Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

"If you lay a finger on me," Adeline warned, pushing her back with a simple shove. "I swear, I'll kick age difference aside and make sure that those dark circles under your eyes turn into a pair of black ones. Don't even try it."

Svetlana stumbled back, stunned by Adeline's words. Alfonso put a steadying hand on his wife, his jaw clenched as he glared at his niece. "You little—"

Just then, the lawyer, Mr. Field, got up and clapped his hands to bring everyone's attention back to him. "Enough," he said, his voice raised just enough to stop the bickering.

"If everyone would kindly sit down and allow me to finish reading the will, that would be appreciated." He glanced around, waiting as they all reluctantly took their seats, still muttering under their breath but finally complying.

They all casted angry glances toward Adeline, who now also sat back down. Mr. Field waited until the room was mostly quiet before he cleared his throat and picked up the document again, scanning it carefully.

"According to Mrs. Beverly Smith's will, there is... one specific condition for Adeline's inheritance. Mrs. Beverly Smith specified that Adeline will only inherit everything under one condition." He paused, looking at Adeline, who blinked in surprise, clearly having no idea what was coming.

"The condition is," he continued, "that Adeline must be married. And this marriage must take place within a year of the reading of this will. If she fails to meet this condition, Beverly's entire estate will be divided equally among all her children and grandchildren."

Murmurs and gasps suddenly filled the room and Adeline's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened as she sat there, stunned. Married? Within a year? Her grandmother had known her better than anyone and known how she'd felt about relationships, about the idea of marriage. She'd never shown any interest in dating, and it was something she'd always felt distant from. She couldn't understand why Beverly would make this a condition.

Uncle Evans snickered quietly, exchanging a smug glance with his brother, Alfonso, who whispered something under his breath. Alfonso crossed his arms, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and even Richard's scowl softened as if he'd found something to be pleased about. The tension in the room shifted as the family began to realize that maybe—just maybe—Adeline wouldn't get everything after all.

Mr. Field held up his hand, silencing the murmurs. "One more thing." He looked down at the document, then back up at Adeline again. "If anything were to happen to Adeline before she fulfills the condition—if, for instance, she were to... pass away—the inheritance would automatically be divided equally among the family."

Adeline glanced around, noticing the way her family's expressions shifted at this new information. Her uncles exchanged glances that made her uncomfortable.

She tried to process everything that had just been said. She had to marry someone, which already felt impossible—and she had to do it within a year, or she'd lose everything her grandmother had wanted her to have. And now, if something were to happen to her before she could get married, the rest of the family would inherit it all anyway.

Mr. Field finally closed the document, letting out a long sigh as he placed it carefully back into his briefcase. "That's all," he said, looking around at the family members. "I'll leave you all to process Mrs. Beverly Smith's wish. If there are any questions, my office is open, though I remind you that these terms are final and legally binding."

Mr. Field closed his briefcase, then turned to Adeline with a gentle bow. "Adeline, would you be a dear and walk me out?"

Adeline, who was lost in thought, suddenly blinked, snapping herself back to reality. "Oh, of course, Mr Field." She murmured, standing up and quickly walking over to help him. Grabbing the lawyer's suitcase, she accompanied him out of the room, away from her family, who seemed to be muttering among themselves now.

As they walked in silence through the hallway, Adeline couldn't hold it in any longer. "Mr. Field," she said hesitantly. "Why would Grandma set this condition? She always knew I wasn't interested in... marriage or anything like that. So, I don't understand why she would-"

Mr. Field cut her off with a soft laugh and shook his head. "Adeline, everything you said back there about your relatives was absolutely right. Beverly saw it, too. She watched as they circled her, year after year, pretending to care while all they were waiting for was for her to die."

"She also saw the greed in them and knew they would fight like wolves over her wealth the moment she was gone. That's why she decided to give everything to you. She saw your heart and knew you only loved her for herself and not for her money. You were different from them, Adeline, and that's why she wanted you to have everything she worked so hard for."

"As for the marriage condition," he said gently, glancing up at her taller frame with a small smile. "Beverly was well aware of how you feel about relationships and marriages."

"So why would she include that as a condition?" Adeline asked, raising both of her hands slightly.

Mr. Field gave a slow nod, pausing for a moment as if carefully choosing his words. "Because she wanted to protect what she was leaving to you. She feared that if something ever happened to you and you hadn't taken steps to secure a future generation, everything she left would fall right back into the hands of your relatives."

"So whether she put those conditions there or not, the inheritance would all still end up in your relative's hands if anything were to happen to you. Nobody knows when they're going to die, you know."

He paused, looking at Adeline with genuine compassion. "She was, in her own way, looking out for your future, trying to nudge you toward the possibility of a family of your own, so that everything she left to you would be safeguarded. If you were to marry and, perhaps, one day have children, then your inheritance would be protected. It wouldn't slip back into the grasp of the very people she was trying to keep it from."

As they reached the mansion's foyer, Mr. Field paused and turned to face her. "There may be more to her decision than even I know. There might be other reasons Beverly may have had. Reasons she perhaps never shared with me."

"Your grandmother was a very complex woman, and there could be other reasons she chose to leave you with this particular path that only she fully understood. This condition may have been one last way for her to look out for you, even if it seems odd now."

Adeline handed the briefcase back to him and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Mr. Field."

The lawyer nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "If you ever need advice, Adeline, you know where to find me." Then, with a final nod, he turned and left through the front door, leaving Adeline standing alone in the foyer.