Chapter 24: Not enough condition
“What is it?” Martin tried to stay calm and continued probing, “What are the conditions to receive the inheritance?”
As a representative lawyer, Martin was demonstrating his duty to his client. He first sought to understand the difficulties and then found ways to resolve them.
“We need the heir to provide the key and password that Lagan Watson gave them in order to access his estate,” the director emphasized slowly. He didn’t forget to observe the reactions of all three guests sitting across from him.
Upon hearing this, Mr. Martin somewhat grasped the situation. However, Mrs. Lani still didn’t understand. As for Erica, she wasn’t concerned about this matter and just wanted to escape as soon as possible.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ms. Lani has difficulty processing information and feels confused by the problem.
“Exactly, only the person to whom Lagan Watson gave the key and the password should have access to his property.” The director repeats the information fully and clearly. Then he looked straight at Erica and asked:
“So, girl, do you have the password and the key?”
Mrs. Lani and Mr. Martin both looked at Erica with anticipation. However, Erica merely wore a bewildered expression. The truth was, she knew nothing about it. Erica had only recently discovered that she was the heir to the substantial fortune left behind by her late parents. Honestly, if it weren’t for Lani and Kora’s plan to take over Erica’s property, Erica wouldn’t have known about such an important thing.
Before Erica’s biological uncle passed away, Mrs. Lani was informed about the property that Erica inherited. Consequently, Mrs. Lani had the intention of appropriating Erica’s inheritance. Initially, Mrs. Lani had planned to evict Erica from the house after her husband’s death. However, upon learning about Erica’s inheritance, she changed her mind. Mrs. Lani assumed the responsibility of being Erica’s guardian, believing it would facilitate her easy appropriation of Erica’s money. Mrs. Lani’s plan seemed foolproof. However, despite her meticulous planning, she encountered numerous difficulties along the way. Now, she finds herself in a situation where she is unaware of the key or password mentioned by the banker. It appears that her plan has hit a major obstacle.
Everyone was waiting, eager to know if Erica was hiding something. Unfortunately, Erica was completely unaware, and her expression reflected genuine innocence. After a minute of tense silence, Erica decided to break the atmosphere by speaking up.
“I don’t know anything about what you just said,” Erica replied. “To be honest, I only recently discovered that I was the heir to the property. Apart from that, I have no knowledge of anything else, including keys or passwords.”
“Who informed you about this inheritance?” The director asked a very intelligent question.
Without thinking, Erica honestly said:
“It’s her.” Erica turned to Mrs. Lani, pointing at her. A little confused by Erica’s actions, Mrs. Lani quickly regained her composure to stabilize the situation. After all, what Erica said was not incorrect. Erica had no knowledge of this inheritance. If it weren’t for Kora sneaking around with Max, betraying Erica, and being discovered by Erica, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point.
“Do you know the password or the key?” The director asked Mrs. Lani.
Mr. Martin and Erica stared at Mrs. Lani, eagerly awaiting her response.
“Unfortunately, no,” Mrs. Lani replied emphatically. “I only learned about it just now.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
“So, who told you about this inheritance, and how did you come to know?” the director asked again.
“From my husband. Before he closed his eyes, my husband told me about this,” Ms. Lani replied. Half of it was true, while the other half was a lie. She continued, “My husband requested that I pass on the information to Erica and take care of her.”
“Did your husband mention the key or the password?” The bank director paused momentarily, then asked again, “Did he directly give you the key and password or give you any suggestions?”
Mrs. Lani silently pondered, trying to recall the details. Eventually, she shook her head with a sense of regret, indicating that she couldn’t remember.
“Nothing at all,” Ms. Lani kept her composure and further explained, “I only learned about the inheritance the day my husband was on his deathbed. But he didn’t mention anything about keys or passwords.”
“This is strange. Are you absolutely certain you haven’t omitted any details?” The bank director emphasized his desire to verify once again.
Mrs. Lani nodded immediately, saying, “Maybe my husband also forgot at that moment. His passing was so sudden, he may not have been prepared for the separation.”
As Mrs. Lani spoke, tears slowly streamed down her face. She truly missed her husband, and it was only natural for her to reminisce about the difficult times they had gone through together.
There was a brief pause, allowing Mrs. Lani to express the pain she hadn’t felt in a long time. Then the bank director spoke up.
“We are deeply sorry. Without the key or password, we cannot release the funds to anyone.” The bank director’s voice was decisive and utterly firm.
“Even his own daughter cannot access her father’s money.” Mrs. Lani heard this and immediately stopped crying, displaying her disapproval.
“That is a given,” the bank director replied, instantly receiving a chilling glare from Mrs. Lani.
“This is absurd, utterly ridiculous,” Mrs. Lani exclaimed. “There is no way such a thing could happen.”
The bank manager could only offer a faint smile in response to the woman’s slightly exaggerated reaction.
“Is there no alternative solution?” Mr. Martin asked calmly, “There must be another way, right?”
“I’m afraid not. We are simply following the exact provisions of Mr. Lagan Watson’s will.” The bank director remained composed, politely handling the customer’s attitude: “I hope you understand.”
As soon as the bank director finished speaking, the greedy individuals did not give their consent.
“Don’t try to fabricate stories to unlawfully seize other people’s property. Pay us immediately. If you refuse to give us the money, we will no longer be polite. We will involve the law,” Mrs. Lani hissed, unable to control herself. She impulsively reached out to grab the bank director’s collar and issued threats.
“Please remain calm. If you don’t believe us, we can call a lawyer here. That lawyer is the one who drafted Mr. Lagan Watson’s will.” The bank director suggested it calmly, but Mrs. Lani defiantly refused to believe it.
“How do I know if you and that lawyer have colluded to appropriate other people’s property?” Mrs. Lani accused loudly: “No more words; hurry and give us the money, or I’ll raze this bank.”
Ms. Lani became increasingly agitated, and Attorney Martin was forced to intervene to prevent Ms. Lani from crossing the line. Taking advantage of the fact that the two of them weren’t paying attention to her, Erica carefully escaped from the room.
Finally, before Ms. Lani’s fierce attack, the bank’s director had to call security forces to assist. When Lani and Martin were dragged out of the bank, they realized that Erica had escaped.
“Where’s Erica?” Mrs. Lani panicked and turned to ask Martin.
“How would I know?” The lawyer looked around and replied.
“Damn it, that girl escaped. She must know about the key and the password!” Mrs. Lani exclaimed, suspecting Erica of lying.
“We need to find Erica quickly,” Mrs. Lani insisted.
“Finding Erica later. Let’s go home now. We’re attracting other people’s attention. Be careful not to get suspicious.”
Upon hearing Martin’s words, Mrs. Lani agreed and entered the car.
After Mrs. Lani and Martin had left, Erica emerged from her hiding place. Instead of leaving the bank, she entered and approached the bank manager. Erica recounted the entire incident to the bank manager and honestly admitted that she did not possess the key and password. After hearing Erica’s story, the bank manager feels sympathy and sadness for her but still acts in accordance with the law by requesting that Erica search for the key and password so that she can rightfully inherit the property left by her parents.
The problem is that Erica has no knowledge of the whereabouts of the key and password. Therefore, Erica has decided to prioritize stabilizing her life first and then delve into the search for the key and password. Erica believes that her inherited assets will remain safe as long as Kora and Mrs. Lani have not discovered the key and password.