Divorce to Destiny: Reclaiming My CEO Husband

(Winona)

The law office feels oppressive, the kind of place that absorbs every ounce of emotion and holds it hostage.

Lisa sits beside me, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her skirt. She's trying to look composed, but the redness around her eyes gives her away. She hasn't stopped crying since Lance's death.

I glance at the empty chair where Jayden should be. I tried to convince him to come, but he flat-out refused. Too much history. Too much pain. I can't force him, and honestly, I don't have the energy to try. I wasted enough of my life trying to change Jayden's mind on things.

I'm free of Judy and I'm going to make the most of that. This much I do know. But first, I need to get Lisa through this tragedy and broken heart.

The lawyer clears his throat. "Thank you for coming. We are here for the reading of Lance Edward Collins' last will and testament. Copies of the document will be provided after this session."

Lisa shifts in her seat, her breathing shallow. I reach over and squeeze her hand. She doesn't look at me, but I can feel her grip tighten.

"To Lisa," the lawyer nods over at Lisa and begins, "Lance has left the entirety of his personal fortune, a total amount of cash and investments in excess of ten billion dollars, along with instructions to continue supporting the charities he was passionate about, particularly his personal charity funding mental health and education for at-risk youth."

Lisa looks at me with her eyebrows raised. I shake my head indicating I have no clue either. Lance never mentioned charities or the size of his fortune.

The lawyer keeps reading, "he writes, 'Lisa, you brought light to my life in a way I never thought possible. I trust you to keep shining that light for others. Start with yourself, and let it grow from there.""

Lisa's hand flies to her mouth, and the tears come fast. "I... I don't know if I can do that," she whispers, her voice cracking. "He always had a job, wanted a job, I don't even know where to start." "We'll work it out."

She nods, but the doubt in her eyes is unmistakable.

The lawyer continues. "To Winona, Lance has left the entirety of his shares and ownership of his startup company, FinEase, a platform designed to make financial planning, saving, and investing accessible to everyday people."

FinEase! What the actual fuck? My mind is exploding right now. FinEase is Lance? I probably should have guessed from the sucky name, he was always so bad at that.

His lawyer continues, "his note to you reads: 'Winona, you have always had a way of seeing potential where others see limitations. I started FinEase with the belief that financial literacy should be for everyone, not just the elite. I believe you are the right person to take this to the next level. And for god's sake, change the name... it sucks.""

I blink back tears and laugh despite the gravity of it all. "Yes, yes it does," I manage to say.

"FinEase," the lawyer repeats. "It's a financial planning app that—"

"I know what it is," I interrupt, my mind racing. "I just... I didn't know Lance was behind it."

Lisa looks at me, her tears momentarily forgotten. "Wait, that FinEase? The one that's been blowing up everywhere for months?"

The lawyer nods. "The company that FinEase is under includes other investments and is currently valued at just over five billion dollars, with projections suggesting significant growth in the next five years

My stomach flips. Lance was always brilliant with finances, but he'd never mentioned this. Not once. And now, he's left it to me?

Lisa nudges me. "Winona, you're perfect for this. You've built brands from scratch. You can take this and run with it. Your very own business again."

I shake my head, still trying to process. "This is... huge."

"Lance was an extremely savvy investor," the lawyer says simply, as if that settles the fact that I've just become a billionaire in seconds.

The lawyer moves on. "Lance also

requested cremation and that his ashes be handled jointly by Lisa, Winona, and Jayden-the only family he considered himself to have. He left no preference for a service, stating only that you three decide What feels right."

Lisa's lip quivers, and she turns to me. "He was our family too."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yes, yes he was."

The lawyer wraps up, handing us copies of the will. Lisa and I both sniffling over the hole left by Lance that no amount of money or businesses can fill.

As we leave the office, Lisa turns to me. "Winona, what if I screw this up? What if I can't handle everything he's left me? I've never been the 'work a job' type."

"You won't screw it up," I say firmly. "And you're not alone. You'll have a team, and you'll have me. We'll figure it out together."

She nods, but her doubt is still there. "You have the pregnancy to worry about and now, FinEase. You won't have time to sort out my crap too."

"Look, Lance would not have done

this if he didn't think you could handle it. Maybe it's exactly what you need. Give it a chance. Give yourself a chance. You might love working."

She screws up her face then gives a small laugh. "Yeah right. I might also single handedly bring this empire down overnight."

"Let's give it a week." I grin at her. "You do realize we are both now billionaires. This is crazy."

"I'd give back every cent to have him walk through my door again," Lisa says.

I squeeze her hand. "Me too. But all we can do now is carry his baton for him."

As we step out into the cool afternoon air, Lisa wipes her eyes and straightens her shoulders. "Okay. Let's do this. For Lance." "For Lance."