The morning dew still clung to the roses when I heard the crunch of expensive heels on my garden path. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Only one person would dare to wear Louboutins to stomp through my father’s prized garden.
“Madeline,” her voice dripped with fake sweetness. “Still playing in the dirt, I see.”
I continued pruning my father’s white roses, the ones he’d planted for my wedding day—the wedding that had ended in divorce papers and my ex-husband, Holden, running off with the woman now standing behind me. “Hello, Haley.”
“You know why I’m here,” she moved closer, her shadow falling across the flower bed. “The reading of the will is tomorrow, and Holden and I think it’s best if we discuss things civilly.”
I finally turned around, wiping my soil-covered hands on my gardening apron. “There’s nothing to discuss. This is my father’s house.”
“His estate,” Haley corrected, her perfectly painted red lips curling into a smirk. “And since Holden was like a son to Miles for fifteen years, we believe we’re entitled to our fair share.”
“The same Holden who cheated on his daughter with his secretary?” I asked. “That Holden?”
“Ancient history,” she waved her manicured hand dismissively. “Miles forgave him. They still played golf every Sunday.”
My father’s death was still a raw wound, and here was this vulture, circling what she thought was easy prey. “My father wouldn’t have left Holden anything,” I said firmly.
“We’ll see about that. Your brother, Isaiah, seems to think differently.”
The mention of my brother sent a chill down my spine. We hadn’t spoken since Dad’s funeral, where he’d spent more time consoling Holden than his own sister. “You’ve spoken to Isaiah?”
“Oh, honey,” Haley stepped closer. “We’ve done more than speak. He’s been very helpful.”
“Get off my property, Haley,” I said quietly.
She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. “Your property? That’s cute. This house is worth millions, Madeline. Did you really think you’d get to keep it all to yourself?” She turned to leave but paused at the garden gate. “Oh, and you might want to start packing. Holden and I will need at least a month to renovate before we move in.”
As her heels clicked down the path, I looked down at the roses, their white petals now spotted with soil where my trembling hands had crushed them. I pulled out my phone and dialed the one person I knew would understand. “Aaliyah, it’s me. Haley just paid me a visit.”
“I’ll be there in minutes,” my best friend’s voice was firm. “Don’t worry, Madeline. Your father was smarter than they know.”
As I ended the call, I noticed a small envelope poking out from beneath one of the rose bushes. The handwriting on it was unmistakably my father’s, and it was addressed to me. “Well, Dad,” I whispered, “looks like you left me one last surprise.”
Aaliyah arrived with her legal briefcase in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “I figured we might need this,” she said. I was still holding the unopened envelope, perched on the edge of my father’s leather chair. The room smelled of his pipe tobacco and old books.
“After what Haley said about Isaiah helping them… ” I trailed off.
“Open it,” Aaliyah insisted. “Your father was very specific about certain things being revealed at certain times.”
With trembling fingers, I broke the seal. Inside was a single sheet of paper and a small key.
Dear Maddie, I read aloud, my father’s voice echoing in my head. If you’re reading this, then someone has already made a move on the estate. Knowing human nature, I’m guessing it’s Haley. The key enclosed opens the bottom drawer of my desk. Inside, you’ll find everything you need. Remember what I taught you about chess: sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to protect the queen. Love, Dad.
“You knew about this?” I looked up at Aaliyah.
“I helped him set it up,” she admitted. “Your father came to me months ago, right after his diagnosis. He knew exactly how this would play out.”
The drawer opened with a soft click. Inside was a thick manila envelope and a USB drive. Photos spilled out—dozens of them. Haley meeting with someone in a dark parking lot. Holden entering a different lawyer’s office. Bank statements, email printouts.
“He had them investigated?”
“Better,” Aaliyah’s smile was sharp. “He had them followed. That USB drive contains video footage of Haley attempting to bribe your father’s nurse for information about his will.”
My hands shook as I picked up a photo. “Is that Isaiah meeting with Haley?”
“Three weeks before your father’s death,” Aaliyah confirmed. “But look at his face in the next photo.” The second photo showed my brother leaving the meeting, his expression twisted with disgust. He was holding what looked like a check.
“He kept the check as evidence,” Aaliyah explained. “Brought it straight to your father. That’s when Miles knew he had to act fast.”
“But Haley said Isaiah was helping them.”
“Your brother’s been playing a dangerous game, Madeline, feeding them just enough information to keep them confident while helping your father gather evidence.”
I sank back into the chair, my mind spinning. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
“Because Haley needed to show her hand first. Tomorrow, when I read the will, they’re going to think they’ve won. The initial reading will grant them a significant portion of the estate.”
“What?” I stood so fast my wine glass tipped over.
“Let me finish. That’s when the codicil kicks in. Your father set up a trap. The moment they accept the inheritance, they trigger a clause that reveals their attempted manipulation and fraud. The real will leaves everything to you. Haley and Holden get nothing except a very public exposure.”
Even from beyond the grave, he was protecting me. “One more thing,” Aaliyah said softly. “Isaiah asked to see you tonight. He has something else you need to know.”
Isaiah arrived after dark, looking exhausted. “I see you found Dad’s insurance policy,” he said, nodding at the photos.
“Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?” The question came out sharper than I intended.
“Because I needed to make it right,” he said. “After everything with Holden… I was an idiot, Maddie. You were my brother. You were supposed to be on my side.”
“I know.” He opened his portfolio and pulled out a check. “This is what Haley offered me to testify that Dad wasn’t of sound mind. Half a million dollars.” He then pulled out a phone. “I recorded everything. Every meeting, every offer.”
Haley’s voice filled the room: Once the old man kicks it, we’ll contest the will with your testimony… that b— Madeline won’t know what hit her.
“Turn it off,” I whispered.
“This is why I came,” Isaiah said, pulling out one final document. “Haley didn’t just want the money, Maddie. She wanted revenge on you. For making Holden feel guilty, for making him look bad when you caught them together.” The document proved she’d started embezzling from Dad’s company six months before I caught them.
“Dad knew about this?”
“Found out right before his diagnosis. He was building a case against her, but then the cancer… That’s when he started planning this instead. Sometimes justice needs a different path.”
“The codicil,” I murmured.
“Yeah. Tomorrow’s going to be brutal, Maddie. They think they’ve got it all figured out. Haley’s even hired a camera crew to document the historic moment.”
Despite everything, I laughed. “She hired cameras to record her own downfall. Dad would have appreciated the irony.”
The morning of the will reading, Haley swept in wearing a black dress that cost more than my monthly salary, a camera crew trailing behind her. “Let the show begin,” Aaliyah muttered.
The initial reading went exactly as planned. Dad’s estate was to be divided 60% to me, 40% to Holden and Haley. “I knew it!” Haley squealed.
“However,” Aaliyah continued, her voice cutting through the celebration, “there is a codicil to the will.” Haley’s smile faltered. “The acceptance of any inheritance is contingent upon a full investigation into certain financial irregularities.”
“What irregularities?” Haley’s voice had lost its triumphant edge.
“Perhaps these will explain,” Aaliyah said, sliding the photos across the desk. “Or this USB drive containing footage of attempted bribery. Or these bank statements showing systematic embezzlement.”
Holden’s face drained of color. Isaiah spoke up from his corner. “Dad had quite the collection, including recordings of you both planning to contest the will based on false testimony.”
Haley stood up so fast her chair toppled. “Turn those cameras off now!”
“Oh no,” I said, standing to face her. “The cameras stay. You wanted to document this historic moment, remember?”
“You can’t do this,” she hissed.
“No,” I corrected her. “You trapped yourselves.”
“This is your fault!” she whirled on Isaiah. “You were supposed to help us!”
Isaiah shrugged. “I did help. Just not you.”
Suddenly, Dad’s voice filled the room as Aaliyah pressed play on a video file. His face appeared on one of the camera crew’s monitors, thin but determined. “And if you’re watching this, it means you’ve shown your true colors. Greed is a terrible teacher, but consequences are excellent students.”
Haley’s mascara ran in black streaks. “This isn’t over!”
“Actually,” Aaliyah said, “it is. The police are waiting in the foyer to discuss the evidence of embezzlement.”
As Haley and Holden were led away, cameras still rolling, I felt Dad’s presence in every corner of the room. He had orchestrated it all. “Well,” Isaiah said into the silence, “I guess those cameras caught their historic moment after all.”
The media circus that followed was exactly what Haley had wanted, just not in the way she’d planned. The investigation uncovered that this wasn’t her first scheme. Her real name was Margaret Phillips, and she was wanted in three states. She had specifically targeted my ex-husband because of his connection to my father’s company. The affair was just her way in. Worse, we found a journal detailing her plans for after she gained control of the estate—notes about “accidents” that could befall me.
The trial was swift. In light of the overwhelming evidence, Margaret Phillips, also known as Haley West, was sentenced to life in prison. Holden received fifteen years for his cooperation.
After it was all over, Isaiah handed me a small box the police had found in Dad’s safe. Inside was a single key and a note: For when justice blooms. Check the greenhouse.
The greenhouse had always been Dad’s private sanctuary. The key turned smoothly. Inside, the air was warm with the scent of blooming orchids. On his workbench was a large envelope with my name on it. Inside was a deed and another letter.
My dearest Maddie,
By now, justice has been served. But justice wasn’t the only thing I wanted to cultivate. The deed in this envelope is for the vacant lot next to your old flower shop. I bought it the day after I confronted Margaret. It’s time for Harrison Gardens to grow. Remember what I taught you: some flowers bloom best after a frost. You’ve weathered your winter, Maddie. Now it’s time to bloom again.
Love always, Dad
I walked back to the house in a daze, clutching the deed. Isaiah and Aaliyah were waiting.
“He bought me the lot next to my old shop,” I said. “He wanted me to expand the business.”
“That’s not all,” Aaliyah said, pulling out her tablet. “The Harrison Gardens trademark was registered six months ago. He set up everything—business plans, permits, funding. All it needs is you.”
“And us,” Isaiah added. “I’ve learned a thing or two about gardening these past months.”
Aaliyah pulled out her legal pad with a familiar glint in her eye. “Should I start drawing up the business papers for Harrison Gardens?”
I looked out at Dad’s garden, where the roses still bloomed. Beyond them, I could see the future he’d planned for me. Not just justice, but growth. Not just survival, but flourishing.
“Yes,” I said, feeling stronger than I had in years. “It’s time to grow something new.”
“To Dad,” Isaiah raised his coffee mug.
“To justice,” Aaliyah added.
I picked up my own mug, thinking of orchids and roses, of truth and time, of endings and new beginnings. “To blooming again.” Through the window, the garden glowed. Each flower was a testament to Dad’s belief that beauty can grow even in life’s hardest soil. He had given me more than justice; he’d given me back my future, one bloom at a time.