Chapter 120 Hidden Wealth


    Tess couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.


    Are all these people waiting for me?


    ????????


    She let out a cold breath, thinking this seemed a bit over the top.


    But she didn’t hesitate for long. Hugging La tightly in her arms, she followed the leader in.


    “Please take a look. This is Gillian’s handwritten will.”


    The man leading the group respectfully handed her an envelope, carefully holding it with white gloves.


    At those words, Tess’s hands trembled.


    Grandma’s handwritten will?


    Her emotions surged, and her eyes quickly turned red.


    Sensing Tess’s grief, everyone in the reception room silently lowered their heads, giving her space.


    With shaking fingers, Tess touched the thick envelope.


    Though they called it a will, there were at least ten pages. It felt more like a farewell letter Gillian had written just for her.


    Only thest two pages mentioned how to handle the inheritance. The rest of it was all about Tess-memories, affection, and love.


    By the time Tess finished reading thest page, tears were already streaming down her face.


    Ever since Nadine had shown up, Tess had been treated like an outsider in her own home.


    But Gillian had never changed her opinion or treatment of her. If anything, she had loved Tess even more, spoiling her like always.


    When Tess was sent to prison, it had happened so suddenly that she didn’t even get the chance to defend herself. And during that year behind bars, she wasn’t entirely alone.


    Nadine would sometimes visit just to mock her, purposely bragging about how close she was getting with Finn.


    From the moment Tess went to prison, she hadpletely given up on Finn. <fne199> Discover more novels at f?ndnovel</fne199>


    Her cold attitude wasn’t at all what Nadine expected, and it left her frustrated.


    That was when Nadine started spreading rumors.


    She’d say things like Gillian was so angry about Tess’s disgraceful actions that she had cut all ties with her.


    Back then, Tess would sit with her back to Nadine, biting her lip so hard it bled as she tried not to make a sound.


    But no matter how hard she wiped her eyes, the tears just kept falling. All she thought about during those days was getting out so that she could kneel by Gillian’s side and exin everything face to face.


    She never did those things they used her of. It was all lies, nder.


    Chapter 120 Hidden Wealth


    She had always been a good kid, the kind Gillian could trust.


    But fate yed its cruel trick. By the time Tess finally got her freedom back, Gillian was already gone.


    Tess’s eyshes were wet with tears, her whole face streaked with glistening traces of sorrow.


    And now…


    Her hands shook uncontrobly as she held the envelope.


    Gillian had written that she had never once believed what the outside world said. She had always trusted Tess, the girl she had raised with her own hands.


    Tess bit her lip even harder, refusing to let go until she tasted blood.


    Sensing her sadness, little La reached out and gently patted her chest.


    La’s tiny hand was soft, almost weightless, like a piece of cotton candy pressing against her skin.


    There was barely any strength in the touch, yet somehow, it soothed Tess’s aching heart.


    She held La’s hand close to her lips.


    As her breath warmed La’s palm, the little girl didn’t fuss. Instead, she carefully wiped the tears from Tess’s cheeks.


    When the lead staff member noticed Tess was finally calming down, he said in a gentle voice, “Wepletely understand how you feel. Would you like to take a moment? We can continueter if you prefer.”


    “No, let’s do it now.”


    Tess wiped her face and stood up.


    The dead were gone, and the living had to keep moving forward.


    Especially now that she had La, Tess knew she had to be strong. She couldn’t let herself drown in grief forever.


    The staff member nodded respectfully. “Of course. But Mrs. Larson’s estate is quite substantial. Please follow me to our secured


    vault.”


    Tess gave a small nod and followed him.


    This time, the line of staff members didn’t follow. Instead, they stood guard outside the door like bodyguards.


    “Please, this way.”


    The staff member unlocked a heavy security door with aplex code and led Tess inside.


    But instead of the piles of gold bars or dazzling diamonds she expected, the first thing she saw was two rows of bookshelves.


    Her heart tightened.


    The staff member softly guided her attention. “Over here.”


    Reluctantly, Tess pulled her gaze away from the bookshelves and followed him to a corner of the room. There stood an exquisite 2/3


    vanity table.


    The entire piece was crafted from rare shell nuts, with the feathers of exotic birds woven into the design. One nce was enough to know it was priceless.


    Switching to a pair of ck gloves, the staff member carefully opened the small drawers built into the vanity.


    He opened them one by one, revealing a stunning set of jewelry.


    The jewels sparkled so brightly that Tess blinked instinctively.


    “Mrs. Larson was a seasoned jewelry collector. These pieces are some of the things she left for you,” the man exined.


    Then, he reached over to a nearby table and picked up a thick stack of documents. “These are the deeds to several vis and estates under Mrs. Larson’s name. There’s also a winery overseas that’s still in operation.”


    “This is … ” Tess started but trailed off, her mind spinning.


    The staff member continued to pull out more property records, one after another, leaving Tesspletely stunned.


    The Embers weren’t exactly some grand, prestigious family in Aetheris. They’d been in decline for years. She never imagined Gillian had this much hidden wealth.


    She blinked in confusion.


    The staff member, genuinely happy for her, didn’t rush her to snap out of it.