Twisted paths

Chapter 7: He is now a boss?

"What! What did I just hear?" Anna shouted in shock. She was totally confused; she had to pinch herself to be sure she wasn't dreaming or something. Every single person present at the hearing was in shock and already murmuring, but it was nothing compared to Anna's shock and displeasure.

Furious and bewildered, Anna immediately confronted the lawyer. "What kind of sick prank is this?" she snapped, looking both angry and shocked. "Look, I don't have time for jokes and pranks so cut the nonsense!"

Anna's face turned red with anger. "Now, will you hand me those documents before I lose my temper?" she yelled while rushing at the lawyer like an erupting volcano, grabbing the documents he was holding.

As she scanned the will repeatedly, he eyes fixated on the signature below it. The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"You liar!" she shouted storming towards the lawyer. "How dare you fabricate lies about my deceased husband? How can you expect me to believe that my late husband wrote and signed the gibberish you just spewed?" she poured out, not minding who was present at that time.

"They have manipulated all of this!" Everything is fake!" she shouted, this time, she almost brought down the building with her voice.

"My husband loved me so much!" she cried out. "He wouldn't blindly hand over all his wealth to an imposter who only came to destroy my family! And let's imagine he wanted to give his wealth to children, what about his biological twins?" she said, trying desperately to convince everyone present. "They have twisted the truth!" she shouted once more, this time crying profusely.

Ryan was startled. He didn't move an inch. "Did I just hear my name?" he thought to himself. "This lawyer must be out of his mind!"

Mrs. Carter, the lawyer, turned to her. "This was Mr. Carter's last wish and should be respected. I beg to take my leave," the lawyer said, standing up immediately to leave. "I apologize greatly if the will didn't go in your favor, but those were Mr. Carter's own words and wishes. He was not just a client; he was my very good friend too. So why would I manipulate his will?" he said as he headed out of the building, entered his car, and drove away.

Filled with an overwhelming sense of rage and despair, she directed her fury toward Ryan"You wicked child! You despicable creature! You conniving wizard!" she cursed Ryan, approaching him with clenched fists. Ryan didn't say a word; he was also confused.

She was about to strike Ryan, but two guards walked right up to her face. "Ma'am, please, refrain from laying a hand on him," they warned firmly. He is now our boss and we must protect him. You have no right to raise your hand on him ever again."

Anna's eyes opened in shock. She could not believe what she had just heard. She started weeping again, but this time, not the usual crocodile tears, but tears of wailing and defeat. "Did the boss deceive me?" she thought to herself amidst the tears. "But no, this is not in his favor either. How is it that this brat is suddenly in charge of everything?" These were the only things running through her head amidst the tears.

The other people present quietly left the mansion; nobody saw this turn of events coming at all.

The heads of departments walked up to Ryan, bowed their heads, and greeted him. "Good day, boss. Please, here is a list of everything you need to know about all of Mr. Carter's companies," he said, handing him a list of documents. "And here is my card in case you are confused about something or need further inquiries.

Ryan quietly went into his room to process everything that had just happened. He didn't know where to start.

Anna, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor, still shocked and struggling to recover.

"But Mr. Carter hated me so much," he thought to himself. "Why would he suddenly give me all his properties? Something doesn't seem right here."

Despite the thoughts running through his mind, he decided to get some rest first. It had been a long day for him. As he raised his pillow to position it better, he noticed a neatly folded envelope underneath. It appeared as though someone had written him a letter.

He opened the envelope and, as he suspected, it was indeed a letter. "Maybe it's part of the documents handed over to me," he tried to convince himself, confused about who would write him a letter and why.

Fear immediately gripped him as he read the first sentence from the letter. "Dear Ryan, my son. This letter is from your father, Carter."

"Is this a dream? Or are my imaginations playing tricks on me?" he thought to himself.

He read the remaining words of the letter.

"I'm very sorry for everything I have done to you, my son. If only I had known earlier. Please find it in your heart to forgive me and take good care of everything you now own. Don't be scared, for you are the true heir."

Ryan remained still for a while. His whole body shook in shock. "Why is he calling me 'my son'?" he thought aloud. "Perhaps he was on some kind of drugs or something."

As Ryan grappled with his emotions, he couldn't deny the thrill that came with the newfound power and the opportunities it presented. The prospect of having the means to enact revenge on Anna, who had tormented him for years, brought a sense of satisfaction and justice. It was as if the universe had finally aligned in his favor, granting him the means to turn the tables on his tormentor.

However, he was also filled with confusion about how he suddenly became the heir to Mr. Carter's wealth