Late morning sunlight settled quietly across the floor of Arianne’s office at Rochefort Group. The wide windows overlooked Montclair’s financial district, where traffic moved steadily between glass towers and older stone buildings that had stood long before the newer skyline appeared. From this height the city seed orderly, almost calm.
Arianne sat behind her desk with a thin folder open in front of her. Gio stood across from her, one hand resting on the back of a chair as he reviewed the final page of the docunt he had just finished reading. The folder bore the seal of the legal firm that had been handling the estate for several years.
Across the first page, printed clearly in formal lettering, was the na: Ysabella Conway Estate Transfer.
Arianne’s eyes moved over the text once more before she lifted her gaze toward Gio.
"So it’s finished."
Gio nodded. "The final probate clearance ca through yesterday afternoon. The title transfer was registered this morning." He tapped the edge of the paper. "The house is now legally under your na."
For a mont Arianne said nothing. The property had belonged to her mother’s side of the family for decades. It was the sa house where she had lived with both of her parents before everything changed. She reached forward and turned one of the pages.
"Then we can proceed with the sale."
"That was the original plan," Gio said. He picked up another sheet and glanced over it before setting it down. "There’s one complication."
Arianne looked up.
"The property manager reviewed the land registry records last week," Gio continued. "So of the historical docunts attached to the estate boundaries aren’t fully verified. They believe the original paperwork might still be inside the house."
Arianne leaned back in her chair. "They need access to the house."
"Yes." Gio folded his arms. "They can’t finalize the docuntation review without confirming the originals. It shouldn’t take long, but they need you present when the records are examined."
Arianne closed the folder and rested her hand on the cover. The house was less than thirty minutes from the Rochefort offices. She had not stepped inside it since she was thirteen years old. The silence lasted only a mont.
"Schedule a visit," she said.
Gio nodded and made a note on the tablet in his hand. "Tomorrow afternoon would be easiest. The property manager said he can et us there."
"That’s fine."
A soft knock sounded on the office door. Gio glanced over his shoulder.
"Co in."
The door opened and Franz stepped inside. He had clearly co from another eting; his jacket was draped over one arm, and the collar of his shirt had been opened. His gaze moved from Gio to the docunts spread across Arianne’s desk.
"What did I interrupt?"
"Estate paperwork," Gio said.
Franz walked farther into the room, setting his jacket over the back of a nearby chair before stopping beside the desk. Gio summarized quickly—the completed transfer, the house in Montclair, the missing docuntation that required inspection. Franz listened without interrupting.
When Gio finished, Franz glanced at Arianne. "When are you going?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
Franz adjusted his sleeve. "I’ll co with you."
Arianne looked at him. The statent was simple, delivered in the sa tone he might use when offering to attend a eting. "That won’t be necessary," she said.
Franz’s expression didn’t change. "It will make the inspection easier."
Gio glanced between them before quietly collecting the docunts he had finished reviewing. "I’ll confirm the appointnt with the property manager," he said. "Let know if you need anything else."
Arianne nodded.
Once Gio left, the room grew quiet again. Franz rested one hand on the edge of the desk and looked down at the folder.
"Your mother’s estate?"
"Yes."
He studied the na on the cover. Ysabella Conway.
"So it finally cleared."
Arianne closed the folder completely. "Yes."
Franz nodded. "Tomorrow , then."
Later that afternoon the atmosphere in the Rochefort residence was noticeably less formal. Leo sat cross-legged on the living room carpet with his tablet against his knees, his fingers moving steadily across the screen as he typed sothing only he seed interested in. Nearby, Lily knelt beside the coffee table constructing an elaborate structure out of wooden blocks. Several towers had already been completed, though two had collapsed during construction and were now being rebuilt with great determination.
Across the room Gio stood near the doorway speaking quietly with Franz about the schedule for the next day. "...the property manager will et us there at ten," Gio said. "He thinks the original docunts are probably in the study."
Lily paused. "A house?"
Franz looked over. "Yes."
Lily tilted her head. "What house?"
"Aunt Aria used to live there when she was little," Franz said.
Lily’s eyes brightened. "Is it a big house?"
Arianne sat at the far end of the sofa reviewing the sa folder from earlier. She glanced up. "It used to feel big."
Leo typed quickly and turned his tablet toward Franz. Toys?
Franz read the word and nodded. "Probably. Most houses with kids have toys sowhere."
Lily abandoned her tower and climbed onto the sofa beside Arianne. "Do you still have your room there?"
Arianne paused. "I might."
Leo typed again. He turned the screen toward Lily. She read the ssage aloud. "Photos." He wanted to see photographs.
Franz smiled faintly. "You might find so, little man."
Lily leaned forward. "Can we go too?"
Arianne closed the folder slowly. The house had been quiet for more than two decades. Bringing children there would change the atmosphere completely. Franz glanced toward her.
"What do you think?"
Arianne studied the twins for a mont. "If you co," she said calmly, "you follow instructions."
Lily nodded imdiately.
Leo typed again. He lifted the tablet. Confird.
Franz chuckled quietly. "Sounds like we have an inspection team."
Evening settled gradually over the Rochefort residence. After dinner the twins were taken upstairs, their voices still drifting faintly through the hallway as Lily explained sothing enthusiastically while Leo tapped on his tablet.
Downstairs the living room had grown quiet again. Arianne sat at the end of the long table with the estate folder open in front of her. Several docunts had been arranged into neat stacks. The na printed across the first page remained clearly visible: Ysabella Conway Estate Transfer.
Franz entered from the corridor, loosening the cuff of his sleeve as he crossed the room. He stopped beside the table and glanced briefly at the papers.
"So it’s finally finished."
Arianne closed the folder slowly. "Yes."
For a mont neither of them spoke. The house ntioned in the docunts stood only a short distance away in Montclair, yet Arianne had avoided it for more than twenty years. Franz studied her expression quietly.
"You haven’t been back there since you left."
Arianne rested her hand on the closed folder. "No." The answer was calm and direct.
Franz nodded once. "I’ll co tomorrow."
Arianne looked up at him. The statent didn’t feel like an offer. More like a decision already made.
"That isn’t necessary," she said.
Franz adjusted the papers so they sat squarely on the table. "It will make the inspection easier."
Arianne watched him for another mont before giving a small nod. "Then we’ll go in the afternoon."
Franz walked toward the window overlooking the city. Montclair’s lights had begun to appear one by one across the skyline. Behind them, the estate folder remained on the table. The na Ysabella Conway was still visible on the cover as the room lights dimd for the night.
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