The executor of her grandmother's estate looked to be just barely out of law school. Isla wondered how he had met the Grand Dame. Isla sat starkly still. She listened to the executor speak endlessly about how her grandmother had been a great woman. He went on a tangent about how she was always firm but fair in her dealings with people, and how she gave him a chance after spending one afternoon with him and his wife. Isla could tell that the executor, Marques, had great respect for the Grand Dame as many called her grandmother.
The energy in the room picked up and Isla could tell, Michael Mann had arrived without turning to verify it. "Mr. Mann, it is a pleasure to see you again." Again? Isla wondered when the two had met.
"The pleasure is mine, I'm sure," Michael said as he situated himself next to Isla at the long conference table. He acknowledged Isla with a slight smile and a whispered, "good morning." She nodded in return. Michael understood how she was feeling. She expressed last night how she hated the process. Isla had said the reading of the will made it feel like her beloved grandmother was being cut into tiny pieces.
Isla silently sent up a prayer and exhaled the breath she had not realized she was holding since Michael walked into the room. She had been thinking about the dinner that she had shared with Michael and Ryan before her trip to see Darien. Diane, her mother sat next to her and lightly held her hand. Isla leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek. Since Taryn's death, they had formed a bond that had become unbreakable. It did bend a little when Diane and Thomas found out their daughter was pregnant and she had refused to name the father. Diane had convinced Thomas not push Isla into disclosing the information. She had said at the time that everything would be revealed soon enough. Ryan was almost four and they still did not know who had fathered the child.
Thomas walked into the conference room and sat across from Diane. He smiled at the two remaining women in his life. Age had him wondering what had gone wrong with him and Diane. He looked at Isla and an over whelming love just swelled his heart. He saw the pain in her eyes and felt helpless to help her. He knew he had not been the best father, but he did what he could. Thomas drew his attention back to the voice of the executor.
"Good morning, everyone, now that we are all here lets get started." Marques took his seat. Everyone took their seats. Isla noticed that there were representatives from the various charities and committees that her grandmother had been affiliated. "Now, I know everyone has basically cleared their schedule for today and you are all anxious to get this over with but there are a lot of items to cover and I have been instructed to follow the order.
"Who gave that instruction?" It was Rachelle, one of Isla's second or third cousins that asked the question.
"My grandmother did," said Isla. The expression on her face and the tone of her voice left no room for arguments. Rachelle remained quiet. Marques nodded his thanks.
Marques began reading the long list of items and to whom those items would be given. No one was surprised when the bulk of the estate went to Ryan Marine DiAmico, she was the only great grandchild and she had been practically raised with the elder Isla. However, everyone was shocked with the next two specific instructions in the will. It was read that Isla must disclose to Ryan's father about her existence and that they had to go on a one-month vacation as a family.
"Excuse me?" Isla almost shouted.
"Is there a problem, Miss DiAmico?"
"The will states I have to live with the father of my child for one month. Not happening."
"Miss DiAmico if you don't follow the terms your grandmother has set forth, your daughter will lose her inheritance." Marques eyed Isla closely.
"What if he doesn't want to live with me?"
"He has no choice. The will is very specific and air tight. I checked it myself." The executor smiled at his own joke.
"Isla, sweetheart, you have to get in contact with Ryan's father and let him know what is going on," said Thomas. He had always known that his mother knew the identity of Ryan's father, but would not break Isla's confidence.
"I don't think that will be necessary." Isla felt Michael shift beside her. She felt the anger radiate from him. She looked at him; pleading for him not to say anything. "Donate the inheritance to charity. Ryan will be taken are of without it."
"Isla, you can't mean that." Diane had spoken up before Thomas could get his thoughts together.
"I mean every word of it. Ryan will be just fine without the money from Yaya." Isla began to gather her things. "I have to go. My daughter will be out of school soon." She looked toward Marques. "Is there anything else I should know?"
"No. Thank you for your time." Marques watched the young woman walk out of the conference room.
Isla was mad. How could her grandmother have done this to her? Disinherit her child unless she revealed that Michael was her father. She slammed her fingers against the down button for the elevator. She fumed all the way to the lobby. Her DKNY sunglasses came in handy as she put them on and walked toward the parking garage. Yaya knew what revealing the identity of Ryan's father could do Ryan. She just could not for the life of her understand why her grandmother had felt it was so important. Who knew what type of enemies Michael had acquired over the years. Isla knew how her father had been threatened and how her family home had been vandalized as a child due to her father's involvement with the Brotherhood.
Thomas had built his entire empire and reputation by working with the Brotherhood as their attorney. It had started out as a network of friends then Carter Maxon had started to bring in the underground establishment and it had taken years for the Brotherhood to regain their reputation as a legitimate society of professional men.
"How could she want me to reveal Michael's relationship to anyone knowing what the Brotherhood was capable of doing?" Isla spoke aloud to herself. Her cell phone rang and her first thought was to ignore it, but whenever Ryan was not with her, she answered her phone out of fear. "Hello," she bit the word out as if it hurt.
"Isla, we need to talk." It was Michael.
