The Devil's Love For The Heiress

Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Manuel’s Last Will?

Kate: (I miss you already) Reading Kate’s text made Carlos smile.

Carlos was in his New York penthouse, ready to leave for his meeting with Officer Baker. The other day, when he left, he gave Kate a secured phone, and the same gadget already had his new number saved.

Before taking the lift, he took the chance to send Kate a text back: (I miss you too. I’ll be back before you know it.)

The sound of the elevator doors opening caught his attention. His eyes landed on Lemuel, his head of his security. “Sir, this way,” Lemuel said, guiding him to the back entrance of his penthouse building Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“Have you added bodyguards to follow Kate around?” Carlos asked.

Lemuel cleared his throat and replied, “Sir, um. Miss Wright has six soldiers following her around. She doesn’t even realize it. Plus the two we have commissioned from the security agency, she now has eight protectors.” “Good,” said Carlos. “Nothing is more important to me than Kate.”

“Understood, Sir,” Lemuel acknowledged.

Oliver was already inside the luxury vehicle when Carlos hopped in. They discussed his sponsorship contracts and identified which ones are ending and which ones to renew. Carlos was about to launch his own brand and had to ensure he did not clash with his sponsors. After all, they were his more significant income provider.

Aster an hour of driving through the city, Carlos arrived at his destination, The Police Headquarters. They went to the back entrance, as usual, and made their way to the private office of officer Baker.

“Mister Ronaldo, please take a seat,” said the police officer, his hand referring to the chair in front of him.

“What was so urgent that you had to see me?” Carlos asked.

When officer baker sat back in his chair, he said, “First of all. We wanted to update you on our ongoing operation.”

“We found the last link to the Bonnet gang, which happens to be Hugo’s illegitimate son. We captured one man who posed as a nurse at the hospital where we announced your admission back in France. He tried to inject something in Gabin’s -”

“Is Gabin okay?” Carlos asked, referring to his police double. He knew that in most hours, Gabin was the one sleeping in the hospital bed, pretending to be him. “Yes, the IV was never inserted into him in the first place,” Officer Baker replied. “So anyway, it was from that same man where we discovered another lead. As of now, we are collecting pieces of evidence to incriminate Hugo’s son, Gulllaume Bonnet.”

“So, for now, please bave your security team with you. In fact, you will go back with two of our

best officers to post as part of your bodyguards,” said Mister Baker. “Avoid contact with close friends and families, at least, avoid public meetings. It’s our best bet of keeping your loved ones safe.” Seeing the dismayed look on Carlos’ face, officer Baker added, “I’m sorry, Mister Ronaldo, but you knew what you got yourself into, right? Besides, your sacrifices paid off. We not only caught Hugo Bonnet admitting he was responsible for your father’s death, but we also found pieces of evidence that connect him to your father.” He took out some documents from his desk and said, “Some of these will be submitted to evidence, so I can’t give you everything, but the important once you will definitely have.” Mister Baker started with one legal document. He asked, “Have you ever seen this document, Mister Ronaldo?”

Carlos scanned from the first page. His forehead creased as he read, “I, Manuel Ronaldo, a resident of Braeton City, declare this as my last will and testament.”

He paused, skimming through the pages without reading them correctly. “No, this is the first time I have heard of this, and apart from the house, he had nothing to pass on to us.” The police smirked. He hissed and asked, “I’ve always wondered, Mister Ronaldo, your father earned a lot during his tennis career. Where did that all go?”

“The sports agency that discovered him had a huge cut on his earnings. And when he was free, his former manager joined him in establishing their very own sports agency. I don’t know the exact details, but the bottom line was they made mistakes, invested too much on some players that did not do well, and my father’s manager, Leron Price, embezzled money.”

“That was why my father took a big loan from the bank, making our house the collateral. He wanted to get back on his feet and invest in something good while he was still playing,” Carlos said. “Then, of course, when I was young, I lived a life of luxury. I went to a private school, my mom spent a lot. Etc. With whatever money we had left, we spent it on my mother’s health treatment. Over time, with my mother not working at all, we just… lost everything.” Officer Baker nodded apologetically. He said, “I’m sorry to hear that, Mister Ronaldo, but so you know, your father did not lose everything.” Carlos frowned. He asked, “What do you mean?” “It is exactly what is said in that document. Your father bought stocks from the major companies in the country.” The police narrated, “Microsoft, Tesla, Apple, Saudi Arabian Oil Co., and A****n.” “Stocks?” Carls repeated.

Officer Baker nodded and answered, “Oh, yeah, he went for the big ones, and I can only guess that was where all your father’s money went to.” The police finally showed Carlos the stock certificates and reported, “Some are two copies. Three were dated way back fifteen years back, while the rest were from around nine years ago. So it looked like your father started investing in stocks before losing his business.”

One by one, Carlos read the stock certificates, stunning him altogether. For the longest time, he thought that his father had lost everything, when in fact, he bought stocks. How was it that his mother never knew?

“I don’t think my mother knew,” Carlos said. “Sometimes spouses keep their investments from their wives,” the police suggested. “Maybe he meant to tell your mother at some point. Or maybe your mother forgot, having fallen into depression.” “It’s possible,” Carlos replied, nodding his head.

The police pointed out the last will and testament. He described, “We are still asking Hugo how he got hold of these, but nonetheless, this was why he may have faked this last will. He wanted his hands on the stocks that belonged to your father’s name.”

Going through page after page, Carlos saw how it was all warded to Hugo Bonnet. He cursed and said, “There is just no way my father would give this to him!”

“Of course, this document is a fake,” the police implied. “Look at the paper. It’s new, nor does it have any signs of aging. He may have forced his attorneys to notarize this document, backing up the dates, but the paper and ink quality speaks for itself. Your father could not have signed this document over nine years back.” “We have also contacted these companies to check the status of your father’s stocks. They are still intact. Based on what we have gathered, Hugo Bonnet tried to transfer these stocks under his name using the last will and testament.” The police officer laughed. He said, “He probably did not count on Manuel Ronaldo naming beneficiaries.”

“You see, Mister Ronaldo, your father named you and your mother as the beneficiaries of all his investments,” Officer Baker reported. “When beneficiaries are named, it can no longer be changed, not even with a will and testament.”

One by one, Carlos went through the stock certificates. He made a mental note and unwittingly took out his phone, wanting to check the selling price of each. Before he could, however, officer Baker said,

“Oh, we already did the numbers for you, Mister Ronaldo. Those shares are worth… a fifty million dollars in total.”

Carlos’ eyes widened. He was overwhelmed and could see how Mister Baker was equally excited for him. The officer said, “We are happy for you, Mister Ronaldo. You have just become richer. You deserve to find out this truth after all these years.”

Mister Baker paused for a second and announced, “But while we are thrilled for you, there is this important matter that we want to bring up to your attention.”

The police officer flipped through the last page, where it was signed by Manuel Ronaldo. He said, “We tried to compare the signature to with your birth certificate, your parent’s marriage certificate, and some documents signed through the tennis association. We submitted it for signature analysis, and the findings suggested… that the signature on the will matches your father’s.”

Everything stilled around Carlos. He gulped, and his mouth became dry. “What? What are you suggesting?” “We think.”