. Forged authorization documents with your signature. Email communications with your accomplice at the company. Security footage of you accessing files you weren’t authorized to access.”
He looked up at Dererick.
“Should I continue?”
Dererick’s face went white.
He sat down slowly.
Vanessa was staring at him.
“Dererick, what is he talking about?”
“Shut up,” Dererick hissed.
Patterson continued reading.
“I have reported these crimes to the proper authorities. Criminal charges are pending. This is not vengeance. This is justice. I built my company through honesty and hard work. Watching my son steal from it has been the greatest disappointment of my life.”
Simone felt her heart pounding.
Harold had actually done it.
He turned Dererick in.
“Fourth,” Patterson read.
“I must address my son’s personal conduct. For the past eighteen months, Dererick has been having an affair with his assistant, Vanessa Price.”
Vanessa gasped.
Her hand flew off Dererick’s arm.
“This affair has been conducted with astonishing carelessness. In my own house. With complete disregard for Dererick’s marriage vows or his wife’s feelings. I have video evidence, witness statements, and documented proof of this affair.”
“How?” Dererick demanded.
“How could you possibly—”
“Your father hired an investigator,” Patterson said simply.
“A very thorough one.”
Dererick slumped in his chair.
The confidence draining from his face.
“Now,” Patterson said.
“We come to the distribution of assets. This is where things get interesting.”
He pulled out a new document.
“The following is my son Dererick’s inheritance.”
Dererick sat up slightly. A flicker of hope in his eyes.
“To my son, Dererick Bennett, I leave the sum of one dollar.”
Silence crashed into the room like a physical force.
“What?” Dererick whispered.
“One dollar,” Patterson repeated.
“Your father was very clear. As his only biological child, he legally had to leave you something. So he left you one dollar. That’s your inheritance.”
“No,” Dererick said, his voice rising.
“No, that’s not possible.”
“Everything else. The company. The house. The money. Goes to someone else,” Patterson finished.
Dererick’s face went from white to red.
“That’s impossible. He has no other children. His siblings are dead. Who gets my inheritance?”
Patterson looked directly at Simone.
“Your wife.”
The world stopped spinning.
Simone couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t process what she just heard.
“To Simone Marie Bennett,” Patterson read, his voice gentle now.
“I leave everything. My entire estate. The company. The properties. The investments. The bank accounts. Everything that I own becomes hers without restriction or condition.”
“No!” Dererick was shouting.
“That’s insane. You can’t do this.”
“It’s already done,” Patterson said.
“The will is legal. Properly executed. And ironclad. Your father made sure of it.”
Dererick lunged across the table.
Trying to grab the will.
Patterson smoothly moved it out of reach.
“Security,” Patterson said calmly into his phone.
“She manipulated him,” Dererick screamed.
“She took advantage of a sick old man. This will should be thrown out.”
“Your father anticipated that accusation,” Patterson said.
He pulled out a tablet. Pressed play.
Harold’s face appeared on the screen.
He was sitting in this very office. Wearing the shirt Simone had helped him put on that day.
His speech was slow. But absolutely clear.
His eyes were sharp and focused.
“If you’re watching this,” Harold said on the video.
“It means I’m dead and Dererick is contesting the will. So let me be very clear. I am of sound mind. I understand exactly what I’m doing. And I am giving everything to Simone because she deserves it.”
Dererick stared at the screen.
His mouth opening and closing.
No sound coming out.
“Dererick is my son,” Harold continued.
“And I love him despite everything. But love doesn’t mean blindness.”
“Dererick has proven himself to be dishonest, cruel, and greedy. He stole from my company. He betrayed his wife. He treated me with contempt. He has shown no character. No integrity. And no remorse.”
On screen, Harold paused to catch his breath.
Then continued.
“Simone, on the other hand, has shown me nothing but kindness for three years. She cared for me when my own son couldn’t be bothered. She listened to me. She respected me. She treated me like a human being. Not a burden.”
“She asked nothing in return. She expected nothing. And when I told her about Dererick’s betrayal, she didn’t gloat or celebrate. She just looked sad. Sad for me. That my son had turned out this way.”
Tears were streaming down Simone’s face now.
She couldn’t stop them.
“So I’m giving everything to her,” Harold said.
“Not to manipulate Dererick. Not to punish him, though he deserves punishment. But because Simone is the kind of person who will actually do something good with it.”
“She’ll run the company with integrity. She’ll treat employees fairly. She’ll build something that matters.”
Harold leaned closer to the camera.
“And she’ll do it all while Dererick sits in prison for embezzlement.”
The video ended.
The room was completely silent.
Except for Simone’s quiet crying.
Two security guards entered.
“Mr. Patterson,” one said.
“Please escort Mr. Dererick Bennett and Miss Vanessa Price from the building,” Patterson said.
“They’re no longer welcome here.”
“You can’t do this,” Dererick shouted as the guards took his arms.
“I’ll fight this. I’ll contest the will.”
“Oh, you’ll lose,” Patterson said calmly.
“The will is unbreakable. The evidence against you is overwhelming. And you’re about to be arrested for embezzlement. I’d suggest you call a lawyer. A criminal lawyer.”
Dererick tried to pull free from the guards.
They held him firmly.
Vanessa was crying now. Mascara running down her face.
“Dererick, what’s happening? You said you were getting millions.”
“Shut up,” Dererick screamed at her.
“Just shut up.”
The guards pulled them both toward the door.
Dererick looked back at Simone one last time.
His face twisted with rage and disbelief.
“You manipulated him,” he shouted.
“You’re a gold digger. A con artist.”
Simone looked at him steadily.
Tears still on her face.
But her voice was calm.
“I loved him like a father. That’s something you never did.”
Dererick lunged toward her.
The guards held him back.
Dragged him out.
His screaming echoed down the hallway.
Until the elevator doors closed.
Then silence.
Simone sat alone in the conference room with Thomas Patterson.
She was shaking uncontrollably.
“Are you all right, Mrs. Bennett?” Patterson asked gently.
“I don’t understand,” Simone whispered.
“Everything? He left me everything?”
“Everything,” Patterson confirmed.
He slid a folder across the table.
“The company is worth approximately forty-two million dollars. The properties total another eight million. Various investments and accounts add another twelve million. Total estate value approximately sixty-two million dollars.”
He paused.
“It’s all yours.”
Simone stared at the numbers.
They didn’t feel real.
“Harold made arrangements for the transition,” Patterson continued.
“I’m authorized to help you with everything. Board meetings. Management transitions. Legal matters. Whatever you need.”
“I don’t know how to run a company,” Simone said.
Patterson smiled.
“Harold thought you did. He told me about your conversations. About everything he taught you. He believed in you, Mrs. Bennett. He believed you could do this.”
Simone looked at the folder in front of her.
Inside was everything Harold had built.
Everything he’d worked for.
Everything he trusted her with.
“There’s one more thing,” Patterson said.
He pulled out an envelope.
“Harold asked me to give you this. He wrote it the day before he died.”
Simone took the envelope with shaking hands.
Her name was written on the front.
In Harold’s careful handwriting.
“Take your time,” Patterson said.
“I’ll give you privacy.”
He left the room. Closed the door behind him.
Simone opened the envelope.
Unfolded the letter inside.
And began to read.
