Page 35 of The Best Friend Power Play

I lower my head and put on my best James Bond villain face. "And who says we're not?"

A tiny giggle escapes from her lips, drawing everyone's attention.

The lawyers frown in displeasure.

I turn to Ma to mouth, "Sorry" across the room, but Nonna's whispering something in her ear. Ma gives a nod, glances over at me and Hannah, and then nods again.

The younger lawyer continues. "To his only child, Stephanie Marie Rockcliff Palladino, Mr. Rockcliff bequeaths this letter." He holds up an envelope.

A stunned silence falls over the room.

That's it?

That's all Mom gets?

Some lousy letter.

She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, and nods for the men to keep going.

The older lawyer takes over. "All of Mr. Rockcliff's assets comprising his real estate holdings, financial investments, and personal valuables are to be divided equally among his four surviving grandchildren—Brock, Malik, Farrow, and Culver Palladino."

I stare at my brothers in shock.

Whoa.

Did my grandfather seriously bypass his own daughter to give his entire inheritance to four grandkids he's never even met?

"However, this division of assets is subject to one condition."

My brothers and I snap our heads back to the talking suit. "Each grandchild must be legally married at the time of the distribution of assets, which is to begin no later than thirty days after the reading of this will, except in the case of Brock Palladino, for whom a timeframe of eighteen months for marriage is granted."

"What does this mean?" Malik asks as Bianca clutches his arm, bouncing in her stilettos. She knows what it means. I can see the dollar signs in her eyes from this side of the room.

The older lawyer answers. "The legal implications of this condition require that each grandchild must have entered into a lawful marriage as recognized by the state. This is not a condition meant to impose undue pressure but to encourage a life Mr. Rockcliff found to be profoundly rewarding."

I scoff.

Yeah, right.

The man tore our family apart because he didn't agree with who Ma wanted to marry, and now he's giving us all one last middle finger from beyond the grave.

"You two will be fine," Nonna explains to Malik and Farrow. "You're both married." Her brown eyes swing to me. "But you, mister. We're going to have to find you a wife."

"What? No. Absolutely not." I cross my arms over my chest. "I don't want that man's money, and I especially don't want it if it comes with a condition like that. Not after what he?—"

I have the good sense to stop myself from finishing that sentence, but everyone in the room—save for the lawyers—knows what I mean.

"Son." Pa walks over to me. "I appreciate your loyalty, but now is not the time to be pig-headed about this. We're talking about a lot of money here."

"How much?" Bianca muffles a squeal, barely containing her excitement.

Everyone turns back to the lawyers. The younger one flicks through a few pages. "The current valuation of Mr. Rockcliff's assets as of two days ago is believed to be in the vicinity of two hundred and fifty million dollars."

There's a collective gasp, and a string of expletives flies out of Bianca's mouth. "Sorry, sorry," she says to Nonna who is aiming an unimpressed glare her way. She's not a Bianca fan, either.

Hannah nudges me. "Did you know he was that rich?"

"I knew he made some good investments in the early 2000s, but I had no idea he was that loaded."

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