Tangled Inheritance: A CEO's Seduction

Lia

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF MARIO VOLKOV

I, Mario Volkov, of sound mind and memory, hereby declare this as my final will, revoking any previous wills or codicils.

FIRST: I bequeath my entire estate, both real and personal, to be equally shared between my two children, Lia and Charles Volkov.

SECOND: Specifically, I assign to my daughter, Lia Volkov, and my son, Charles Volkov, an equal share of my 50% equity in the Diamond MineCompany. Additionally:

(a) I leave my vacation home in Hawaii to Charles.

(b) My personal art collection is bequeathed to Lia.

(c) The yacht, "The Pearl," goes to Charles.

(d) Lia inherits my beach house in the Hamptons.

(e) Charles receives my townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

(f) My villa in Tuscany, Italy, goes to...

The reading went on, and my mind drifted back to happier times, memories of laughter with my father. Only when my name was mentioned did I refocus on the will being read aloud.

"...Lia Volkov is appointed as the executor. If she is unable or unwilling, my son, Charles Volkov, will serve as the alternate executor."

FOURTH: If any provision of this will is declared invalid...

I zoned out again, and when the reading concluded, I looked up, still grappling with the shock of my father's sudden passing. I had postponed visiting him in the winter, intending to see him in spring. Little did I know it would be his last winter. The regret was sinking in.

"I'm growing my company, Dad. I just need a bit of time. Christmas is our busiest season. I'll see you soon. I promise. Oh, and don't forget I love you," I had cheerfully said, unaware of the looming tragedy.

Now, more than two weeks after our last conversation, all I had left were the words of his will. The lawyer droned on about documents and execution, but I couldn't care less at that moment. My only desire was to leave this city, clouded by memories, and begin the process of healing.

"Yes, Miss Volkov," my father's lawyer said expressionlessly.

I rose to my feet, ignoring my brother. We had nothing to say. In the lobby, I put on my sunglasses, ready to leave, but my name was called. I hesitated but eventually turned around.

"Lia," the voice echoed across the space. Reluctantly, I stopped and faced him. He was exactly as I remembered – tall, broad, and attractive, yet undeniably unpleasant.

"Yeah?" I responded with feigned boredom as he approached.

His annoyance was evident, but he kept his tone even. "Can I have a few minutes of your time? There is something extremely important that we must talk about."

Vaguely recalling my father's will assigning 50% equity in Diamond Mineto my brother and me, I wasn't surprised that this CEO and co-owner of the company was seeking a conversation. The warpath was expected.

"I'll assume your sudden urge to talk involves my Diamond Mineshare, but I'm not in the mood to discuss any of it. Talk to my brother if you must. I don't care."

His intense gray gaze narrowed disapprovingly, but I remained indifferent, walking away. Unexpectedly, his hand gripped my arm, its strength halting me. Glancing at his tanned hand, sculpted like a Greek statue but warm against my skin, only fueled my irritation. The hand of a jerk should be cold and claw-like.

"Excuse me?" I muttered with gritted teeth.

"I understand you want to leave the city immediately, but this will only take a few minutes," he said calmly, releasing his grip.

His forceful demand for my attention did little to improve my tolerance, but respecting my role as an equity owner and considering my father's legacy, I forced myself to calm down.

"Go ahead," I instructed coldly.

"I'll get straight to the point. I want to buy you out. Since you likely have little interest in running the company, I'm more than willing to take it off your hands. You can't sell until two years of working here, but...."

His words faded into the background as I stared at him, angered by the timing of his proposition. Despite running my own company and understanding his perspective, the insensitivity irked me, especially given our past interactions.

"I haven't read the will," I impatiently stated. "So I can't decide yet."

As I turned to leave, he halted me once more. "Can I contact you in the future for an update?"

"No," I replied. "My father just passed away. Please leave me alone. If I decide, I'll reach out." Though my words sounded calm, inside, it felt like screaming into the wind.

This time, he didn't attempt to stop me. Escaping New York's pain, shock, and hurt consumed my thoughts. Perhaps leaving the city would bring a change for the better soon.

"So, let me confirm," Jane inquired. "You're planning to sell your company to them, continue being in charge, and use their funds to expand it?"

"Yes," I affirmed, pulling out two blazers from my closet and showing them to her. She deliberated between the stripe and pattern and settled on the pattern.

"I don't know," she pondered. "That seems... exceedingly favorable?"

"Yes," I agreed, smiling.

"Hmm," she mused. "And if I feel this way, then the other equity owners won't feel any different, especially since you're not close with them, right?"

"Yeah," I replied, the concerns I had earlier resurfacing.

"Hm," she uttered again, and I sighed.

"We have to figure it out. At least I have to figure it out. It's my dad's company, after all, and I don't want to neglect it the way I neglected our relationship."

"That's unfair to yourself," she remarked. "He understood you. He was a businessman, and both of you were always busy, struggling to find time together."

"Yeah," I acknowledged, attempting to focus on packing, but she continued.

"So, since you can't sell your equity before two years pass, you'll work there until then?"

"I don't know if I'll sell even after the two years," I explained. "My initial plan was to remain uninvolved, as I never intended to sell. However, with his offer to buy my company, I have a reason to consider moving to New York."

"Ah," she nodded. "It's clear to me now."

"Hmm," I replied. "What will forever be unclear to me, though, is why my dad gave equity to my brother as well. He could have simply handed over the properties. He knows Charles has no interest, ability, or contribution to run a business."

"He's graduated college, right?" Jane asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, he's been idling away his time since then, but my dad hasn't had the heart to cut him off."

She chuckled. "But you've mentioned that you might be the bigger letdown to your dad since at least Charles finished college while you did not."

I sighed as she pointed this out.

"You're right. That's why I worked so hard, but at the same time, it kept me away from him because I always felt that no matter how well I did, he wouldn't get over that disappointment.

Anyway, let's not talk about these anymore. I'm running late."

"When does your flight leave again?"

"10 am."

"Hm, we have four hours more," she yawned.

She continued assisting in selecting and folding items into my suitcase. However, my mind remained in turmoil, so I halted and lay down beside her on the bed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I need to clear my head," I said. "It's too cloudy. I feel like I'm not thinking straight."

"Alright," she said, giving me her full attention. "What exactly is the problem?"

I briefly went silent as I tried to sort through my thoughts, but she introduced her own topic before I could.

"Does your cloudiness have anything to do with that... person who's going to be in the picture?"

"Who?" I asked.

"The CEO," she replied, and I frowned at her reminder, then sighed.

"Alessio goddamn motherfucking Lacronte. He's one of the reasons this move is making me anxious. He was the one who told me about the offer to buy me out, but he can't exactly be trusted."

"You've called him a slime and sleaze ball every single time you've mentioned him over the past few months. Are you still not going to tell me why you detest him so much? I mean, has he done anything so far to cheat you beyond the fact that he offered to completely buy you out?"

"Also, did he make the same offer to your brother? Why didn't he take it?"

"I don't know if he made the same offer to Charles, but even if he did, why would Charles sell?" I asked. "Charles's lazy, but he's not an idiot. Staying connected to the company assures he keeps his wealth and access to resources. If he leaves with a buyout, then he has to manage it himself and grow it. Why the fuck would he want to do that when he can keep doing the bare minimum and ride on the backs of others?"

"Okay, well, he doesn't sound like he's going to be your ally in this."

"I'm not going there to fight," I said. "I'm just there to consider my options with Standard Rock. My father gave almost his whole life to building that, so it's the least I can do."

She nodded. "That's great and all, but can we please go back to Alessio? You two knew each other when you were younger, right? I mean, his father owned the company along with yours, so there must have been meetups and gatherings or something?"

I didn't respond.

"Lia," she called. "I need to know why he, amongst everyone else, grates on you. I mean, his sister owns equity, and you've mentioned that she's nasty. Then you're not close to your brother. In all of these, Alessio seems to be neutral and maybe even an advocate in your favor, yet you can't stand even the mention of his name."

"It's not that bad," I said, and she laughed.

"I'll hold up a mirror so you can see how your expression changes when he's brought up. Like now."

She began to search for a mirror in the bedside drawer, and I shook my head.

"You're so nosy."

"Of course I am. You're generally a peaceful person, so it makes no sense. There has to be something else that makes you despise him, and I need to know what it is."