CHAPTER FOUR: MEETING MR DANIELS.
1054 Words
AMBER.
I arrived at the lawyers office just in time for my appointment. It was a modern looking building with big windows and glass doors. A young, attractive, blonde woman was sat behind the reception desk. She fiddled with a button on her royal blue, silky blouse while she was on the phone. I waited patiently until she hung up and then approached the big, shiny, curved, black desk. ”Hello” she greeted me. Her voice was soft yet clear and professional. “Welcome to Abbot and Daniels. Do you have an appointment?” I nodded, feeling a little out of place. I explained in a quiet voice that Mr Daniels had asked me to come in and gave her my name. She told me to take a seat in the waiting area.
I had barely sat down on the soft, black leather sofa before a stocky, well-dressed, older man appeared. He called my name and I stood up. He smiled politely “right this way, please, Miss James”. I followed him to an elevator, and we rode it up to the third floor. We passed a desk with a curvy, red-haired woman who looked to be in her late forties sat at it. He opened a door and gestured for me to enter. Following me in, he closed the door and told me to take a seat. His office was spacious and well decorated. It smelt of leather and expensive cologne. He took his seat opposite me, resting his hands on the big mahogany desk between us.
He gave me a friendly yet sympathetic smile. “Miss James, please let me begin by offering my condolences.” I nodded “Thank you. I appreciate that, but please call me Amber.” He asked if I would like a drink, and I requested coffee. Mr Daniels pressed a button on his desk and spoke for a moment. Minutes later, the red-haired woman entered the room and set down a steaming cup of coffee in front of each of us. Once she had gone, I asked “Mr Daniels, ⁷why am I here?” He put his cup down and wiped the foam from his bushy, grey moustache with a handkerchief. “I’m handling the estate of Ms. Mary James” he explained. “You are her sole beneficiary, and I am acting under strict instructions from Ms. James to contact you as soon as I was made aware of her passing.” As far as I was aware Mary didn’t have any money, she never lived a luxurious life, just the house. I thought that at least I would have somewhere to live as there was no way I could stay in the house with Chris, and it was his house. He had lived there before we had moved in together. I smiled sadly, thinking about how Mary was still taking care of me even though she wasn’t here anymore.
I sat quietly, and he continued “Amber, Ms James’s estate consists of two properties and their contents plus the balance of both her current and saving accounts, amounting to £1126.52. I nodded my understanding, although I was a little confused. Did he say two properties? I didn’t know that Mary had another one. I was about to ask him about it when he began speaking again. “There is also the matter of transferring sole control of the joint account over to you.” I must have looked visibly confused now, as he explained “You’re parents left a considerable amount of money for Ms James in event of their death, to use as she saw fit to raise you. She chose to put it in an account in both of your names and stated that it was only to be used if you needed something big, for example, had you decided to enter higher education. She wanted the money to be for your future. As such, there is a substantial amount of money in the account that now belongs solely to you.
I was lost for words. Mary had had this money available for her to use all these years, and yet rather than spending it, she had kept it safe to secure my future. She had worked to pay the bills and put food on the table. She really was the most selfless woman. Even now, she continued to amaze me. He handed me a sheet of paper, informing me that these were the account details and balance. He needed me to sign paperwork to agree to accept sole control of the account. I looked the paper over, and when I got to the balance, I stopped and looked up “uh Mr Daniels, I think there’s been a mistake, that balance can’t possibly be right”. He checked and confirmed that it was. I swallowed hard as I signed. He told me that he would have the contents of Mary’s accounts transferred into mine. He slid some more papers across the polished desktop for me to sign, including the transfer of deeds for Mary’s house here in town and another property in a town called Lakeside. I had never even heard of it, and Mary had never mentioned living anywhere but here. Mr Daniels saw me looking at it and said “It is my belief that Ms James intended for you to sell the Lakeside property. I can take care of it if you would like.” I sat quietly for a minute, thinking, before responding “No thank you, I do appreciate the offer, but i need to think it over”. He smiled and nodded.
Once we were done with the paperwork, he gave me copies and said “You will receive a card for the account in the mail in the next few days. Until then, you can access it by going into the bank with your ID. It was lovely to meet you, Amber, although I’m sorry for the circumstances”. I shook his outstretched hand. I thanked him and asked that the card be sent to Mary’s address in town rather than my address as I would be staying there, at least for now. He assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem and showed me out personally.
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