Avery James was never the kind to believe in fairy tales.
Not since she was eight and learned that her mother has been disowned for falling in love with the wrong man.
Not since she'd watched cancer turn that same fearless woman, her mother, into a shadow of herself.
And certainly not while clocking in for another ten-hour shift at Grounds & Grains, the local coffee shop where dreams went to die under burnt espresso and overworked baristas.
But fairy tales, she would eventually learn, have a nasty habit of arriving when you are least prepared.
She was wiping down a sticky table when a man in a tailored suit walked in. It was hard not to notice him, he looked out of place like someone who should be stepping out of a limousine, not ducking under the flickering fluorescent lights of a corner cafe.
"Avery James?" he asked
She noticed he had a brown envelope in his hands.
She paused, suspicious. " Who's asking?" she set the rag down, eyeing him warily.
" I am Simon Langford. I represent the estate of the late Mr Theodore Ashford"
Avery blinked " Theodore who?"
The man adjusted his suit, clearly uncomfortable in a room that smelt like burnt bagels and spilled syrup.
" Your grandfather, he passed away last week."
Avery scoffed " I do not have a grandfather"
He stared at her " you did. And he left something for you."
He held out the envelope, she stared at it like it might explode.
" My mother cut ties with her family a long time ago" she said slowly " why would he leave anything to me?"
" That is not for me to answer Ms. James" he adjusted his suit again and looked around like he was afraid someone was watching.
" But I strongly advise you to read the letter. In private."
" We'll be in touch"
Without waiting for a reply, he placed the envelope gently on a clean corner of the table, gave her a courteous nod, and left.
Avery stood frozen for a few seconds.
She picked up the envelope.
Her name was written in heavy deliberate ink "Ms. Avery James" as though the writer had taken care with every stroke.
She slipped into the stockroom, and carefully opened the envelope, her hands trembling slightly.
Inside was a thick sheet of paper folded once.
My Dearest Avery,
If you are reading this, then I am gone.
You are probably wondering why I never reached out, the truth is, I tried.
Many times.
But your mother made her choice, and I respected her wishes however painful they were.
You are my only grandchild. My blood. And as such, you are the sole heir to Ashford Holdings, my estate, and everything I've built.
I know this will come as a shock.
I hope with time you will understand why I did this.
You are not just my heir, you are my legacy.
-Theodore Ashford
The letter trembled in her hands. She sat on a crate of coffee filters, her breath shallow.
Her mother has never spoken of him, just that he was cold. Unforgiving. Gone.
Yet here he was, teaching out from the grave, changing everything.
The letter slipped from her hands. She sat there for a long time, staring at the cement floor as though it might offer an explanation.
It didn't
When she got home that night, after arguing with her boss, tripping over a stroller and nearly burning herself on the coffee machine, she googled his name.
Theodore Ashford.
Her laptop immediately filled with articles. Photos. Headlines.
"Ashford Industrial Mogul dies at 81, Fortune in Limbo"
" Secret granddaughter named sole beneficiary"
"Who is Avery James? The unknown Heiress"
Her heart raced. There were pictures of a sprawling mansion, business partners in suits and one tabloid even had old pictures of her mother, young, elegant, defiant.
She closed her laptop.
Suddenly she wasn't just Avery James, the coffee shop waitress with less than $50 in her checking account and overdue rent.
She was an heiress.
Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.
She hesitated, then answered.
"Hello?"
" Ms. James, it is Simon Langford again."
He paused like he was trying to tell if she remembered him.
" The reading of the will is scheduled for Friday. We'll send a car to pick you at 10am"
" Wait.. is this real?" she asked, her voice layered with disbelief.
" Very real. And Ms James?"
"Yes?"
She could hear papers rustling on his end.
" You're about to enter a world where money opens every door- and loyalty locks them again. Be careful who you trust."
The line went dead.
Avery stared at her phone.
An heiress?
Her?
She looked around her tiny apartment.
The chipped paint, the stack of bills, the second hand couch.
Her life had just changed
She just didn't know how much yet.