Fatebound

Chapter One ~ Books

"Good morning Brea, I'm sorry to bother you like this but I wanted to talk to you in person. Do you have a moment?"

Brea felt horrible for having not yet invited the lawyer into her tiny unit and immediately did so, making sure to make them some tea before sitting down and passing the cup to her guest.

"Thank you dear." The woman thanked her as she sipped at her tea before putting it down and pulling out a folder from her handbag.

As she did this Brea noticed the treamor in her hand and felt her feelings of anxiety begin to turn into panic. The woman was clearly shaken up so whatever she had to tell her, Brea was certain it couldn't be good.

"I wanted to see you in person Brea because I wanted to tell you that I've made a very awful mistake. One that I am extremely sorry for and that I hope you might be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for."

Brea frowned in confusion.

"I'm sure whatever it is can't be that bad Linda." Brea tried to reassure her, whilst having still no clue what she was actually talking about.

Linda tried to manage a smile.

"Thank you dear but I'm afraid it is pretty bad. You see whilst I was working on your mothers estate, I had thought that I had gone through everything very thoroughly as I usually do, and I didn't find a will, however as I was cleaning up my office the other day, I found what I had initially thought was just an old book, that I must have missed when I brought you her things from her home. When I opened the book however, our fell a letter addressed to you."

Brea almost felt her heart stop as she listened intently, hanging on to the lawyers every word.

"I took the liberty to read over it to make sure, and it is indeed her will Brea, along with everything she had wanted to say to you once she passed."

Brea nodded, trying to appear calm when all she wanted to do was snatch the envelope the lawyer was carrying away.

"In the letter May wrote clear instructions that you where to be left with everything, including her life savings which we wouldn't have even realised she had without this letter as she had left them in a different bank than her normal institute to try and keep them as safe as possible."

Brea nodded again hardly able to believe the lawyers words.

"Brea, after selling the home and with her savings combined, May managed to leave you with three hundred thousand dollars."

Brea dropped her tea cup at that.

"Oh dear. Are you alright love?" The lawyer asked and Brea cleared her throat as she nodded.

"Y-yes thank you. I wasn't expecting that."

The lawyer nodded in understanding as she handed Brea the envelope she had been guarding.

Brea took it, her hands now being the ones to shake as she carefully opened its contents.

"I only realised later that the book that contained May's will was actually one of her journals. I promise I didn't read it but I wanted to let you know that she left it to you and the will is unscripted on the front page."

Bread just nodded in shock as she traced the books gilded design.

"I really am very sorry for all the trouble I have caused you Brea. I keep thinking that if only I had found this earlier you would have known about all of this months ago, but instead I went and closed the case too
early. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive and old lady's foolish mistake."

Brea wiped away a tear that threatened to fall out of her eye as she tried to muster a smile.

"Of course I forgive you Linda, it was an honest mistake, please don't worry about it, it's not even been that long anyway."