Page 15 of The Wishing Game

"I don't understand whytheyare here if I'm the beneficiary. They don't get anything." I point to the family when Mr. Daniels finishes.

"Actually," Mr. Daniels clears his throat. "They are here because Mr. Archibald"—he nods to Nikki's uncle Matthew—"wants to contest the will."

"Contest?" I burst out. "What for? I'm his wife, and his will states that I get the majority of his assets, including the company. What is there to contest?" I get to my feet, giving Mr. Daniels a belligerent look.

"Lucero, dear. You've been in the hospital for quite some time, so you may not be aware," Ophelia addresses me in a fake voice. "But once we discovered that Nicholas was using hard drugs, we did our duty and talked to his therapist and his physician." She feigns a sound of distress.

"What are you talking about?"

"His doctor told us that he hadn't been in his right mind since that accident years ago. The therapist confirmed it, too. Since the accident took a toll on his brain, it caused some issues with his frontal lobe. It's that part of the brain that deals with decision-making."

"I know what the front lobe is," I snap.

"Frontal," she corrects, her finger delicately raised.

"Your point?" I arch an eyebrow.

"We've talked to his other therapists, of course, and they all confirmed that he suffered personality disturbances after the accident. We've brought the medical records here. They've already been notarized."

"I don't see what that has to do with the will."

"Of course it does. He ratified the will after his accident."

"Nikki said his doctor cleared him for that." I narrow my eyes.

"And who knows what other lies he might have told you? All his therapists said the same thing. The boy was living in a delusional world." She flutters the documents in her hand. "Why, those houses of his alone were more secure than Alcatraz. To say he was paranoid would be an understatement."

"I still don't get what you're trying to do with this. Even if that were all true—and I know it'snot—I'm still his wife and that means I stand to inherit his assets."

"Not if the marriage happened under duress, too. Not if he wasn't able to make a sound decision. He did marry you after his accident, after all. Didn't you move in with him only a few months after he woke up from his coma? Who's to say you didn't influence him in some way?" she says innocently, although the malice is evident.

"What?" I whisper, horrified.

"And of course, if he wasn't of sound mind to make these decisions, that means there are grounds for the annulment of your marriage, too."

"How can you believe a word she says?" I ask in a hurt voice as I turn to Mr. Daniels. "They planned this from the beginning. They've been trying to kill Nikki for years to get their hands on his money. Do you think that accident was a fluke? Or do you thinkthisaccident was just that, an accident?"

"Now, Lucero. I won't allow you to accuse us of something so heinous," Matthew interrupts.

"Heinous? You sent your thugs to burn down our home, just a few hours ago," I accuse, pure hatred bleeding from my voice. I’d gone back to check Nikki’s computers for evidence of Nikki’s innocence when a bunch of thugs had broken in and set fire to the house. Luckily I’d managed to get away, together with a USB filled with security footage thatprovesNikki did not cause the accident and it was all a set up.

Thank God for secure Cloud storage.

"That is a vile accusation!" Ophelia intervenes.

"Is it? I have the evidence to prove it. Because that's what you were after, weren't you? You wanted to destroy the evidence that proved it wasn't an accident, just like you wanted to erase the fact that you had your people inmyhome?—"

"Mrs. Archibald, they are correct in that these are serious accusations. If you have the proof you say you do, you should give it to the police and let them do their job," Mr. Daniels interrupts, his voice calm. "But in the meantime, the documents Mrs. Lockwood and Mr. Archibald have provided are sufficient to dismiss the will and your claim to any portion of Mr. Archibald's assets."

"What..." I blink furiously, unable to believe what is happening.

Ophelia smirks, and all the others smile furtively.

"And if that is all, I'll be in touch with the division of assets very soon," Mr. Daniels explains before he leaves the room.

"Lucero, dear. I'd tell you not to take anything from the house since it doesn't technically belong to you. But all your stuff is gone anyway." She laughs as she passes by me.

All of them leave—all but Matthew.

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