Incense smoke drifted through the air, mingled with the sweet scent of white lilies.
Silence filled the Lancaster estate, only the occasional faint whisper of guests dressed in black could be heard. The atmosphere was heavy, gloomy.
But Kael could tell that sadness wasn't the only emotion that was permeating the house.
His grandfather, Theodore Lancaster—the richest man in town—was dead. And now the fortune he left behind was the only connection the family had.
Kael stood near the staircase, his hands buried in the pockets of his black suit. He watched as relatives he barely knew—uncles, aunts, distant cousins—moved around the room. Their faces were expertly composed, their eyes just the right amount of glassy with fake sorrow. But Kael could see through it. He had always been an outsider in this family, which made him the perfect observer.
They weren't here to mourn. They were here to claim what they believed was theirs.
He saw his uncle Damian standing by the coffin, a look of expressionless grief on his face. The man, in his fifties, knew the game of business, but was not as intelligent as his father. Next to him stood his son, Eric, who carried the same smirk he always wore when belittling people he considered beneath him—which, in Eric's mind, was everyone.
On the other side, Kael's other uncle, Raymond, was leaning against a marble pillar. Although he wasn't as skilled at the game of deception as Damien, he had that hidden glint of greed in his eyes. His daughter, Vanessa, was scrolling through her phone, utterly disinterested in the event.
And then there was Aunt Eleanor, the only daughter of Theodore Lancaster. Dressed in an elegant black dress, she was the epitome of wealth and control. Her husband, Charles, stood beside her, his arm around her waist as if this were some charity gala instead of a funeral.
Kael's gaze drifted toward the casket. His grandfather lay still, his face peaceful in death. It was strange. Even in his final moments, the old man looked as if he was keeping some secret, some final trick up his sleeve.
He heard a muffled sob.
Kael turned to see his uncle Damian's wife, Margaret, dabbing at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. Her cries were perfectly timed, loud enough to be noticed but not so dramatic that they seemed insincere.
"My poor father-in-law," she sobbed, shaking her head. "Such a tragic loss."
Kael bit back a scoff. Margaret had despised Theodore. Everyone in this room had, in some way. He had been a controlling man, ruthless in business and even harsher in his personal life. He had not come from a wealthy family. He had built his business empire on his own and made himself the richest man in town. That showed how serious and tough he was.
He hadn't even forgiven his own son—Kael's father—for disobeying him by marrying a low-class woman. For that, Theodore had disowned him, cutting him off completely.
Kael had grown up in an entirely different world, one where money was scarce and life was a constant struggle.
And yet, here he was, standing in a mansion filled with people who had never accepted him as family.
A hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.
"Kael."
He turned to see the family lawyer, Daniel Saito, standing next to him. The man, in his thirties, was dressed in a perfectly pressed suit, his glasses glinting.
"It's time to read the will," Daniel said softly. "You stay there."
Kael sighed, shook his head. He had been waiting for this moment.
Because, no matter how much these people pretended to mourn, in the end it all came down to one thing—money.
And Kael needed to know if his years in this house had been worth anything at all.
Everyone gathered in the mansion's library. Kael sat quietly in a corner. His uncle, aunt, and their children all maintained perfectly cool expressions.
Daniel Saito stood at the front of the room, holding a thick folder. He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.
"As per the last will and testament of Theodore Lancaster…"
The room fell into complete silence.
Kael's fingers curled into his palms.
This was it.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
For two years he had lived in this house.
For two years he had endured cold stares and insults.
Two years of watching his grandfather grow weaker, watching the life drain from the old man's eyes.
Surely, Theodore had left him something.
Hadn't he?
Daniel's voice rang through the room, the words heavy with finality.
Kael forced himself to stay calm.
But deep in his gut, a feeling twisted like a knife.
Whatever came next…
It was going to change everything.