Chapter 5

January 20, 2024

The clock on the wall in Whitten’s study read 10:00 am, everyone was seated, and they had been waiting for Harrison to start the reading of Whitten’s will. Before he started, he handed a sealed envelope to Blaire, who decided it be best to read it later so they could continue with matters at hand. There were a few perfunctory words, but for the most part, it was simple and straightforward.

The will was dated a week before his death, which was, as Blaire would discover later an uncanny coincidence. This is because the letter in the envelope was dated the same day. The will gave Grace, all of the cash in his checking and savings accounts, with exception of a sum of one hundred million dollars in the First Texas National bank. To whom this would be given would be discussed later. Mr. Whitten also distributed ten million dollars each, to Blaire, Ian, and Sean and for Mr. Watts. It went on to say that the retirement home on Tiki Island in Galveston was to be Grace’s along with a five­- percent share of Whitten Avionics Inc. To Blaire, Whitten bequeathed his estate “Whitehall”, that being the only home she remembered. The estate included not only the main house and guest house and servant’s quarters, but it included 35 acres of land, in the exclusive Memorial area. She also received a twenty percent share of Whitten Avionics. Ian received a written apology, for the way Whitten had treated him and as proof, he gave Ian his yacht “Atlantis Reborn.”

Sean was informed that he was to receive a fifty-five percent share in Whitten Avionics and all of his college expenses would be paid until graduation. However, the big shock was he was to receive the subsidiary company, Whitten Enterprises, the holding company that owned all of the companies that Whitten had bought in his expansion and take over days. The largest company of the group, Mega-Tronics, was a major computer chip manufacturer. It supplied LDC with all of the computer chips, for its shuttle operations and also for its land-based computer systems. It was also the colony’s network and operations supplier, and the space station computers were custom made by Mega-Tronics as well. They produced the fastest chip available. They also produced the best memory storage system, it worked on the ‘Bubble Memory’ theory, but these were only available to private commercial sectors. They also were not cheap. This technology was extremely costly, if not at times cost-prohibitive, a fact that made Mega-Tronics a very handsome profit.

The greatest surprise was that Sean was going to inherit a very large block of class “A” voting stock in LDC, a twelve percent share to be exact. It was such a surprise that it nearly caused a family feud. Both Blaire and Grace, Whitten’s widow, thought that surely, they were entitled to at least some of the bounty that was suddenly flowing to this child, as Grace had called Sean. But Harrison stopped all the bickering in its tracks, when he said he was present at the time the stock was first purchased back in 2002.

“It was always going to be given to Sean.” Harrison declared. “Whitten put that into his will the same day Sean was born. Although his will has changed over the years, the one thing that has remained constant has been this fact. The LDC stock and all rights that come with it are to go to Sean W. Mallory.”

“May I ask you something,” Sean interjected.

“Of course, go ahead” Harry answered.

“Well not to sound greedy, but what does all this,” he spread out his arms for emphasis, “add up to?”

Harrison looked directly into his eyes, and then after a few seconds looked at the others in the room. Then paused and looked at the document in his hands. Then he brought his attention back to Sean. “Close to 80 billion dollars, when you factor everything at the close of business yesterday.” He finally answered.

This caused an uproar, everyone started talking at once. Comments like “Maybe we should contest the will”, and,” This is an absolute outrage, he must have been out of his mind, after all, he was still recovering from a stroke.” These statements and many others were made.

Harrison let the noise go on for a while. He knew it was going to happen and he knew it needed to be let out. Just like a release valve on a steam engine let excess pressure escape. Too much pressure had built up and had to be released. After a few minutes of the cacophony, of voices, he announced that the reading was not yet finished.

“If I may continue.” He nearly shouted. “I’m quite sure you will be very interested in what the rest of this will has to say. Now then to continue, ... and to the staff of Whitehall I bequeath that each member of my staff receive a sum equal to 2 years pay as a severance package and a token of my thanks for all of your years of faithful service.”

“And now to the part that is the most important,” stated Harrison. “If anyone for any reason contests this will, then all of my property and my companies shall be sold for top dollar and all of the proceeds shall be divided between these charities. 1) The Fertility Foundation, 2) The adopt a Child of America Foundation, 3) The Runaway Teen Hot Line Crisis Center, and Whitehall and all its lands, will be turned into The Whitehall Home for Wayward Youths. It will not matter. If the will is contested nobody will inherit a cent of my money. To ensure that my wishes are carried out I have authorized Harrison Clayton to be the executor of my estate. He will also be the head of the J. Edwin Whitten Foundation, a charitable foundation for underprivileged youths, this foundation will be started with the above mentioned 100 million dollars, and if this will be contested whatever other money is left will be channeled into the foundation as well.