Chapter 202: Reading the Will

"Everyone, please listen to me for a moment." Henry, whose arrival at the restaurant had already sparked a subtle shift in the atmosphere, spoke first: "My presence tonight was specifically requested by Lawyer Adler."

"I do not know where I stand in Ms. Hepburn's will. But I wish to state here that I will renounce all rights to any inheritance or bequest. Any gifts left to me by the lady shall, according to the law, be inherited and distributed among her legal heirs."

Compared to the others, Givenchy, who had been running around with his young assistant for Ms. Hepburn's affairs, was the person Henry knew best in the room. He asked in surprise, "Henry, are you sure?"

Henry smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. I imagine my presence is required for this occasion for a reason; it cannot be a trivial matter. However, inheriting an estate requires paying inheritance tax, and I may not have the savings to cover that sum, so I might as well renounce it."

"Furthermore, during my time as an assistant, I have already received the compensation due to me from the lady, which is sufficient. For me, the most precious thing is the memories from this period. I do not aspire for more."

Having finished speaking, Henry turned to the lawyer and asked, "Lawyer Adler, after I make this declaration of renunciation, will I still be asked to share the burden of the inheritance tax?"

Lawyer Annie Adler shook his head and said, "If you declare your renunciation of the inheritance, then the inheritance tax has nothing to do with you. However, according to legal regulations, I must still read the original text of the will, not the changes made after your renunciation; you understand this, don't you?"

Henry nodded. At the same time, Givenchy pointed to the seat beside him, inviting the young assistant to sit down, rather than standing aside as before.

Perhaps because a young assistant who had worked only a few years was declaring that he would not interfere with Ms. Hepburn's estate, everyone's expressions improved slightly. After no one raised any objections, Lawyer Annie Adler began to read Audrey Hepburn's will.

Beginning with "My dear family and friends," the lady proceeded directly and plainly to distribute her assets in the will.

As expected, the majority of the assets were divided equally between her two children. Real estate and other immovable properties were inconvenient to split, so they were divided into two parts based on approximate value, with each brother receiving one portion.

The remaining movable assets, such as stocks, cash, and savings, were to be split equally; while the portrait rights, copyrights, and other rights under the name "Audrey Hepburn" were to be held with equal rights by the two brothers. Any action taken would require the consent of both.

As for matters related to Hubert de Givenchy, such as clothing, perfumes, and luxury goods designed in the name or inspired by Audrey Hepburn, these were to be returned to Givenchy, uniting the previously shared control into one.

This was to prevent the creator, Givenchy, from facing potential difficulties in the future when handling related rights due to incomplete ownership, eliminating such issues before they could arise.

If the lady's two children wished to do something in the name of "Audrey Hepburn" that involved Givenchy, this provision ensured that the primary authority remained in the hands of this fashion giant.

The two ex-husbands also received a share, but mostly items they had shared during their marriages, which the lady was simply returning. Here, there were some valuable artworks; things like pillows and quilts would not be listed in such a document.

Finally, it came to the lady's young assistant. Lawyer Adler said, "Henry, Ms. Hepburn came to know you through Ms. Katharine Hepburn and Mr. Tony Stark."

"Therefore, the lady's original intention was to bequeath to you all the stocks related to Stark Industries within her investment portfolio. The estimated value of this portion is around five hundred thousand dollars."

"But if you renounce this right, then these stocks will be split equally between the lady's two legal heirs, namely Sean Farrel and Luca Dotti. I confirm here once again: do you still wish to declare your renunciation of this right?"

Henry nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes, I renounce it." But he immediately asked curiously, "Stark Industries has stocks available for trading? I recall they were not a publicly listed company."

Lawyer Adler explained, "It is said that after Mr. Howard Stark passed away unexpectedly, Tony Stark, in order to raise funds for inheritance tax, adjusted his business strategy and listed his companies on a large scale."

"On the advice of financial advisors, Ms. Hepburn gradually purchased some stocks of Stark Industries last year. Most were just related enterprises; the main stocks of Stark Industries were difficult to buy, and their prices had been soaring."

"I see." It seemed he had taken another small step toward the world he was familiar with, Henry thought.

Lawyer Annie Adler continued, "However, Ms. Hepburn also guessed that you probably would not accept this bequest. But there are two things she hopes you will definitely accept."

"What things?" Henry asked curiously. In fact, everyone else was equally curious.

Lawyer Adler took out two brown paper envelopes and placed them on the table, pushing one forward first, and said, "You have written quite a few manuscripts recently, haven't you? Ms. Hepburn asked me to contact publishing houses in the UK and the US that are interested in publishing them."

"This is the best offer from a publisher in the US, and the publication process has already begun. If you plan to return to the US, you can follow up on the subsequent matters yourself, so I won't need to contact them across the ocean for you from Switzerland."

"If you still need my services, we can discuss the fees separately. Also, although this is something left to you by Ms. Hepburn, the copyright belongs to you by right; the lady's contribution was merely a letter of recommendation."

"Therefore, this cannot be considered a valuable estate to be inherited by the legal heirs. Of course, there are no inheritance tax or other financial matters to handle, so please accept it with peace of mind."

Robert suddenly realized and said, "Oh, it's those love stories you mentioned. Henry, this is quite good. I was originally going to advise you to publish them, but I didn't expect Audrey to have already arranged it for you."

"This..." This was truly an unexpected path. Henry smiled bitterly. Robert then told the others what he had heard during this time, letting everyone know exactly what this bequest from Audrey Hepburn was.

Finally, Henry said with a carefree attitude, "Alright, I can't escape this one. So what is the other thing? It won't be something I can't refuse again, will it?"

Lawyer Adler pushed the second brown paper envelope forward and said, "This is a signed photograph of Ms. Hepburn."

No sooner had the words left his lips than Henry eagerly picked up the second brown paper envelope, opened it, and took out the photo inside.

It was a black-and-white still from the movie "Roman Holiday," and it was a close-up portrait. It permanently preserved Audrey Hepburn, in her prime in her twenties, within the photograph.

On the back of the photo, there was a signature and a message written by the lady in cursive script.

Written in English, reflecting the lady's gentle and virtuous character, it read: "The moonlight tonight is very beautiful."

(End of Chapter)