We speak as one and Sophia leans forward, Sister Agatha also interested in what the boxes contain.
We insert our respective keys into the locks, and as I turn mine, my heart beats way too fast. Tears come to my eyes as I picture my father. Enrico Zaferelli, a hard man but our father all the same. I will never forget the regret in his expression when he gave us the keys, and I’m not surprised that Sister Agatha has the boxes.
I raise my eyes and say with curiosity, “Before we open the boxes, how did you get them?”
“Your mom brought them to me.”
“My mom!”
I’m amazed.
“When?”
“Shortly after she married her husband, who was the executor of your father’s will. She believed they would be safer in the Order of the Holy Mother of God, and she was right. I keptthem under the altar, the safest place there, and every day when you kneeled before it, I loved knowing you were always so close to your legacy.”
Our attention returns to the boxes and Alice says brightly, “Well, here goes. In three, two, one–”
We turn the keys and as I lift the lid, my shocked gasp echoes those of my sisters.
“What is it?”
Sophia is excited and my fingers tremble as I reach for the biggest diamond I have ever seen in my life.
I hold it up, my sisters doing the same, and they are so big, almost like a tennis ball. My sisters hold similar ones in their hands, astonishment on their faces that I share.
“I can’t believe it.”
There is a note folded inside the box, and I read it out loud.
My darling, Tiffany.
If you are holding this diamond, I am dead. Either by old age or at the hands of unscrupulous organization, I foolishly allowed to shape our lives. This is my apology to you. You have money. Your inheritance should be protected to some degree, but this is your inheritance from me.
A rare diamond.
The largest one known in the world. Priceless as one stone but worth billions if broken up.
You may wonder why I didn’t use it to my advantage. To pay off my debts and rid out lives of the darkness. I considered it several times, but each time I reminded myself that my debt to that family would never be paid. I had signed my death warrant, and this is my revenge. On them.
Your sisters have one each, the pink diamond and the green diamond, all priceless.
You may be wondering why I included terms and conditions in my will. It was for a very good reason.
These diamonds are not yours.
They are for my grandchildren. You have your trust funds; you will never spend the money. Your children now have The Diamond Dynasty, or what is left of it, anyway.
Under the terms of the law, any gifts must have been gifted seven years before I died, otherwise they return to the estate. Tiffany’s twenty-fifth birthday.
This gift was an idea your mother gave me. She told me one day it would be the most tax efficient inheritance I could bestow on you. I’m not certain if she meant the priceless diamonds. Her idea was probably more like stocks and shares, a trust fund perhaps. But this is my gift to you all.
Diamonds made me who I was and ultimately became my downfall. You must gift them to your children now. A further seven years in their boxes and they will be set for life.
Or you could use the diamonds to improve your life, which I am extremely sad not to be a part of. Remember, I loved you girls. I always did; despite the fact that I never demonstrated it.
Whatever happens to these rare diamonds is yours to decide.
I wish you health and happiness, and above all, a long and amazing life.