Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

“Take a seat,” Uncle James says as I stand near the door being ignored while Uncle Thomas fawns over Opal, which I don’t mind in the least.

“What’s wrong?” Opal asks as she moves away from Thomas and pulls me toward the chairs on the other side of the desk.

Uncle James opens a red folder on top of his desk. “We did some digging after the shit went down with Jeff. Just in case there was any trouble, we wanted to be prepared to defend you. You never know how shit is going to swing anymore.”

I wait for Opal to sit before I take the seat next to her. “We won’t get into how fucked up that is and also somehow nice at the same time, but what did you find? We obviously wouldn’t be here if there was nothing.”

Uncle Thomas leans against a table off to the side, crossing his arms. “Opal, did you know your parents had a trust?”

“A what?” she asks, turning her head toward him when he says those words.

“A trust. It’s similar to a will, but more rock solid.”

Opal shakes her head. “No. I was young and had no one. After they passed, I ended up in foster care for a year, and then I was turned out with nothing.”

Uncle James grimaces. “That’s some heavy shit.”

“It was probably better then that you didn’t know and somehow got lost in the system, or your foster parents may have tried to fuck with the trust.”

“Could they have done that?” I ask, totally clueless how the entire thing works.

“Anything’s possible,” Uncle James says, sliding the folder toward Opal. “Here’s the trust paperwork.”

Opal takes the folder off his desk and stares at the papers. “What does it mean?”

“It means you’re a very wealthy woman,” Uncle Thomas states. “It’s fucked up that the person in charge of the trust didn’t track you down, but thankfully, it seems like almost everything is intact.”

I’m almost rocked back into my chair. It means you’re a very wealthy woman. “No shit,” I mumble under my breath.

For what feels like the first time, Opal’s being given good news, and not only that, she’s coming into a bit of money…something she’s struggled with for so long.

“There’s a bank account and some stocks. All of which have been transferred into your care. All the paperwork, including the power of attorney, is in the file, with your name as the trustee.”

“Is there anything else?” Opal asks.

“There’s a letter in there too. I had it sent overnight delivery because I knew you’d want to read it.”

Opal pulls an envelope from the folder and stares down at it as she runs a finger over the faded ink. “It’s my mother’s handwriting.”

My heart aches for her as she caresses the last remnants of something her mother left.

Opal tilts her head upward, and I see tears in her eyes. “Thank you for this,” she whispers, wiping her cheek where a drop has fallen.

“You’re welcome,” Uncle James tells her.

“There aren’t any contingencies on the money. You can go to the bank as soon you’d like and transfer everything into your own account.”

“How much?” Opal asks, still holding her mother’s letter in her hand.

“After the sale of your childhood home right after they passed, the stocks, their savings, and the interest it’s all accrued, it’s well over half a million dollars.”

Opal gasps as my stomach drops. “A half a million dollars?” she whispers. “Really?”

Uncle James nods. “A little more.”

“Holy shit,” I mumble under my breath.

“That’s…that’s…” Opal covers her mouth with her hand as more tears start to fall at a quicker pace. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say nothing,” Uncle Thomas says to Opal. “We’re happy we were able to find it for you.”

“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” Opal says, looking around the room. “I don’t know where I’d be without any of you.”

“Better get used to it, baby. This is how we are. You’re one of us now,” I tell Opal, grabbing her free hand and lifting it to my mouth. “You’ll never be alone again.”

She cries a little harder, but somehow smiles at the same time. I give her hand a squeeze before releasing it again.

“If you run into any trouble, just give us a holler. We’ll help in any way you need,” Uncle James explains. “All of this may be a bit overwhelming.”

“If the bank hassles you, don’t hesitate to call. Someone will be there to have your back.”

Opal straightens in her chair, still holding the envelope from her mother. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“Thanks,” I add, knowing words are not enough to express the gratitude I feel for putting a smile on my girl’s face after the shitty time she’s had since she was taken from my grandparents’.

“Now, fuck off. We have work to do,” Uncle James announces, breaking the lovefest we were having in his office.

I’m the first to stand, followed by Opal.

“Are you okay?” I ask her as we walk out of the office.

“I couldn’t be better,” she says, tucking the red folder under her arm but keeping the envelope out.