Chapter 4

I smiled and gestured for them to sit. Then I went inside for paper and pens.

“What are your ideas? Write them down. Let’s discuss.”

Vivian looked thrilled by how cooperative I was.

“I thought I’d have to talk sense into you before you handed over the money,” she said.

“How much did your dad leave? Show me the inventory.”

I passed her the list. Their eyes lit up the second they saw the numbers.

Vivian straightened, suddenly acting like the head of the household.

“Alright. I’ll decide how to split everything.”

She clearly had been planning this for years. She scribbled out a division plan with messy handwriting but undeniable excitement.

When she finished, she handed it to me with a dramatic flick of her wrist.

“Avery, we’ll follow this plan. Tomorrow, we’ll do the transfers and change the ownership of the house.”

I looked at her evenly.

“My name is Avery Gates. Not ‘Avery.’”

She forced a smile. “We always called you Avery when you were little.”

I returned the smile.

“Funny. When I was little, I also had a mom.”

Kendra, impatient, snatched the paper from my hand. Her expression twisted.

She slammed the sheet on the table.

“Mom, you preach fairness, but Brandon gets the mansion and a few million, and I only get a hundred grand?”

I nodded helpfully.

“Right? I get two hundred thousand, but you’re the beloved daughter. How’s a hundred thousand fair to you?”

Kendra lost it. She threw herself on the ground, kicking and screaming. Brandon, afraid Vivian might redistribute his share, yanked her up by the hair and slapped her.

“Shut up! Mom’s money, mom’s rules!”

Kendra froze, stunned he’d hit her—then shrieked and attacked him.

They rolled on the ground like street fighters, while Vivian frantically tried to separate them.

I quietly scooted my chair back, pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds, and settled in to watch. Their screams echoed around the courtyard like it was free entertainment.

Vivian ended up catching a few hits herself. Furious, she slapped both of them across the face. Her bandaged hand—still healing from where I’d cut her earlier—began bleeding again.

Brandon’s eye was swelling; Kendra’s lip was split.

I grinned.

“What’s going on? You’re family. Why fight over a little money?”

Vivian glared at them, then forced a smile at me.

“Avery, you and Kendra are both my daughters. I can’t favor one too much. How about we take fifty thousand from your share and give it to her? Then you’ll both get one-fifty. Fair?”

I turned to Kendra.

“That okay with you?”

She shot Brandon a murderous look but stayed silent.

Still smiling, I said, “If everyone agrees, then sign.”

I watched all three of them sign the agreement. Satisfied, I folded it neatly and slid it into my pocket.

“Great. See you here tomorrow at ten. We’ll finish the paperwork then.”

The next day, when Vivian, Brandon, and Kendra arrived, they stopped short at the sight before them.

The courtyard was packed—neighbors, relatives, and practically everyone from Maplewood Village. People were chatting, cracki