Cecily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and then put the envelope in her purse. “That sounds great.” She nodded. “Maybe I can scope out a future husband at the bar.”

He laughed with a soft smile. “Not without a prenup, young lady.”

She nodded with a resigned huff. “I suppose not.”

The lawyer’s eyes were soft. “If I can help it, I won’t let anything come between you and what’s rightfully yours. I’ve known you since the day you were born, Cecy. Hell, your father and I went out and got drunk together to celebrate. Unfortunately, in this, we both have to play by George’s rules.”

She laughed. “My father getting drunk to celebrate something is not hard to imagine.”

“George was a high roller, a player and at times a bit of a bastard, but he loved your mother and he loved you.” He nodded with a wistful smile. “After she died, your dad closed ranks, at least until he met and married Susan, but when she lied to him about Jackson it killed him a little inside.”

“A little?” she murmured, but then her eyes met Malcolm’s disapproving look. “You’re right. He did what he had to do, and I knew I was loved. At least he gave me that. I was barely four years old when Susan tried to pull her bullshit, but I remember,” Cecily interjected softly. “It’s why I spent my whole life trying not to disappoint him.”

Malcolm nodded. “I know, sweetie, and so did he. Your father didn’t want to risk being hurt again, or risk having you make the same foolhardy mistakes he made. It’s why he had me draw up a new will. It was as if he drew bloodlines in the sand.” The lawyer’s gaze held hers. “Susan used him, but even then, George wouldn’t throw a new mother and her baby out. He was honorable and stoic, like any good alpha. Despite his faults and bitter demands, your father was a good man. I think you know that.”

“A good man,” she repeated with a sigh. “And yet he’s holding my reproductive parts hostage posthumously.” She waved a gentle hand in front of her, stopping his reply. “You know what? I think I’m going to reserve judgment on that until I can process everything. In the meantime, let the vultures in.”

She got up and moved to stand by the window. “Like my father said, keep your enemies closer. I want to see who visibly bites back on the urge to fight over his carcass. If there’s one thing my father taught me, it was how to read body language, that and every nuance revealed in a person’s scent. Dad said it was the only true way to read a man’s worth. To weigh his actions against his words.”

Malcolm nodded before pressing the intercom button. “Let the games begin.”

The others filed back into the room and took their seats. Susan Montgomery’s eyes were flinty as she stared at her stepdaughter. “Well?” she said with a huff. “Can we get on with it? I have a life to plan.”

Cecily moved to stand beside Malcolm’s desk and nodded toward the attorney. “By all means. Malcolm?”

The man cleared his throat as he put his glasses back on his nose. “Joseph,” he began by addressing George’s old valet. “For all your years of service and loyalty, Mr. Montgomery has bequeathed you the summer house in Ogunquit, Maine, with an annual stipend of fifty thousand dollars in addition to your monthly salary, both to be paid faithfully until your death.”

The old man wiped his eyes, his gaze moving from the lawyer to Cecily. “Thank you, Miss Cecy,” he said with a quick nod.

Cecily smiled at the man. “It’s my father who is thanking you, Joseph. You were always there for him, and me. You deserve this.”

Malcolm quickly went through the smaller settlements and then stopped when he read out Susan’s name. His eyes met hers, and his mouth slid into a harsh line. “Upon my death, Susan Wise Montgomery will receive a single lump sum settlement not to exceed one year’s marital allowance or two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She is entitled to her clothes and furs, but any jewelry and/or cars are to be liquidated and the proceeds returned to the estate.”

The woman stood in a fury. “One year! That’s all? After I put up with that bastard for half my life?”

Cecily leaned on Malcolm’s desk. “Sit down, Susan. You’ve lived high on the hog for twenty-five years. Be grateful my father didn’t throw you out onto the street after what you tried to pull. You claim it was a mistake, and that you panicked when you tried to pass Jackson off as my half-brother. That may have mollified my father, but the rest of us know it was a calculated, mercenary gamble. Be happy with the life he allowed you to live. It’s more than most would’ve done.”

Jackson’s eyes never left Cecily and his jaw tightened. “I had nothing to do with what my mother tried to pull, and you know it. I’ve been a faithful son to your father, even if in name only.”

She scoffed. “You just said my father was as dull as dishwater, Jackson. It’s getting to the point where you can’t distinguish your lies from the truth.” She threw one hand up. “Yes, you followed him into business and did well for yourself, but everyone knows what you truly thought of my father. You made that abundantly clear whenever you opened your mouth out of his earshot.”

Jackson got up from his chair, his face a mask of anger, but Malcolm’s hand smacked his desk. “If I could finish with this unpleasantness, we could all get on with our day.” The lawyer’s voice rose, and the room quieted.

With a nod, he lifted the papers and gave them a quick shake, waiting for Jackson to take his seat again. “To Jackson Wise, I leave ten thousand shares of Montgomery Premium in the hope he will invest the proceeds of the stock wisely and create his own fortune.”

Malcolm cleared his throat once more. “There’s a message written in the margin of the will addressed to you, Jackson. It reads, ‘Jack, you’re quick and you’re clever, but your mother taught you to cheat first and work later. I see potential in you to be more than a petty con artist. Take this opportunity and do something of value with your life.’”

Jackson’s face hardened as the lawyer finished. He got up from his chair and walked out, his mother quick on his heels.

“I’ll send the final paperwork to your hotel later—” Malcolm shouted after them, but the door slammed shut. He immediately picked up the phone and handed the receiver to Cecily. “Call Marcus Leeds. Have the locks changed on the New York penthouse and the beach house in Miami. I already notified the sheriff on Cape Cod to stop Susan from getting back into the house. If she gets through the doors, the properties will be stripped like a ghetto chop shop.”

Joseph stood and brushed the front of his coat. “No need to worry, Miss Cecy. I took care of that myself before I left this morning. The houses are secure, and as for Cape Cod, the sheriff is waiting at the gate with their belongings. They won’t get near any of the properties, and any staff Miss Susan thought to bribe have already been let go.” He gave Cecily a quick wink and then motioned for the others to leave. “We’ve got your back, love. We always have.”

She walked around the front of the desk and gave the old man a hug. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you once you go, Joseph.”

Joseph patted her back. “I’ll be around for a little while. At least until you get yourself settled.” He stepped back but took her hand in his gnarled fingers. “You’re our little girl, remember?” He winked again. “Even if you’re not so little anymore.”

The valet left with the others and Malcolm closed the file on his desk before locking the will in the office safe. “There’s another copy of George’s will in your father’s safe deposit box at my bank.” He handed her the key. “When you feel up to it, you should go through the items he has stored. Some of your mother’s jewelry is there, plus, his office at Montgomery Holdings is waiting for you across town.”

“Here.” He handed her a separate folio from the one he locked in the safe. “I notified the banks and froze all your father’s accounts, just in case.” This is your new account information and a debit card to access whatever you need. I arranged for some of your father’s assets to be moved until probate is completed.” He nodded. “You were groomed for this, Cecily. You have nothing to worry about.”

She puffed out a breath, taking the lawyer’s arm. “Except finding someone to marry me and knock me up. Gee, thanks, Dad.”