Dark Purple Rose [YiZhan FF]

Chapter 42

Ten minutes before the agreed time, the four of them arrived at the law firm. They entered the large, modern office building and had to register at reception. The nice, pretty lady at reception picked up the phone, dialed speed dial 4, waited a moment and then announced that Zhan and Isko had arrived and that they were accompanied by a police officer, Chief Wen Rouhan, and a government agent, Agent Wang Yibo. She listened, nodded and hung up. "You can go up." She said, pointing to the elevator.

Zhan, Yibo, Isko and Wen Rouhan went to the elevator, pressed the call button and waited until the elevator arrived and the doors opened. Then they entered the elevator and went up to the sixth floor. The elevator doors slid open and they found themselves in a bright hall with a few chairs and tables, a vending machine for hot drinks and a vending machine for snacks.

Confused, they looked around. Four doors led to four different office units. The door to their left was the right one. They walked towards it and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Annoyed, Zhan rang the bell there too and shortly afterwards they heard a voice coming from a small speaker next to the door. "Yes, please?"

"Xiao Zhan and Isko Isari. We have an appointment." Zhan announced.

"I understand." Replied the voice and then the door opener sounded. They went in and a stern-looking woman in a business suit approached them. Zhan examined her. She had gray hair tied in a tight knot. She wore glasses that reminded him a lot of his grandmother's glasses. Her smile looked false as she greeted them and told them to follow her.

They were taken into a small conference room and told to sit at the table. "Mr. Lawyer and Mr. Notary will be here shortly." She announced in a high-pitched voice and with a stiff posture. "May I bring something to drink?" She asked, but the look on her face said they'd all better say no. And somehow everyone seemed to realize that and declined. She nodded in satisfaction and stood next to the conference room door. Zhan had the impression she wanted to keep an eye on them all. Just in case they did anything stupid in the room, where there was nothing but white tables, chairs and a large flat-screen monitor.

After about 10 minutes of just standing there stiffly and watching them, the door finally opened. She straightened up, bowed to the lawyer and the notary and then hurriedly left the room after the notary said, "Miss Lei, you can go then. We don't need you now."

The lawyer and notary greeted the four of them and handed them all a document to sign before they sat down. "Please sign. This is a declaration of consent for Chief Rouhan and Agent Wang to attend the reading of the will." Said the notary as he pushed the documents to them.

Everyone signed it, then the lawyer said to Zhan and Isko: "I would like to see the ID cards and an original death certificate now." They handed him their ID cards, and Zhan also gave him the death certificate that Isko had given him a few days ago after he and Wen Rouhan had taken care of the funeral of his former dead boss and received the death certificate from the mortician.

The lawyer and the notary checked both, handed them back the ID cards and finally the lawyer fetched a black suitcase with a lock. The lawyer turned the suitcase around, took out the key for the lock and opened it in front of those present. He then flipped up the lid of the case and took out a long, flat box that looked exactly like the box Zhan had received from the last lawyer. Only this one also had a lock, which the lawyer opened in front of them.

He placed the contents of the box side by side on the table. A thick letter for Zhan. A smaller letter for Isko. A large brown envelope. A bunch of keys with different sized keys. Securities. A few pictures. Two birth certificates. And a CD in an envelope containing a letter with Zhan's name on it. The notary wrote everything down on a document.