“Thank you for coming,” he said. “I’m here to explain the terms of your father’s estate plan—specifically, the revocable living trust he established six weeks before he passed.”
Naomi frowned. “A trust, not a will.”
“There is a will,” Warren said. “But it’s what we call a pour-over will. It simply states that any assets not already in the trust go into it after death. However, your father transferred all designated assets into the trust before he passed. So there’s nothing left to go through probate.”
“What’s the difference?” Celeste asked.
“Probate is a court process,” Warren explained. “In North Carolina, it takes nine to twelve months minimum. The court supervises asset distribution, creditors file claims, and everything is public record. A trust bypasses all of that. It’s private, and it allows for immediate distribution once conditions are met.”
He pulled out a blue binder and opened it.
“Your father’s trust contains six point seven five million dollars designated for the five of you. One point three five million per daughter.”
The room went still.
Rosalind leaned forward. “When do we get it?”
“That depends,” Warren said. “Upon your father’s death, this revocable trust became irrevocable—meaning the terms cannot be changed by anyone, including your mother or myself. We are legally bound to follow your father’s instructions exactly as written.”
He read from the document.
“The five daughters must stay together at the family home in Asheville for twenty-five consecutive nights. Each night, one letter written by your father will be read aloud. If all five daughters complete the twenty-five nights, the trust will immediately distribute one million dollars to each daughter on the morning of day twenty-six.”
Naomi blinked. “One million immediately.”
“Yes,” Warren said. “As the trust attorney, and with your mother as trustee, we have the legal authority to release those funds without court approval, without waiting for probate, without any bureaucratic delays. The moment the conditions are satisfied, the wire transfers can be initiated. You could have the money in your accounts within forty-eight hours.”
Violet sat forward. “Wait—you said one million each, but we’re supposed to get one point three five million.”
“Correct,” Warren said. “The remaining three hundred fifty thousand per daughter, along with the family home and the Blue Ridge cabin, will be distributed after your mother passes. Those assets will remain in the trust until that time.”
Celeste crossed her arms. “And if we don’t stay? What if someone has to leave?”
Warren’s face was grave. “If even one daughter leaves before the twenty-five nights are complete, for any reason, the entire six point seven five million will be transferred to the Asheville Community Foundation. None of you will receive anything. Not one dollar.”
Silence.
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