Jade sat at the kitchen table, a pile of papers spread out in front of her. She had spent hours going through her grandmother’s will, trying to make sense of everything. It clearly stated that the house was left to her, but something didn’t feel right. The wording was complicated, legal jargon twisting the document into something almost incomprehensible.
Her stomach churned with anxiety. Grandma wanted me to have this house. She told me that over and over.
A loud knock at the door broke her focus. Jade sighed, already knowing who it was. She stood, her heart pounding as she opened the door to see David standing there, a smug expression on his face, and a man in a suit beside him.
“Morning, Jade,” David said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.
“What do you want now?” Jade asked, her voice strained.
David smirked, holding up a folder. “I told you this wasn’t over. Meet my lawyer, Mr. Benson. He’s here to clear up some… misunderstandings.”
The man in the suit nodded politely but said nothing as he set his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it.
Jade crossed her arms, her chest tightening. “What are you trying to do, David?”
David chuckled, flipping through the papers in his folder. “It’s simple, really. The will wasn’t properly notarized. That means it’s invalid.”
“What?” Jade’s voice rose in disbelief. “That’s not possible. Grandma worked with a lawyer to make sure everything was in order.”
“Apparently, she didn’t do it well enough,” David said, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. “Without the notarization, the house goes to her next of kin. That would be me.”
Jade’s world seemed to tilt as the words sank in. “You’re lying,” she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.
Mr. Benson cleared his throat, pulling out a copy of the will. “I’m afraid he’s not. I’ve reviewed the documents myself. Legally, the house does revert to Mr. David Nguyen as her closest living relative.”
Jade’s hands shook as she stepped forward, grabbing the paper and scanning it desperately. The legal jargon blurred before her eyes, but the glaring flaw was there. No notarization stamp, no witness signatures.
“No,” she muttered, her voice trembling. “This can’t be happening. She wanted me to have this house.”
“Intentions don’t matter in court,” David said smugly, crossing his arms. “What matters is what’s legal.”
Jade’s eyes burned with tears as she looked up at him. “You didn’t care about her, David. You didn’t visit her when she was sick, you didn’t help with the bills, and now you think you deserve this house?”
David’s smirk didn’t falter. “It’s not about deserving, Jade. It’s about what’s mine. You have a week to move out.”
“A week?” Jade’s voice cracked. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“That’s not my problem,” David replied coldly, turning to leave. “Start packing.”
As the door slammed shut behind him, Jade sank to the floor, clutching the papers to her chest. The house that had been her home, her sanctuary, was being ripped away from her.