Julian: Who is that woman standing by the back doors, Toby?
Toby: That's my mom! She told me to wait for her, but I wanted to see Dad's flowers.
Julian slowly stood up, holding Toby against his hip as he motioned toward the back of the chapel.
Julian: Bring her forward, please. Arthur, escort her down the center aisle.
Arthur, the senior family attorney, nodded solemnly, walking past the row of executives toward the entrance.
Evelyn: Arthur, stop right there! As the surviving spouse, I forbid anyone from disrupting this memorial service!
Arthur: With all due respect, Mrs. Sterling, my duty is to Raudin's estate instructions, not to your social calendar.
The young woman walked down the carpeted aisle with hesitant, quiet steps, her head bowed until she reached the front pew.
She wore no makeup, her pale face marked with dark circles of deep exhaustion, her hands red from cold winter air.
Julian: What is your name, ma'am?
Sarah: My name is Sarah Miller, Julian. Your father... Raudin was my partner for eight years.
Evelyn: Partner?! You were his home hospice nurse, you cheap little home-wrecker!
Sarah: I was his nurse at first, Evelyn. Until you abandoned him in the west wing to go live in your Manhattan penthouse.
Evelyn: I was managing our corporate image while he deteriorated! I kept our stock value from collapsing!
Sarah: You didn't visit him once in the last two years, Evelyn. You only called when the bank transfers were delayed.
A quiet rumble of disapproval passed through the front pews, board members whispering behind their programs.
Julian: Sarah, is what Toby said true? Did my father make this toy for him?
Sarah: Raudin spent his last two months working on that little car in his wheelchair, Julian. He couldn't feel his fingers toward the end, but he refused to stop.
Julian: Why didn't he tell me? Why did he hide this from me?
Sarah: He didn't hide it from you, Julian. He wanted to protect Toby from Evelyn's legal team until his will was finalized.
Evelyn: There is no will that includes this child! Raudin's will was drafted in 2018, before this brat was even born!
Arthur: Actually, Mrs. Sterling, that is not entirely accurate.
Arthur stepped up to the brass lectern beside the casket, opening his leather briefcase with a quiet click.
Evelyn: Arthur, what are you doing? The reading of the will is scheduled for tomorrow at the corporate office!
Arthur: Raudin gave me strict instructions that if Toby appeared at the funeral, the holographic codicil must be presented immediately to the family.
Julian: What codicil, Arthur?
Arthur: A handwritten testamentary amendment executed by Raudin Sterling forty-eight hours before his passing, witnessed by two hospital physicians.
Evelyn lunged forward, her manicured fingers clawing at the lectern before Julian stepped between them.
Evelyn: Give me that paper! It's a forgery! Raudin was suffering from dementia!
Arthur: Both attending neurologists signed a certified affidavit confirming full mental competence at the time of signing, Evelyn.
Julian: Read it, Arthur. Read every single word right now.
Arthur adjusted his reading glasses, his deep voice carrying clearly over the silent funeral hall.
Arthur: 'To my son Julian, I leave the leadership of Sterling Global. To my son Toby, I leave my heart, my grandfather's estate, and equal share of the family trust.'
Evelyn's breath hitched in her throat, her face draining of color as she slumped against the wooden pew.
Evelyn: Equal share... That's sixty million dollars! You gave a nurse's bastard sixty million dollars?!
Julian: He gave his son his rightful inheritance, Evelyn. And you just lost everything.