Chapter 2 The Woman Everyone Hated

My father left you something that belongs to me.

The words stayed in my head long after Lucien Blackwood walked past me.

I stood frozen outside Blackwood Tower. The reporters were still shouting questions. Cameras flashed from every direction. I couldn’t breathe.

The lawyer gently touched my arm. “Miss Sinclair, we should go inside.” I nodded.

My legs felt weak. The moment we entered the building, the noise disappeared behind us. The lobby looked bigger than my entire apartment building; glass, marble, gold.

Everything screamed money. People stared as I walked by. Some looked curious, others looked annoyed. Like I didn’t belong there, maybe I didn’t.

The lawyer led me to a private elevator. Neither of us spoke. My mind kept returning to Mom, the hospital, the missed calls, the fear in the nurse’s voice.

I pulled out my phone. No new messages. That should have made me feel better. It didn’t.

The elevator stopped, the doors opened. Several people were already waiting upstairs.

Men in expensive suits, women dressed like they belonged on magazine covers. Everyone turned when I entered.

The room instantly became uncomfortable. I felt like a stray dog that had wandered into a royal banquet.

Then I spotted Lucien. He sat at the far end of a long table. His expression was unreadable, cold, sharp, dangerous. He wasn’t looking at anyone else, only me. A chill ran through me.

The lawyer guided me toward an empty seat. Unfortunately, it was directly across from Lucien.

Wonderful, just wonderful. I sat down. Nobody greeted me, nobody smiled, the silence felt deliberate, like they had already decided they hated me.

A few minutes later, an older man entered; gray hair, perfect suit, confident posture. Everyone immediately sat straighter.

The lawyer beside me whispered. “That’s Victor Kane.” I recognized the name. The law firm.

Victor Kane placed a folder on the table. Then he looked around the room His voice was calm, professional.

“This is the official reading of the last will and testament of Damien Blackwood.”

The room became completely silent. Even breathing felt loud.

Victor opened the folder. My hands were sweating. I still didn’t understand why I was there. None of this made sense, not a single part.

Victor began reading. The first part covered donations. Millions went to charities, hospitals, research programs, educational foundations. The numbers were so large they didn’t feel real.

Then came the family assets, properties, investments, shares. Everyone listened carefully, especially Lucien. His face remained blank. But I could see tension in his shoulders. This mattered to him a lot.

Victor turned another page, then another. Minutes passed. Everything seemed normal, then suddenly he stopped. The room felt different.

Like everyone sensed something important was coming. 

Victor looked directly at me. My stomach dropped.

No, no, no. Please don’t look at me.

Victor cleared his throat. “As for Blackwood Industries and all controlling interests connected to the Blackwood family estate…”

Nobody moved, nobody blinked. “…those assets shall be transferred in their entirety to Evelyn Sinclair.”

Silence, complete silence. For one full second. Then chaos exploded. “What?” “That’s impossible!” “There must be a mistake!”

Several people jumped from their seats. One woman looked ready to faint. A man slammed his hand against the table. My own heart stopped.

I stared at Victor. Certain I had heard him wrong. Entirety? What did that even mean?

Victor continued speaking. But I couldn’t hear anything. The room was spinning.

The lawyer beside me leaned closer. His face looked pale. “Miss Sinclair.”

I swallowed. “What?” “You just inherited approximately forty-seven billion dollars.”

My brain simply refused to process the number. Forty-seven billion. Not million, billion. I couldn’t even imagine counting that high.

A few days ago I had worried about buying groceries. Now people were telling me I owned a business empire. It was insane, completely insane.

Someone laughed. The sound wasn’t happy. It was bitter. I looked up.

Lucien was standing. Every person in the room immediately fell silent. The temperature seemed to drop. His eyes locked onto Victor.

“Read that again.” Victor remained calm. “The estate has been left to Evelyn Sinclair.” Lucien’s jaw tightened. “Read it again.”

Nobody moved, nobody spoke. The tension was suffocating. Victor slowly repeated the statement. Word for word. The result didn’t change. Lucien’s inheritance was gone and somehow it had ended up with me.

His gaze shifted toward me. For a moment, I honestly wondered if he hated me enough to throw me through a wall. “You planned this.”

The accusation hit like a slap. “What?” “You heard me.” His voice was deadly quiet.

“You manipulated my father.” “I don’t even know your father.” “Liar.”

The room erupted again. People started whispering, arguing, speculating. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “I never met him.”

Lucien took a step toward me, then another. The air seemed heavier. 

“You expect me to believe that a waitress suddenly inherits forty-seven billion dollars by accident?”

“I don’t know why he chose me.” “Convenient answer.”

Anger finally broke through my fear. I stood up. “I didn’t ask for this.”

His eyes narrowed. “No. You just benefited from it.”

The room fell silent again. Neither of us looked away.

I hated the fact that part of me understood his anger. If someone took everything from me, I’d be furious too. But I hadn’t done anything. I was just as shocked as everyone else.

Victor suddenly interrupted. “There is more.” Everyone turned.

Lucien slowly stepped back. Victor opened another document. “The inheritance comes with a condition.”

The room froze, a condition? My stomach twisted.

Nothing good ever followed those words. Victor adjusted his glasses. “Miss Sinclair will immediately assume ownership of Blackwood Industries.”

A wave of murmurs swept through the room. Then Victor delivered the second part. “And for the next six months, she must reside at Blackwood Manor.”

The room exploded again. I nearly choked. “What?”

Victor looked at me. “It was Mr. Blackwood’s explicit instruction.”

“No.” The word escaped before I could stop it. Absolutely not. There was no way I was living with these people, especially Lucien. Not a chance.

Victor continued. “If Miss Sinclair refuses, the inheritance agreement becomes invalid.”

The blood drained from my face. The room suddenly felt smaller. I was trapped. Either accept the condition or walk away.

Lucien stared at me. His expression changed for the first time. Not anger, not hatred, something worse, satisfaction. As if he had just found the perfect opportunity. The perfect way to make my life miserable.

A phone suddenly vibrated in my purse. The sound cut through the chaos. I looked down. Hospital.

My heart stopped. Everyone around me disappeared; the arguments, the inheritance, the billions. None of it mattered, only that call.

I answered immediately. “Hello?” A doctor’s voice came through. Serious, too serious.

My stomach dropped. “Miss Sinclair, where are you right now?” Fear gripped my chest. “Why?”

There was a pause. The kind doctors make before delivering bad news. My hands began shaking. “Miss Sinclair…”

I could barely breathe. The doctor lowered his voice. “You need to come to the hospital immediately.” The room blurred. “Is my mother okay?”

Another pause, longer this time, much longer. Then the doctor said the words that made my knees go weak.

“I’m afraid your mother has disappeared.”