Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89666 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Thank you, Mr. Graham. I’ll tell Mr. Courtland. I’m sure it will put his mind at ease. You understand, of course, that it was a formality to protect the financial well-being of the family and the company. I don’t think Mr. Courtland is particularly proud of this offer, but unfortunately, Sebastian had a run in with someone who didn’t possess a tenth of your integrity. I think that past encounter has made Mr. Courtland very…cautious.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in a smirk. “There are no hard feelings.”
Yeah, it was a dick move on John Courtland’s part, but I got it. There were plenty of people out there who would have done anything they could to get a slice of Courtland money, and this was the easiest way he could protect his family.
Yet, despite everything that had happened, I didn’t hate Sebastian, and I certainly didn’t want to hurt the company. They were facing enough problems. I didn’t want to be the reason hundreds or even thousands of people lost their jobs.
“Well, there is one other matter, and after your response to this, I’m not sure how you’re going to react,” Jacob continued. He stuck the legal documents that I’d signed away into a folder and pulled out another thicker packet. I couldn’t even guess what it was. The first thing wasn’t a surprise, but what else could there be?
Jacob opened the folder and in big letters at the top was written “The Ronald Graham Jr. Trust.” The gasp cut my throat, and I slapped my hand over my mouth to hold in any other noises before they could escape. Kaylan leaned closer to me in his seat, his hand squeezing my shoulder.
“Sebastian Courtland had me start on the creation of the trust weeks ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t get it completed until now. He has funded the trust already. He told me that the goal of the trust is to provide the money needed to support your disabled brother comfortably, covering all his living expenses and medical needs for a minimum of ten years. I was there in the meetings with the financial team, who will oversee the investment of the funds, so they will continue to grow. I will be honest with you, Mr. Graham, with careful management, the amount in this trust should last all of your brother’s life without a problem.”
“But he can’t…” My voice broke and I could only shake my head. The bargain was one year for each date. We’d gone out on six dates, but he’d put aside all this money to help my brother. He couldn’t do this. After the meltdown at work, I’d decided that I wouldn’t hold him to that stupid bargain. The whole thing had been a silly ploy to get me to go out with him.
“I can’t accept this,” I said, wiping away the tears that kept trying to spill down my face. This hurt even more than that ridiculous check from Sebastian’s father. This was for my brother and making sure he could live the best life he could. No matter how hard I worked, I’d never be able to give him this kind of security.
“I’m sorry. You misunderstand, Mr. Graham. Technically, there’s nothing for you to accept. The money has been set aside and placed in a trust for your brother. Not you. As his primary caregiver, you can elect to not use the money for his care, but it will then sit there untouched. As you’ll see here.” Jacob flipped through some pages to show me the details of the trust. “Mr. Courtland has noted that he is willing to act as an advisor if you have questions, but he can neither take the money out of the trust nor spend it. You are the sole manager of this trust.”
“And as the manager, I could dissolve the trust and give the money back to Sebastian, right?”
Jacob frowned at me, and even Kaylan was frowning now.
“True, but is that in your brother’s best interest?” Jacob asked.
Kaylan’s hand tightened on my shoulder, and I looked at him. “Maybe he wants to help your brother. Why don’t you take some time to think about it before you do anything rash? You’ve been through a lot recently. Got a lot on your mind. Just…just let it be for now. Maybe talk it over with Sebastian in a few days.”
They were wearing me down. I honestly didn’t know what the right answer was. Rejecting John Courtland’s payoff felt like the right thing. I wasn’t for sale. What was left of my integrity and pride were still intact.
But now, with this trust, I wasn’t as sure. When it came to Ronnie and his care, I was willing to sell my soul to take care of him. Was that so wrong? Would Sebastian say I used him for his money, even if it was for a good cause?