Chapter 522 Patricia Claims Her First Victory
"H-How should I know?" Martha said. "He's gone, and I have no one to ask!"
Patricia raised a brow. "And who's this lawyer he consulted? Where are they now? How did this end up in your hands? And why didn't you produce it from the start, waiting until I arrived to reveal it?"
Martha felt a creeping sense of guilt. "I forgot! It only came back to me when you showed up."
"Even if your story holds up, how did the will end up in your hands?" Patricia asked.
"The lawyer knew Martin had passed and he gave it to me," Martha said.
"And where's this lawyer now? In this kind of situation, when revealing a will, shouldn't the attorney be present?"
Martha's frustration boiled over. "Are you done yet? Ian taking over the helm of Langley Enterprises was always backed by all shareholders. What gives you the right to object?"
Patricia raised her eyebrows, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Getting flustered because you can't win the argument? What gives me the right? Considering I'm currently the largest shareholder of Langley Enterprises, I have the biggest say. If I say he's not fit, then he's not."
With that, she snatched a brown leather folder from Sebastian and tossed it onto the rectangular conference table.
"This is the will Martin drafted up before his passing. There were two lawyers present at the time: Sebastian Reed, my right-hand legal counsel, and also Martin's previous dedicated legal advisor—the head of legal at Langley Enterprises, Kevin. I've already called Kevin before coming here; he should be on his way. If you have any doubts, you can ask them directly," Patricia explained.
Max picked up the leather folder and opened it, his expression darkening instantly after seeing the contents.
Martha couldn't believe it; she grabbed it for a closer look, her face turning an even uglier shade than Max's. All her strength seemed to drain away, and the will fell from her hands onto the table.
The first director took it and scanned it through. Then, the will continued to pass from one shareholder to the next. The black-and-white text was unequivocal.
"Legally speaking, you, Martin's father, and Ian are entitled to one percent of his share. But..." Patricia began, pausing for effect before continuing, "But the will states clearly that you get nothing! I hold thirty percent, and the remaining twenty-five percent is divided among my five children, five percent each. Until they are of age, their shares are under my management."
Caught off guard, Martha was left breathless. "I request a handwriting analysis," she said.
Patricia had anticipated Martha would not go down without a fight. "Sure! Would you like to contact the handwriting analysis agency, or should I? I have just one condition: the verification must be done in front of everyone," she said calmly.
Her assertive composure left Martha somewhat unsure. Still, fearing Patricia might be bluffing and not willing to accept that her carefully laid plans could fall apart so easily, Martha glared at her venomously. She whipped out her phone and swiftly got in touch with the agency.
Within an hour, their equipment was hauled in. Alan brought the documents that Martin had previously signed and handed them over to the handwriting expert.
During the examination, everyone except Patricia and Sebastian held their breath, afraid to even exhale.
Martha's hands were sweating on the table. She wiped them on her pants, drying them, but they were quickly moist again.
Every nerve in her body was tightly wound. Success or failure hinged on this moment. If the signature was proven to be a forgery... Then, the will would be invalidated. She would still have a chance to claw back everything.
Martha sneakily glanced at Patricia. She noticed Patricia sitting back with an easy smile, her long fingers idly tapping on the armrest, seemingly without worry.
Doubt crept into her heart. Could it be that she was wrong? Was this truly Martin's will? Yet, the person she planted to spy on Martin had clearly reported he never made a will. The news shouldn't be wrong!
Time creeps at a snail's pace when you're on edge. In less than an hour, the result was out!
The signature on the will and Martin's signature on the contracts simultaneously appeared on the large conference room screen.
Pointing to the display, the expert announced, "After our professional analysis, these two signatures indeed originate from the same individual."
The result shattered the last sliver of hope Martha had harbored. She collapsed onto the backrest of her chair, her body going limp.
Ian panicked. "Mom, what do we do now? Weren't you sure this was a sure thing? How could it turn out like this?"
Martha looked at him with tears, her expression one of deep disappointment. If only he had lived up to his potential, they wouldn't be suffering such a devastating defeat today.
Samuel stood up, tugging at his shirt, and muttered, "Let's go. Don't make a fool of yourself."
After Martin's death, it seemed he aged overnight. Although he had never been fond of his first son, sometimes even wishing his demise would come sooner, the reality of Martin's death hit hard. He realized that the bond between father and son was unbreakable. How could a father not grieve the loss of his child?
Sadly, it was too late. Regret washed over him as he realized he cared deeply, but now, it was too late to express it to his son.
Ian, filled with resentment, tried to object, but Samuel cut him off, "Leave now, or I'll break your legs."
Ian was still intimidated by his father and stood up reluctantly to follow him out. Martha slinked away, defeated.
Meanwhile, Patricia, standing tall and confident, stretched her arms wide in a triumphant gesture, declaring, "Any lingering doubts? My position is quite clear now."
Max thought about the impending loss of the shares slipping through his grasp, clenching his fists. "So, you want to seize control of the Langley Group? Fine. But there's a condition."
"What condition might that be?" Patricia said.
"After Martin's accident, we faced a crisis with several partners wanting to terminate their contracts, resulting in a plummeting stock value and substantial losses for the company," Max explained. "If you can turn the situation around within a week, win back our partners, and restore our stock value, I'll gladly accept you as the new CEO."
e new CEO."
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