Chapter 1622 Olivia’s Pretentious Kindness
By the time Ellen arrived home, Lilac’s family had stopped by. They heard of the demolition payment, so they paid a visit to claim their share.
“Ellie, part of the amount belongs to you and me. Isn’t this how inheritance works?” Her uncle, Garrett, cut to the chase. She was stunned momentarily as mixed feelings churned in her stomach.
“That’s right! Ellie, you’ve been living with Jessica, but you’re not her biological granddaughter. We’re supposed to be her immediate family according to the law,” Nicole chipped in.
“So, we should split it into six among my mother, the three of us, your uncle, and you.” Ellen was at her wit’s end. Grievance stifled her chest as Jessica once told her that the house would belong to her and no one else.
Every nook and cranny of the place carried precious memories; it was her home. “What’s with the silence, Ellie? Perhaps, you don’t wanna share? Are you trying to hog everything?” Garrett’s wife was making assumptions.
“T-That’s not it.” Ellen clasped her hands together and lowered her head.
“That’s final, then! You should register your name. Once you have the money, you gotta transfer our portions to us. You know what to do.” Garrett wrapped it up.
Lilac’s silence indicated her agreement with their decision because of her dire need for money to have a better life.
Although she was aware that Jessica bestowed everything on Ellen, the amount of money was too much for her to ignore! Sharing it amongst the family wouldn’t hurt, would it?
Everyone left once the discussion was over, leaving Ellen sitting in a corner like a fragile animal that could not resist. Tears finally escaped from her eyes, and pain squeezed her heart as she observed the furniture at home.
At that moment, her phone rang. She glanced at it and quelled the waves of emotions. “Who is this?”
“Ellie, it’s me! I heard that Aunt Jessica’s house is going to be demolished. Any updates yet?” Olivia inquired.
“Aunt Olivia! I haven’t received the money yet. The contractor asked me to make an appeal to register my name to Grandma’s.”
“Did Garrett and the others drop by?”
“Yeah, they left not long ago.”
“I knew it! How could they? Ellie, don’t resent them. This is how the world works.” Olivia pretended to be the nice aunt.
“I-I don’t resent anyone.”
“So, are you going to listen to them?” Olivia tested the water.
What else could Ellen do? Could she even say ‘no’? Unless an impartial head of the family made the call, she had no other options. Besides, she was not Jessica’s biological granddaughter. It was only foster care at most; bringing it to the court would be a futile struggle.
“Don’t worry, Ellie. Appeal and receive the payment first. We’ll see what we can do then. I’ll have Uncle Connor put in some good words for you,” said Olivia.
“Thank you, Aunt Olivia.” Ellen could not be any more grateful.
Once the call terminated, a pang of relief hit Olivia. It’s easy as I expected. Since she has no one to rely on, she’ll be creamed off for sure.
Ellen applied for an appeal the next day, but she was stuck in the procedure. In truth, Jessica’s absence rendered it difficult as it required a lot of documents.
When Monday came, she had no choice but to put it on hold to go to work. Astoria would be leaving the company in a few days, so it was impossible to apply for leave during the handover.
The workplace gave Ellen warmth, for Astoria treated her well and even asked other colleagues to look after Ellen in her stead.
