The waiter nodded and left.
Aaron looked at his menu for several more seconds before setting it down. “So, what is it you wanted to talk about?” His tone was not quite hostile, but it was close.
“I know you weren’t happy about your father’s will.”
Aaron snorted. “You could say that.”
“And it must have come as quite a shock to find out you have an older sister.”
Aaron crossed his arms and huffed. “That woman isnotmy sister.”
“Didn’t Mr. Barrington give you documentation about that?”
“Like I’d believe anything coming from him.”
Humphrey nodded solemnly. “I know what you mean.”
Aaron’s brow furrowed. “You do?”
“Sure. Everything about the meeting yesterday seemed…off, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” Aaron asked, sounding interested for the first time.
Humphrey acted like he was wrestling with whether to say anything or not, then let out a breath. “I’m not sure if you knew this or not, but your father and I were pretty close.”
“Um, he might have mentioned that.”
Humphrey knew that was a lie because, despite his attempts, he and Trenton had never been more than cordial acquaintances, so Trenton would never have had reason to say otherwise.
“You could say, I was a kind of confidant of his. Someone he’d talk to when he had things on his mind. I’m sure you have someone like that.”
“Of course I do,” Aaron said in a way that made it clear he didn’t.
“The thing is, your father never mentioned anything about a daughter.”
Aaron’s jaw tensed. “Iknewit. She’s an impostor, isn’t she?”
Humphrey was sure she wasn’t. Susan looked too much like her father. “I don’t have any knowledge on whether she is or isn’t. What I’m saying is that her existence is something I’m sure your father would have told me about. It’s possible he was still trying to figure out if she was on the up-and-up and that’s why he didn’t say anything.”
“There were DNA tests with my copy of the will.”
“Which can be doctored, if you have enough money.Orthe promise of enough money.”
Aaron sneered. “Very true.” After a moment, he said, “You know, she screwed you, too.”
Now it was Humphrey’s turn to be caught off guard. “What do you mean?”
“I was the executor of my father’s will before that forgery Barrington read to us. The college was supposed to get three hundred million.”
“Is that right?” Humphrey said as calmly as he could, while inside he seethed at having what should have been his slashed by a third.
The waiter returned with their drinks, saving Humphrey from needing to elaborate, and letting him get his anger in check. He couldn’t worry about what might have been. He needed to stay on task for his plan to succeed.
When they were alone again, he said, “Barrington told me something about supporting paperwork from your father? Was there something else in your envelope?”
Aaron snorted. “Yeah. A letter from dear old Dad.”
“Handwritten or typed?”
