Amanda’s husband, Eric, co-owned an IT company with his business partner, Michael. When her husband died, she heard a strange man at the funeral say that “everything was going according to plan.” But neither she nor Michael understood what that meant until they discovered Eric’s will.
Eric’s passing was a complete surprise to everyone. He was a healthy man in his 40s, but one day, his secretary found him on the floor of his office. The doctors determined it was a heart attack, and they couldn’t save him.
His wife Amanda Tucker was distraught, and his business partner, Michael Hunt, was also sad. He and Eric had built their tech company from scratch, and it had become one of the best in Silicon Valley, California. Eric was so loved that everyone in the company wanted to attend the funeral.
Amanda was mostly numb through the entire service but had to greet and accept condolences from at least a hundred people. They didn’t have children, and her family lived in another country. So, it felt like she didn’t have anyone to lean on besides Michael.
Michael tried to be there, but he was in pain too. However, Amanda noticed that one man stayed in the corner of the room the entire service. He distanced himself from everyone and did not pay his respects.
She began to think that he worked for the funerary service, but she had seen the other workers earlier that day. When everyone got in line to say goodbye to her husband, she noticed the man reaching for his cellphone.
Amanda paid attention, and despite the chatter of others, she distinctly heard, “Everything’s going according to plan.” Just then, another person came to offer their condolences, and when Amanda looked back, the man was gone.
She asked Michael about him but she couldn’t give a clear description of him. “It must have been someone from the company, Amanda. Everyone loved Eric so much. He was the best boss and cared about his employees. I don’t know how we’re going to make it without him,” Michael replied.
After hearing Michael’s words, she put the strange man and his cryptic words out of her mind. She needed to settle some things and move on with her life.
A few days after the funeral, Michael called her. “Amanda, I need you to come down to our lawyer’s office. There’s something he wants to discuss,” he said.
“Mr. Ferguson wants to talk to me? What about? Eric didn’t have time to make a will. Is there something wrong with the business?” Amanda asked worriedly.
“I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but you need to come. I’ll be there too. Something’s happening,” Michael added mysteriously. Amanda didn’t know what to think, but she got dressed and went to the meeting.
Surprisingly, the strange man from the funeral was in the lawyer’s office. “Mr. Ferguson, it’s nice to see you,” Amanda greeted the lawyer just as Michael came into the office, frowning at the man sitting in the corner.
“My sincerest condolences, Mrs. Tucker. Everyone will miss Eric,” Mr. Ferguson replied. “I’ll get right to it. I’m the executor of your husband’s will.”
“But Eric didn’t leave a will,” Amanda countered.
Mr. Ferguson looked at her sadly and sighed. “Yes, he did. A few months ago, Eric made a will. It was a rushed process, but he seemed adamant,” the lawyer revealed.
“What’s going on, Mr. Ferguson? Eric never did anything without telling Amanda or me. That doesn’t make any sense. Also, why is Benjamin Scott here?” Michael questioned.
“You know that man?” Amanda asked, shocked.
“Yes, he worked closely with us for years,” Michael answered.
“Mr. Scott is here because he is one of the beneficiaries of Eric’s will,” Mr. Ferguson explained. Amanda and Michael looked at each other in surprise, then the lawyer revealed that Eric left his share of the company to Benjamin.
“That’s impossible!” Michael roared. Amanda was quiet, but she couldn’t believe it either.
“It’s not impossible, Mr. Hunt. I look forward to finally working with you as a partner and not as your subordinate,” Benjamin said smugly and left the lawyer’s office. Mr. Ferguson had no idea why Eric made the decision.
“Something is going on. That man said, ‘Everything is going according to plan,’ to someone at Eric’s funeral. He did something to Eric!” Amanda sobbed after they left the lawyer’s office.
“Don’t worry, Amanda. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Benjamin is not going to get away with this,” Michael promised.
Michael hired a reputable P.I. firm immediately. It took a few weeks, but they discovered how Benjamin had threatened Eric on several occasions.
There were horrible emails on Eric’s computer from an unknown account that they traced back to Benjamin’s house. He often said he would harm Amanda. They also discovered footage of Benjamin hitting Eric in his own office.
That was enough to launch a police investigation, and Benjamin was arrested before he could get his hands on the company. Michael suspected that Eric only made the will to buy time and keep Benjamin calm while thinking of a solution. Amanda couldn’t thank him enough.
“Thank you so much for everything! You have supported me through all of this, and you’re in mourning too. You’re also running the company alone. You’re amazing,” she told him.
“Well, I wasn’t going to let that man steal all our hard work. I wished Eric had told me what was going on earlier, s I could have helped him,” Michael replied.
“He probably didn’t want word to get out. But I have a question. Who was Benjamin talking to at the funeral?” Amanda wondered.
“The police are investigating that. But I think it might be one of our competitors,” Michael continued. “This business is brutal, and when it comes to money, people will do crazy things.”
Benjamin eventually gave out the name of his accomplice, and the cops arrested him. Michael was right, as it had been someone important from a competing corporation. He tightened security after that and fired anyone they suspected to be in cahoots with these people.
Meanwhile, Amanda received Eric’s shares of the company, which Michael managed. The business continued to grow, and they never had to worry about Benjamin again.
