What comes on the screen makes one person confused and the other three turn white. "Hello lovely family. This portion of the will was not to be unlocked unless the conditions, which were conditions that should never be met, were met. Congratulations Edmond and Fanny on finally taking Lydia to the breaking point. At this time, since the conditions were met she has full approval of severing all ties to her family. That means that you two and your daughter that you made into a horrid little Fanny will no longer be receiving any stipend from the company. You are no longer considered family as a matter of fact.
"Mary Ann has received or will be receiving her trust fund. At that time no further monies can or will be deposited into the fund from the company. Lydia, if she so chooses can add personal funds to the trust, but seeing as she is severing all contact with the family, that is highly unlikely."
The old man looks out of the screen at them and continues. "There are a few things that I've told Lydia before my death that I think is now time for you all to know. And Lydia, there is something you should know as well. That news will wait until after I inform your ungrateful father and his slut of a wife of a few certain facts." There is no little wickedness evident on his face. He is relishing this part.
"The man you despised, my brother, your uncle, Samuel, well he wasn't the person you thought he was. You despised him for being a shiftless vagabond. Moneyless and useless. Those were all opinions that I've heard you express about him over the years.
"What's important, to you, is that he also heard your opinions of him. I'm going to give you a history lesson and you better pay attention.
"Your mother, Harriet, was in love with both myself and Samuel. She only chose me over Samuel because she knew that Samuel had the wanderlust and wouldn't stay in one place for any length of time.
"She also knew that I couldn't have children." Jeremiah pauses as he lets that information sink in.
Lydia pauses the video and her father is exclaiming his disbelief. He looks just like his father. Just like all the Fletchers that they have paintings or photos of.
"Sit down, Edmond and shut up. There is more. You both need to know." Lydia tells them both coldly. Her sister is strangely quiet and so she checks on her. Mary Ann is white. Lydia smiles, she figured it out.
She starts the will back up. "Shocking, I know. Lydia was rather taken aback as well and demanded that I explain things to her. So I did. As I will with you.
"Samuel truly did love Harriet, he just couldn't put down roots. So in that way you are correct, Samuel was a drifter, but the rest you have all wrong about him.
"When Samuel came to visit Harriet and I talked to him about something. I needed an heir and Harriet desperately wanted a child. We asked him to be with Harriet and get her with child. He was rather shocked by this request.
"Samuel is my identical twin and we had in the past shared everything. He had never expected me to be willing to share my wife though. But, he loved Harriet enough that he was willing to give her the one thing that I never would be able to give her.
"You are the results, Edmond. Samuel wasn't your uncle, I was, but I loved you and raised you as my own. The man you sneered at and looked down at, he was your biological father." Jeremiah looks pleased knowing that he just let the cat out of the bag and that it was full on chasing the pigeons about.
"But I'm far from done.
"The day before you were to bring Fanny over to present her to the family as your fiancée, well I found her coming out of Samuel's bedroom and it was very obvious that she had spent the night. Samuel later told me that she wasn't even that good of a fuck, but that is neither here nor there. If he had known that she was your girlfriend let alone fiancée he wouldn't have touched her when she came onto him at the bar they were at the night before.
"When Fanny announced that she was pregnant, the timing was too close to not think that the child could be Samuel's. When I told Samuel he wanted to know for sure. He came home after the baby was born and I took samples from him and Lydia.
"When the samples came back that Samuel was indeed Lydia's father he was thrilled.
"I'm sorry, Lydia that I didn't tell you sooner. You did deserve to know the truth but Samuel didn't wish for you to know. He didn't want to cause more problems between you and your parents.
"He had thought about fighting for custody of you, but he had no permanent home and wasn't a good example of fatherhood. He knew that I was looking out for you and so he was content to let things lie. So was I."
Lydia pauses the video and wipes her eyes, she unconsciously speaks out, "Thank goodness."
She misses the nasty looks her so called father and mother send her way. "Watch you language, young lady." Edmond demands.
"I don't have to listen to you any more. You're nothing more than my fucking brother. What a relief on that part." Lydia says before resuming the video.
"Since Edmond held such strong views that were so negative about Samuel, he was never aware of the truth. Lydia, I know that you are more aware of things than Edmond.
"Samuel might not have had a permanent home, but that didn't mean he didn't have money. That man had the midas touch when it came to business. He would take some money and invest it in a company, help them get going and if they needed any help he would give it. He would take the returns from his partnerships and investments and help another company or start one. He had land, businesses and even several homes to his name. He wasn't shiftless and he wasn't pennyless.
"At the time of his death his worth, of hard currency, minus the gold and silver that he had, was over a billion. Add the metals and he had several million. Add in the businesses and land and he was a multibillionaire." The older couple on the couch are looking more and more ill.
Lydia is smiling a secret smile. She always had loved spending time with Uncle Samuel and listening to his stories of the different places he went. She knew that he had money, you couldn't do some of the things he told her about with out it, but she had no idea that he was worth so much either.
Lydia ignores the others in the room as she continues the video.
"Since Samuel knew that Edmond had nothing but contempt for him and that they treated his daughter, Lydia the same way he left everything to Lydia.
"Lydia it's all being held in trust until you unlock this portion of the will or your marriage, whichever comes first. I have to say, you are a far more forgiving person than I am. I would have cut them off first thing, but I know you and know that you won't do that.
"Take my brother's legacy and use it well, Lydia. He knew that you deserved it and he knew that you will do well running the businesses, you took after him in many ways.
"Remember, Lydia, he loved you as much as you loved him. I think it was the only real regret in his life was that he never was able to be a father to you. That you only knew my love in place of a father's love.
"He loved you, Harriet loved you, and I most certainly loved you. I couldn't love you more than if you were my true grandchild. I can't thank my brother enough for having given me you." With that the video ends.
Lydia wipes the tears away before turning to face her parents. "Surprise, surprise, surprise. All kinds of surprises tonight weren't there?
"But I'm not done yet.
"The order for eviction has gone through the courts and is now being given by me. You have one hour to gather your shit and vacate premises or you will be arrested for trespassing. I will have security watching and if you take anything that belongs to the estate, meaning me, I will have you arrested for theft and if the items were of high enough value you will be arrested for grand theft.
"If you intentionally break items you will be sued for the value of said item and a lien will be placed on any asset that you might own until such a time that the item is paid for. If the item is not paid for in a timely manner than what ever asset that I have the lien on will be sold to pay for the item and any extra money will be returned to you.
"Your personal items only, you might want to start, your hour has already started. The police will be here shortly to make sure that items that are missing will be looked for. I have photos of everything for the estate and will be showing them to the officers."
With her words there are looks of disbelief from her parents and Mary Ann. "What? You all brought this on yourself."
"Where will we go?" Mary Ann finally says in a little girls voice.
"With your fiancée or with your parents, I don't really give a shit any more. I have tried to be a good sister to you, but you still shove a knife in my back. I'm done. I'm done with both of you."
Lydia pauses, "Oh, Azra, you might be interested in this." The television screen comes alive once more and Lydia sends the video's that security had sent her.
"Isn't that your father kissing Mary Ann?"
Azra is shocked, "I hadn't slept with Mary Ann either, Lydia. I really was waiting for marriage."
Lydia laughs mockingly. "Well the two timer is being two timed by his own father. Looks like your fiancée is pregnant with your little brother or sister. Might want to let your parents know, or not. Doesn't matter to me what you do any more."