"I'm the woman who should have been the heir. His wife."
The woman's voice echoed like a slap across the boardroom. Her heels clicked as she circled the table, eyes scanning Elara like a stain.
Elara sat straighter. "You're his wife? Then why wasn't your name in the letter?"
The woman's smile turned razor sharp. "Because he was stubborn. And stupid. He let guilt blind him."
Mr. Kingsley cleared his throat. "Mrs. Thorne, please—"
She cut him off. "No. She needs to hear this."
She leaned forward, her red nails tapping the table. "Nicholas had a soft spot for mistakes. I don't know what kind of con your mother ran back in the day, but that man was never the same after she left. And now he's dead, and you show up with a letter?"
"I didn't ask for this," Elara said, her voice cold.
"No," the woman hissed, "but you'll pay for it. Because that inheritance? It's not yours yet. There's a clause."
Elara turned to Kingsley. "What clause?"
He sighed and opened the file. "To access the full estate, you must prove—within 60 days—that you're biologically his daughter... and complete the initiation requirement outlined in his will."
Elara frowned. "Initiation?"
"Running his company," Kingsley said. "Or walking away from it—publicly."
The room spun.
Nicholas hadn't just left her money. He'd left her power.
And every person in this room wanted her to fail
Elara is no longer just an heir — she's being tested.
The real war has begun.