Chapter 21 - Maisie Decides About the Mansion
Maisie was eight when Evelyn asked the question.
“Do you want to keep Vale Estate?”
Not legally Maisie’s decision alone.
She was a child.
But her preference mattered to the trustee.
Maisie stared at photographs.
Pool.
Garden.
Her mother Caroline’s favorite magnolia tree.
Buddy’s doghouse.
Then:
“I don't want to live there.”
Adrian swallowed.
“Okay.”
Maisie continued:
“But I don't want Seraphine to be why we leave.”
Evelyn smiled gently.
“That is a very adult sentence.”
Maisie frowned.
“I’m not an adult.”
“No.”
Evelyn corrected herself.
“It is a very clear sentence.”
The trust commissioned appraisal.
Value:
$9.1 million.
A buyer offered $9.35 million.
After review, Evelyn approved sale because the property no longer served Maisie’s best residential interests.
Maisie’s seventy-percent net share remained inside trust.
Adrian received his thirty-percent share.
No money went to Seraphine.
The mansion sold.
Choice.
Not expulsion.
May you like
That distinction healed something.
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