Gemotions

He ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair. Another useless bauble. Another heirloom that belonged in a museum, not in his cluttered apartment. Daniel scowled at the ornate, gold-plated letter opener that had just been handed to him by the solicitor. His sister, Clara, got the beachfront property in Malibu. He got… this.

His stomach clenched. He could feel a headache building behind his eyes. He'd been looking forward to this meeting for so long, and now this was it. All this fuss for nothing. He tapped the letter opener impatiently against the mahogany table. It left little scratches.

“Is that it?” he barked, his voice sharper than he intended. The solicitor, a thin man with a nervous tic, flinched. Daniel wanted to scream. He'd poured his heart and soul into their grandmother’s care for years, and now he was getting a silly letter opener? He wanted to throw it. But he didn't. He took a deep, shaky breath, and smiled, tight as a drum.