Chapter 135
Veronica’s POV
Jane’s House – The next day
We were driving towards Mom’s home.
I felt nostalgic thinking I really have a destination that reaches to my mother’s home.
I was surprised to see she had made my favorite medium steak with gravy and my favorite lemon cheese cake.
“How did you know these are my favorites?” I was surprised.
“I didn’t know what you like,” she said, smiling. “I presumed you might like what I like so p>
“Looks like mother and daughter have the same favorite food,” Jonathan said, smiling.
“Joshua also loves lemon cheese cake p>
“Mom,” Jonathan asked. “You sounded urgent on the phone p>
“Yes,” she said as she walked over to a shelf and retrieved a small metal box.
As she opened the box and removed the content, it seemed as if she had protected it for ages.
“Jonathan,” she said, placing them one by one in front of him.
“This is Veronica’s birth certificate p>
“These are her discharge papers from the hospital p>
“This p>
She held out a small packet with a lock of hair.
“Is a lock of Veronica’s hair I took as memento back then p>
“You can use this to verify her she is my daughter p>
“And this is her original hospital bracelet p>
Just then we heard a knock on the door.
Jonathan got up p>
“That must be Vance,” he said, walking towards the door. “I called him to come p>
As Vance entered, he wished and took a seat.
“Jonathan,” he said. “I got Veronica’s original DNA report from the federal agent p>
Then Jonathan showed him the content Mom did.
I could see from his look, every document he saw carried the same story.
I also realized I wasn’t discovering myself, but finally proving I was a child with parents.
Then Jane held my hand and smiled softly.
“Welcome home, sweety p>
“What’s next?” Jane asked, curiously.
“Now,” Vance said. “I would like you to come along so I can show these to my corporate attorneys p>
“From there,” he continued. “We can take the next step p>
So, we all got into our car and drove off to Vance’s office.
Vance’s Office – a few moments later
I gave mom a cup of tea as Vance and his team along with Jonathan were evaluating the documents.
After several hours, Vance spoke, as his lead attorney closed the last file.
“Okay,” Vance said.
“So, we have Veronica’s original birth certificate, the hospital delivery and discharge records, DNA reports, the court’s verdict verifying all this, and the corporate succession records p>
“Mrs. Veronica,” the lead attorney said as he knew I was waiting eagerly to know what the future beholds.
“Legally…no one can deny you are the rightful biological Harmon heir p>
“The one who truly deserves to inherit Harmon Designs p>
“Harmon Designs?” I said, shocked.
“Weren’t we here to clarify he abandoned me and should serve his sentence p>
“Not exactly,” the lead attorney said.
“It’s like this,” he said, explaining.
“If the court does uphold this as evidence p>
“Then from the day Fredrick first used Harmon as his surname p>
“Every inheritance decision he ever took can and will be challenged as he used a false identity p>
“Right from claiming ownership of Harmon Designs, to selling and owning shares of Harmon Designs, corporate control, family assets p>
“For that matter every decision Fredrick made as a Harmon will be reviewed by the jury p>
“Nicky?” Jonathan called me as he noticed I was silent through most of the explanation.
I didn’t smile.
I didn’t celebrate the facts.
I just listened as now I was hearing about a future that may soon be true.
Just then Vance passed a folder towards me.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Some news snippets,” he said.
“Since the announcement that I’m your legal attorney p>
“As you can see the legal opinion on this matter had already spread p>
“Major shareholders are requesting emergency meetings p>
“Some are demanding clarification regarding the legal heir of Harmon Designs p>
“While others are questioning whether decisions Fredrick took are still valid or not, like the purchase and sell prices p>
“Board members are separating themselves from Fredrick p>
“Financial analysts are speculating the change a new leadership will bring p>
“And, the company stocks are unstable until a legal name is announced p>
That means now people are not concerned who owned Harmon Designs, but who will own it tomorrow.
One shareholder even wants to meet me personally so he can discuss the future.
“News that you are legally certified biological daughter of Fredrick, compared to his adopted daughter, Imeald, has spread like fire p>
“The team has gotten calls from other corporate lawyers of shareholders requesting clarification on the matter p>
“So…the previous board resolutions he made…do they still stand?” I asked, curiously.
“That’s not all,” one of them said.
“The contracts Imelda signed as a Harmon, will be judged as well p>
“So, I’ll be taking over from Fredrick as his daughter, right p>
“No,” he said.
“It’s more a matter of ownership as he never was a Harmon, so legally he doesn’t have the rights, to begin with p>
The facts were solid p>
Fredrick operated a company for three decades, when he had no rights.
Now I stood, who was the legal heir to Harmon Designs.
I knew Jonathan was watching me as he knew my anxiousness was increasing on seeing the legal notices.
For the first time, Fredrick and Imelda calling themselves Harmon was a fraud making everyone question the ownership of Harmon Designs.
Just then a staff boy came in and handed a letter.
Vance exhaled after reading the letter.
“It’s a shareholder,” he said. “He wants you to hold an emergency shareholder’s meeting p>
Later on in the afternoon
I sent my mother back as it was going to be a long day.
I was busy reading a document when the staff boy came over again.
“Vance, sir,” he said. “Some previous employees from Harmon Designs are in the hall and requesting to meet with Mrs. Veronica p>
“Note their names, designations, and contact,” Vance said.
“Tell them I’ll contact them personally p>
After a few minutes, the boy handed the list and left.
“Most of them are senior employees, who have worked for decades p>
“They found out about you from the news p>
“They want to know if you could hire them back p>
Just then Vance got a call.
“Veronica,” Vance said. “One of the department managers wants to talk to you p>
I looked towards Jonathan who nodded so I nodded as well.
As he came inside.
“Ms. Harmon…Mrs. Rollings?” he said, shocked.
“Yes,” I said. “My name is Veronica, and Harmon by birth and Rollings by marriage p>
“Oh,” he said. “Then you or Mr. Rollings can lead the company p>
Jonathan was about to deny, but I stopped him.
“That’s for the team to decide p>
“What do you want to say p>
“Harmon Designs had followed the legacy of the founder, and I hope it does p>
“We don’t want the legacy to disappear p>
“If you plan to revive the legacy p>
“We would like to be part of it p>
I realized they weren’t choosing sides, they were choosing to stand beside the future of the company.
I thanked him and told I would consider when the decision had been made.
As he left, we took leave from his office and headed home.
Apartment – Later on evening time
As we came back, the kids were excited as mother was with us.
“Lots is going to change once the court makes its verdict,”Jonathan said as I nodded.
“It changes the entire fight we began p>
Jonathan’s gaze fell on the growing stack of files in the study.
“Fredrick won’t handover Harmon Designs so easily p>
“Neither will Imelda,” I said, and Jonathan wasn’t a bit surprised.
Both had spent years building years on lies and now what they painstakingly tried to keep was slipping from them.
This was going to be a legal recognition battle to claim the legacy of Harmon Designs.
We both knew today’s success is only the beginning of tomorrow’s battle.
As the hardest fight was still to be fought.
Just then Jonathan placed his hand on mine.
“I’m with you p>
My chest rose as that was the best strength I could ever want.
That evening I saw Jonathan holding a snap of us.
It was me, with mother and Janet p>
Our first photo together.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“Just wondering,” he said.
“How life would have been had you been raised by Jane p>
“You growing up as a Harmon, heir to Harmon Designs p>
“No abandoning, no orphanage, no identity loss, no seven years of suffering p>
He trailed off a bit.
I quietly realized what was lost can never be recovered.
But these years were gain and loss.
“Jonathan,” I said.
“I agree, I lost my identity p>
“I lost my parents p>
“But if I wasn’t in the orphanage, I wouldn’t have joint that college p>
“I wouldn’t have met you, married you, had our lovely kids p>
“So, I don’t regret the life I lived until I met you, even after p>
“Come on, let’s eat. It’s getting late p>
Soon we all retired for the day.
Harmon Designs – The next day
The next morning was a new morning for us.
“Are you ready?” Jonathan asked me as I nodded.
So we took leave for Harmon Designs.
He stopped the car and waited for me to go over.
“Jonathan,” I said.
“I’ll need you beside me p>
“You know all this better than me p>
Jonathan nodded and walked over with me.
As we walked over, the building soon came into view.
Old memories also surfaced.
This was the exact location where Fredrick and Imelda used to hold the corporate anniversaries.
Product launch parties, and charity galas were held.
I remembered walking around as the server in those parties.
Today I found out, I should have been the host of these parties.
I had entered the building millions of times, but always from the back door p>
Never the front door.
As we reached the door, seals stretched across the main door.
The court head sealed the building until the legal ownership was decided.
I was holding a temporary ownership deed issued by the court so I could come and inspect my business.
Seeing the people around us, I realized news of the permit had spread faster than expected.
Dozens of old employees lined the building.
Some whispered…is Harmon Designs opening?
While others just watched.
No one knew what was going on or what was going to happen.
“Nicky,” Jonathan said. “It’s your decision p>
I stared at the seal on the door and slowly took another step.
For years I used the back door, being a Smith, a server.
Today I would go from the front as a Harmon.
I nodded as a court official cut the seal.
I pushed the doors open as if I was opening my future.
I stopped for a few minutes before entering the building.
I felt odd p>
Not that it was a familiar building,
But I once walked through these halls as a server, an assistant who sat beside the trash can,
Once my so-called workplace, was now my building.
This building was witness to everything that happened to me.
Jonathan walked beside me without a word and just slipped his hand into mine.
Honestly p>
His presence was enough.
Everyone thought I was claiming a business.
No one knew I was reclaiming the life that was supposed to be mine.
As we stood inside Fredrick’s or the CEOs office p>
I exhaled.
“Sixteen years ago, I married you p>
“Fredrick knew p>
“He knew I was his daughter p>
“He knew you were my husband p>
“Yet he forced me to live like a widow p>
I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
“My mother should have been the lady of Harmon family p>
“Instead she lived a loner’s life p>
“He took years from us p>
Jonathan was still holding onto my hand.
“Now p>
“I will take the thing he treasured the most in his life p>
“This is not revenge,” I said. “This is claiming my home p>