Jas didn't say anything as the car continued down the road. Charlotte sat beside him, her small hands resting on her lap, eyes fixed on the moving city outside the window.
"What happens next?" She asked, her voice quiet.
"The funeral." Jas said. "But before that, we need to claim what's yours."
She finally turned to look at him. "What does that an?"
"We're going to the central bank." He explained. "Your father had a safe there. I've known about it for a while. If we show the right docunts, they should give us access to it."
"And the funeral?" She asked.
"They first need to..." Jas trailed off.
Charlotte tilted her head slightly. "Need to what?"
He exhaled. "There's a law," he said finally, keeping his voice steady. "People like your father can't be buried only cremated."
Charlotte didn't say anything, her expression unreadable.
"And his grave?" She asked after a mont.
"Only an empty coffin, ceremonial thing." Jas admitted. "The headstone will have nothing on it."
She was silent for a long ti.
Then, in a voice too calm for a child, she said. "That's okay."
Jas glanced at her, but she had already turned back to the window.
The rest of the drive was silent. Jas kept glancing at Charlotte, but she didn't move, didn't fidget, didn't ask any more questions.
When they arrived she held onto Jas coat as they entered the massive building.
Inside, the air slled of paper and polished wood.
Everything was too big for her, the counters, the chairs, even the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. She didn't look nervous, though. Just quiet.
Before they could even say anything, a man stepped in front of them.
"Nice to et you. I assu you are Jas Bellini and Augustus Charlotte?" The man said.
Jas nodded. "Yeah, that's us."
"Please, follow ."
They did as instructed, walking behind him through a series of hallways until they reached an area with nothing but guards and a massive vault.
"This is our main safety deposit vault." The man explained, gesturing toward the enormous structure. "But this isn't what you're looking for."
He turned to the right, where a reinforced safe stood alone.
"This is the vault belonging to Lucian."
Jas's mouth parted slightly in shock. The sheer size of the safe was unlike anything he had expected.
The man continued. "Lucian inford so ti ago that Jas Bellini would co with a girl. He gave clear instructions."
Stepping forward, he began inputting a long passcode into the security panel. After a mont, there was a loud clank, followed by the slow, heavy groaning of the massive door unlocking.
"I'll handle the paperwork in the anti." The man added. "The contents will be registered under your na, sir." He gave a short nod before stepping away, closing a barred door behind him to give them privacy.
"So... should we step in?" Jas asked.
"Yeah." Charlotte said without hesitation.
With that, they entered.
"Oh my God... Lucian." Jas muttered, letting go of Charlotte's hand in shock.
Before them, in the center of the vault, was a massive pile of gold bars. To the right, stacks of bundled cash.
But what truly caught Jas's attention was on the left, a giant portrait of Lucian himself, seated on a grand throne, dressed like a king.
"Are you shocked?" Charlotte asked, tilting her head.
Jas exhaled. "Yeah... I knew he was a narcissist, but not this much."
"Narcis-what?"
"Nothing..." Jas sighed, rubbing his head. "Just go look around."
Charlotte didn't hesitate, stepping forward into the vault, her small figure barely a shadow among the overwhelming wealth surrounding them.
Jas stepped toward the pile of gold bars and squatted down, counting. There were 30, 1 kilo bars in one column. He stood up, did a quick count and counted 50 columns in total.
He pulled out his phone to check the gold price.
"94 thousand a kilo..."
"What?" Charlotte asked, looking up at him.
"Nothing." He smiled and put his phone away before stepping over to the stacks of cash.
The top bundle had a piece of paper on the top.
50 million.
Jas ran a hand through his hair.
Lucian, you bastard...
Why the hell are they all in five hundred dollar bills? The most obvious sign that this is illegal... Ahh, I need to clean this fast...
Charlotte was already eyeing the pile with curiosity. "Can I take a note?" she asked.
"No." Jas said quickly. "I need to... you know, write so papers to make it official first, but let's check out the safety boxes. Co on." Jas said, picking up Charlotte and stepping toward the wall where the safety deposit boxes were located.
"Open one." He said.
Charlotte reached for the left one, opening in. She pulled out a small box and slowly opened it.
"So pretty..." She whispered, srized by the diamonds inside.
They glead under the vault light, each one cut to perfection.
Jas stared, stunned.
I've never seen diamonds this big... just how much money did you leave this girl?
"Aren't they pretty?" Charlotte asked, looking up at him.
"Yes, they are. But open the other one too."
Charlotte carefully placed the diamond box back, then turned to unlock the next safety deposit box.
"Nothing.."
"What?" Jas bent down to check for himself, but she was right, there was really nothing inside.
"Well then, open the last one."
Charlotte reached for the final box. She pulled out a small pouch, her fingers hesitating before she opened it. Inside was a single folded piece of paper.
She unfolded it carefully, her brows furrowing.
"There's writing." she whispered, then turned to Jas and handed it to him. "Read it."
Jas took the paper, his eyes scanning the simple yet heavy words.
"Our blood binds us, for life."
"What does it an?"
Jas forced a smirk. "It ans Lucian was dramatic as hell."
Charlotte giggled, but Jas couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this ssage than it seed.
He put down Charlotte and gave her the box with diamonds closing back the safety boxes.
"How much money is this?" Charlotte asked, her voice filled with curiosity looking at the gold.
"So much money that you will never need a job in your life."
Charlotte's eyes widened. "That much?"
"Yeah."
Charlotte kept stared at the gold bars, the stacks of cash, and the diamonds. "So... what do we do with it?"
Jas sighed, kneeling down so they were at eye level. "Because this bank is under governnt control. If they start asking questions about where all this ca from, things could get complicated."
Charlotte blinked. "Oh... So where are we taking it?"
"A private bank." Jas said, pulling out his phone. "Sowhere with no questions asked, no records leaked, and people who know how to keep their mouths shut."
Charlotte nodded. "So...we just put it in another bank?"
"Not exactly. We'll spread it out, different places, different nas. And so of it won't go into banks at all."
Charlotte frowned. "Then where will it go...?"
Should I really explain it to a kid?
"Sowhere safe."
"That's not an answer."
Jas chuckled. "It's the only answer you need for now."
Charlotte grinned but didn't argue. Instead, she looked at the piles of gold and money again.
"How do we even move all this? It's heavy."
"That's why I've got people." He tapped a few things on his phone and sent a ssage. "They'll handle the transfer. Trucks, security, everything."
Before she could ask more, a knock echoed from the barred door. The sa bank official from earlier returned, holding a folder.
"Mr. Bellini, everything has been processed. The assets are now officially under the designated na."
Jas took the folder, flipping through the papers. He nodded in satisfaction before handing it to Charlotte.
She blinked, confused. "What na?"
Jas looked down at her. "Yours."
Charlotte's eyes widened as she stared at the folder, then at him. "Mine?"
"Yeah. This isn't just so stash of money, kid. It's your inheritance now."
Charlotte held the folder tighter. "So... I'm really rich?"
Jas smirked. "Filthy rich." She hesitated, looking at the gold again.
"Then... what do I do now?"
"Nothing really, if you need sothing ask and I buy it."
"I want a horse."
Jas blinked. "A... horse?"
Charlotte nodded seriously. "A big one."
A horse where do I put a horse?
"A fast one." She continued.
Why not a barbie or sothing else...
"Okay I will buy you a horse that can outrun the IRS.."
She tilted her head. "What's the IRS?"
"Sothing scarier than your dad was"
Charlotte gasped. "Scarier?"
"Way scarier."
"Okay. Then I want two horses, just in case one gets tired running from them."
Jas laughed and they stepped out of the vault and Charlotte was marching ahead with all the confidence of a tiny warlord.
As they hopped into the car, Jas realized that Charlotte was serious, dead serious about these horses.
"Wait, so it wasn't a joke? The horses?" Jas asked.
Her expression suddenly changed.
"In that big house where I lived, Dad bought horses. I liked them, but when he was imprisoned, the horses were sold."
So the horses sowhat connected them.
Charlotte looked out the window, her small fingers gripping the edge of her seat. "They were mine... but they took them away. Just like everything else."
"Alright we'll get you so horses."
Charlotte turned to him, her eyes searching his face. "Really?"
Jas smirked. "Yeah. Fast ones. Ones that can outrun the IRS and anyone else who tries to take them from you."
As they drove off, Jas found himself wondering not for the first ti just how far he'd go to keep that smile on her face.
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