The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle) novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76 Inheritance

Mia’s POV

+25 BONUS

“Hold still, you big baby.” I ran the brush through Gas’s fur as he wiggled happily on the living room floor. “How are you this excited about grooming?”

He just wagged his tail harder, rolling onto his back for belly rubs. Lately, he’d developed a new habit – pressing his head against my growing bump whenever possible. The vet said dogs could sometimes hear baby heartbeats before humans could feel them.

“You’re going to be the best big brother,” I told him softly. He responded by army–crawling closer until his ears were pressed firmly against my stomach.

“He’s been doing that a lot lately.” Mom’s voice made me look up. She stood in the doorway holding a large accordion file, her expression unreadable. (1)

“Yeah, the babies have a new bodyguard.” I scratched Gas’s ears. “What’s all that?”

She moved to the couch, setting the file on our coffee table. “We need to talk about some things.”

Something in her tone made me sit up straighter. “Mom?”

“First,” she pulled out a stack of papers, “I need to show you something.” She spread several documents across the table. “Do you remember your grandmother’s trust?”

I blinked. “Vaguely? You mentioned it when I was little, but after the accident…”

“After your father moved that woman in, you mean.” Her voice held an edge I rarely heard. “What I never told you was exactly how much was in that trust. Or what else came with it.”

She handed me a bank statement. The number of zeros made my eyes widen.

“Mom, this is-”

“That’s just the liquid assets.” She pulled out more papers. “There’s also the real estate holdings, the construction companies, the-”

“Wait, what?” I stared at the letterhead of one document. Williams Construction Group. “Since when do we own a construction company?”

“Companies, plural.” She smiled slightly. “Your grandmother built quite an empire before she died. Everything was supposed to pass to me on my thirty–fifth birthday, but then…”

“The coma,” I finished quietly.

“Yes.” She touched the papers almost reverently. “Everything’s been in trust, managed by the family lawyers. But now that I’m awake…” She took a deep breath. “I want to transfer most of it to you.”

“Mom, no-”

“Let me finish.” She grabbed my hand. “I missed so much, Mia. Your wedding, your first pregnancy…” Her voice caught. “I can’t change the past, but I can make sure you and these babies have everything you need.”

“I don’t need money.” But even as I said it, I thought of Kyle’s divorce settlement sitting untouched in my account. The hospital bills he’d paid that still felt like chains.

“No?” She raised an eyebrow. “So you’re comfortable using Kyle’s money?”

Iflinched. “How did you-

11

“I’m your mother. I know that look you get every time his name comes up.” She squeezed my fingers. “Let me do this. Let me give you true independence.”

Chapter 76 Inheritance

+25 BONUS

Gas whined softly, pressing closer to my stomach as if sensing my turmoil.

“There’s something else.” Mom’s voice dropped. “Something I’ve suspected since waking up.”

“What?”

“The accident that put me in the coma… I don’t think it was an accident at all.”

The words hung in the air between us. Gas lifted his head, suddenly alert.

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it.” She pulled out another document – a timeline she’d obviously spent time constructing. “Your father started seeing Helen just months before. The trust was set to mature on my birthday. And then, conveniently, I have an ‘accident‘ that leaves me unable to access any of it.”

“You think Dad tried to…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.

“I think your father and that woman saw an opportunity.” Her voice was steady but her hands shook slightly. “They knew about the inheritance. They knew it would all go to you if anything happened to me. And they knew that as your legal guardian, your father would control everything until you turned twenty–five.”

“But I’m past twenty–five now.”

“Yes, but they didn’t expect me to wake up, did they?” Her smile was sharp. “They thought they had time to manipulate you, to get control of everything through you.”

“Papers you never read because you trusted him.” She nodded grimly. “Thank god for your stubbornness.”

Gas growled softly, as if he understood exactly what we were discussing.

“Can you prove any of this?”

“Not yet.” She pulled out another file. “But I’ve hired investigators.”

It’s hard for me to believe that the man I call my father would do such a thing. Kill his wife to get a bigger inheritance. This is something that would only happen in a thriller movie. Is this really possible? And if it is true, does Taylor know about it?

Mom studied me for a moment. She was quiet for a long moment. “Okay. Let’s leave that aside for now.” She pulled out a checkbook. “Start with the hospital bills.”

As she wrote, I looked at the papers spread across our coffee table. Property deeds, company profiles, bank statements. That’s quite a fortune I’d never known existed. I know that my mother’s family was once very wealthy. But they were obviously much richer than I had imagined.

“I’m not pushing.” She handed me the check. “Just something to think about. When you’re ready.”

Gas bumped his nose against my hand, then immediately returned to his position against my stomach. Guardian of all three of

us now.

“They did this to you,” I whispered. “Dad and Helen. They tried to kill you.”

“Allegedly.” But her smile was fierce. “Don’t worry about hat part. I have very good lawyers, and Helen’s been getting sloppy with her spending lately. It’s amazing what people reveal when they think no one’s watching.”

My phone buzzed again. Kyle, probably wondering why I hadn’t responded. I turned it face–down.

“What do you need from me?” I asked instead.

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