CHAPTER 3-RENOUNCE?

Days had passed and Henry remained to be a public discussion and his relationship with the Wellingtons became even more chaotic.

"Henry, some more investors have pulled out from our company!" Margaret delivered the news anxiously. She sat on the couch, at a loss of what to do to help her family who were at risk of losing millions of money because there was no one competent managing the companies they owned.

"What can I do to fix this?" Henry asked, having not slept properly for days because of the problems he was facing.

"I don't know, Henry. Maybe we should ask Mr. Garcia for help on what we should do." Margaret reached for her phone to call the lawyer.

They were able to easily communicate with Mr. Garcia who immediately visited them at their hotel.

"You have the right to reject the inheritance, Mr. Constantine. You have two options. First is a formal disclaimer to express your intent to renounce the inheritance," Mr. Garcia explained, willing to help Henry if he wanted to give up being the beneficiary.

"Second, is an informal disclaimer where you can make a public declaration of renunciation to refuse to take possession of the inherited property and decline to accept distributions from the estate," he added.

Henry fiddled with a pen on the table while thinking about which option to choose. "I think it's better if I make a public statement so that it will be clear to everyone that I won't accept Mr. Wellington's money, and they'd stop digging up my past."

"Yes, you can do that, Henry. However I would like to note that informal disclaimers may not be as legally effective as formal disclaimers and you will face consequences to disclaiming an inheritance," Mr. Garcia warned him that he'll lose power to it,"The disclaimed portion of the estate will be distributed to the remaining legitimate heirs and beneficiaries according to the terms of the will or the laws of intestacy."

"That's good then. I need to do what's best for everyone. Especially for the Wellington family because they are the legitimate ones to receive Richard's hard work," Henry was willing to let go of the things that he knew he couldn't handle.

Henry heard his wife take a deep breath beside him,"I-I don't know why I feel uncomfortable with Henry disclaiming the inheritance," Margaret was worried.

"Is there something bothering your mind?" Henry faced her.

"My mind's really messed up right now, Henry. I just have a feeling that there's a big reason why Dad chose to entrust his wealth to you and not to anyone else in our family," Margaret bit her lip. She couldn't explain the sense of worry she was feeling.

"In fact, Henry has some options. Henry could choose to accept the inheritance and donate it to a charity or organization he supports," the attorney suggested.

Henry had an idea when he remembered the orphanage that adopt him when he lost his family,"C-Can I donate some if it to an orphanage?" he asked, hoping it's possible. It had been Henry's dream to visit the orphanage and offer help to the nuns who took care of him.

"Of course, as the executor of Richard's estate you could work with me to arrange a distribution of the assets in a manner that you think is appropriate or equitable for everybody. It's also better to engage in discussions with the Wellington family to reach an agreement regarding the distribution of the estate," Mr. Garcia clarified.

Henry felt a lump in his throat, he needed to tell the Wellingtons about his plan. He also expected that they wouldn't agree with him splitting the money and giving some to others.

After their discussion with Mr. Garcia, the couple was left at the terrace to talk about the day they'd go to Willow Creek to inform the rest of the family about the plan.

"Margaret, do you think it's better if I just give everything to William? He's the one with the knowledge to handle the company, right?" Henry asked, wanting to know his wife's opinion.

"He may be knowledgeable but Dad didn't trust him, and that's a sign that there's something wrong with William," she said. Margaret knew her brother was an intelligent person but she hated him because of his bad character.

Henry laughed at what she said, "And do you think there's nothing wrong with me when your dad chose me?"

Margaret squinted her eyes as she looked at Henry from head to toe, "Yeah, there's something wrong with you, it's that you wore two different colored socks."

Henry felt embarrassed as he looked at his feet and noticed that the socks he was wearing were indeed different colors.

They both laughed, but suddenly felt awkward as they stared into each other's eyes. It was rare for them to have a pleasant interaction because they were used to ignoring each other.

"But seriously, I don't want you to give dad's money to William. Dad chose you to take care of it and you can divide it properly and fairly to everyone. Besides, you also deserve to receive some of it because you served our family," Margaret smiled bitterly. She felt pity for Henry who was only being abused by her family for years.

"What if they don't agree with what I want and William fights for everything?" Henry knows that William wouldn't easily give up if he didn't get what he wanted.

"If that's what happens then I'll take the risk and volunteer to take over the management of dad's wealth and our company," Margaret didn't expect that she'd come to that decision.

Margaret didn't care about her family's wealth but she was thinking about the welfare and future of her family. She was also thinking about her father who had worked hard so that they wouldn't experience the hardships he went through before.

"And the question is, can I trust you?" Henry asked seriously and she wasn't able to answer him right away.