The conference room at Bennett & Shore felt unnaturally staged, like a forced family portrait no one wanted to pose for. The oak table gleamed, water bottles lined up neatly, and my mother’s pearl necklace shimmered every time she turned her head. My father sat beside her, composed in that quiet, confident way of someone who thinks the outcome is guaranteed. Across from them, my sister Chloe tapped impatiently at her phone, barely suppressing a smile.I’d flown in from Denver the night before, still in the inexpensive suit I used for client meetings. Compared to them, I looked like I’d wandered in from a different world. Grandpa Harold had passed away at eighty-two from a heart attack, and I’d spent days replaying his final voicemail: Keep your head down. Listen closely. Trust documents, not people.

When Mr. Bennett walked in, he greeted us politely and opened his file. He began with the standard language about assets and estate matters. Before he could get far, my mother leaned forward and spoke as if she were the one running the meeting.Chloe gets ten million,” Diane said flatly. “And Ethan can go earn his own. Harold always said he needed to build character.” blinked in disbelief. Grandpa had helped me through community college, sent birthday cards with cash tucked inside, even covered my rent once. He’d never treated me like I was less—he treated me like I mattered.Mr. Bennett kept reading without looking up.According to the most recent amendment, Harold Miller leaves ten million dollars to Chloe Miller, distributed through the family trust as scheduled.”Chloe’s smile finally broke through. My father let out a satisfied breath.