"To my only son, Li Jung Wang, I leave my precious bottle of scotch that has been aged for more than fifty years, two of my properties in the South and five million US dollars from my funds."
A small smile escaped Li Jung Wang's lips. He believed that his mother would surely leave her shares and the remaining of her properties to either Li Yeonjun or Li Jihyo. Just like everyone else, he also expected that his mother would not leave anything of value for Rosella Lilian.
"To my daughter-in-law, Tang Ling, I know that you are not lacking in money and properties. Therefore, I am leaving you my golden tiara, made from 24 carat gold and fitted with a 128 pieces of diamonds. This is a symbolic representation of the responsibilities that have been handed to you as the Madam of the Li family." Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause to look at Tang Ling who was already crying. Her eyes were red, seemingly touched by the late Old Madam's words.
Seeing her mother cry, Jihyo stroke her mother's back to comfort her.
But Roseanne could see through their act. Such acting deserved an Oscar indeed. With a smile still plastered on her face, Roseanne propped her head on the back of her hand while enjoying the performance that these people were putting on.
Roseanne had not been paying any attention to Kang Daniel and hence did not notice that Daniel had been giving her a weird look. Minutes ago, his bodyguard, Guang, had informed him that woman who just arrived at the gates of the Li Mansion was the same woman who refused to sell them the doughnut for anything less than a hundred thousand dollars the other night.
Daniel instantly concluded that Roseanne and the unreasonable woman who demanded an extravagant price for the doughnut were one and the same.
What puzzled him was the fact that Roseanne seemed so different from the person he knew seven years ago. Where was the timid woman that he once knew? He couldn't help but wonder if Roseanne was only pretending to be confident so that she could attract his attention.
Thinking about this possibility only made him more disgusted at the woman sitting across from him.
"To my grandson, Li Yeonjun, I am leaving you with an original copy of 'The Art of War' written by Sun Tzu. Use it well. This will teach you how to better strategise and scheme against others." At this juncture, Roseanne let out an unrestrained snicker, interrupting Lawyer Yan. He immediately shot a glare at Roseanne before continuing, "He will also be given ten millions dollars when he turns twenty-five on the condition that he has no criminal record."
"To my granddaughter, Li Jihyo," Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause when he sensed the excitement from everyone. "I am leaving you my shares in Li Enterprises - ten percent. I will also give you my shares in Time Square - five percent, as a gift to your daughter."
"To my beloved granddaughter, Rosella..."
"That's all?" Jihyo's outburst interrupted Lawyer Yan. Her face was extremely ugly as she glared at Roseanne. "What about Grandmother's properties in Northern Summit? How about the villa that I loved so much?"
"Please allow me to continue Mrs. Kang," the lawyer reprimanded.
"To my beloved granddaughter, Rosella Lilian, I will bequeath you the remaining shares I have in Li Enterprises - two percent and in Time Square - five percent. I will also leave you with two million US dollars from my funds abroad."
At this point, Jihyo heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Grandmother's properties would not go to Roseanne. Roseanne might be receiving some shares but they could always get them back. However, if Grandmother's properties were to go to Roseanne, she would be the biggest winner among them and they would not accept that. However, what Lawyer Yan said next caused everyone's face to turn ugly.
"And lastly, the five properties that I have in Northern Summit, and the two properties I have in Australia, will be given to my beloved Rosella. May these be enough for you to forgive me for failing to protect you from those who caused your misfortune."
"What?" Jihyo stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "Lawyer Yan, you must be joking! How could Grandmother have left everything in Northern Summit to that woman?" Northern Summit was the top residential area in the whole of South Korea. It was not only scenic but the security in the area was also top notched. It was no wonder that Northern Summit had managed to attract celebrities and political officials to live there.
How could that old woman have given all those properties to Roseanne? Those properties were inheritance from her grandma's parents. Jihyo was sure that those properties would value at a few hundred million today!
"Mrs. Kang, this Will was notarized and witnessed by the mayor of this city. There is no way that I would make a joke about this," Lawyer Yan rebutted. He already expected this reaction from everyone. Even he was confused when he first came to know about the late Old Madam's Will.
"This must be a lie! I'm sure Rosella must have something to do with this! This last Will won't hold up in court. We will take actions and ..."
"Jihyo sit down." The tone in Li Jung Wang's voice was grave, interrupting Jihyo's rant.
"But..."
"Sit down and let Lawyer Yan continue," He ordered. Seeing her father's serious expression, Jihyo could only swallow down her grievances before quietly taking her seat.
When everyone had calmed down, Lawyer Yan continued. "Now, before the Old Master of the Li family died nine years ago, he gave me this envelope and asked me to open it only after his wife's death. If you had wondered why most of the Old Master's properties were not included in the reading of his Will then, this letter will explain the reason behind it." Lawyer Yan then proceeded to open the envelope, revealing a letter inside. He opened the letter and took a glance at Roseanne before reading it.
"This letter was personally handwritten by the late Old Master," he added.
"Will it stand up in court?" Li Jung Wang asked. He wanted to make sure that the contents of the letter could be taken seriously. After all, he was sure that his father would leave all his properties to him. As the only son of the Li family, he felt that it was only right.
"Mr. Li, sometimes, a handwritten Will would hold better than a digitally documented one. Moreover, at the writing of this Will, two prominent people were witnesses. One was the old mayor and the other was General Li from Seoul, your father's close friend and cousin." Li Jung Wang nodded in response at the Lawyer's explanation.
"To my son, Li Jung Wang. First of all, I want to tell you how proud I am to be your father and I love you. However, I felt that I had made a terrible decision in the past and I hope you can forgive me. I regretted that I had not been truthful with you while I was alive because I believed that telling you truth would only complicate your life with your family. As compensation, I am leaving with you half of my properties in Seoul." Tang Ling let out a gasp in surprise when she heard the lawyer's words. Only half? Could it be that the other half would be given to their son, Li Yeonjun?
"The other half of my properties in Seoul will go to my granddaughter, Rosella Lilian on the condition that at the time of this reading, she is still using the last name 'Lilian' and she must still be single. However, she must get married within three months after this reading. If she cannot fulfil these conditions, then this half of my properties that was initially meant for her shall be equally divided between my grandson, Li Yeonjun and granddaughter, Li Jihyo."
YOU ARE READING
The Vicious Wife
Romance[Mature alert] Like almost every dramatic romance novel, Roseanne Anne Lilian's story began with an evil stepmother, a scheming stepsister, and a dumb ex-fiance. At twenty, she fell prey to their grand scheme and became the laughingstock of the cou...
