Funeral Banquet

After the funeral, a memorial banquet was being held at the former home of Hepburn in the small town of Tolochenaz, where relatives and friends were paying their respects to the lady. Henry, who had just finished his work, was in the Penthouse, packing his belongings, preparing to pack them up and send them back to his rented apartment in Los Angeles.

With the employer gone, the job is gone too. As for the last month's salary, it should be possible to claim it from Ms. Hepburn's former lawyer.

Matters concerning money, taxes, and Audrey Hepburn's investment projects were handled by a lawyer who was an old friend of the lady and with whom she had worked for a considerable period.

Furthermore, Henry also had to settle accounts with Hepburn regarding the allowance she had left with him, and return the supplementary credit cards. All of these matters required signed receipts.

What can be said? Some people die, but the living must continue to live. The rules of the world cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to money, which is prone to disputes.

"Henry, are you up there?" someone called towards the top of the stairs in the Penthouse.

"Yes. Is anything else needed downstairs?" Most of the food for the funeral feast was prepared by Henry. It mainly consisted of cold dishes, not many of the kinds of food that had to be eaten while hot. If they ran out, they would have to be replenished or replaced with other dishes.

However, the person standing at the top of the Penthouse stairs wasn't asking Henry to come down and help. It was an elderly German man with the Mediterranean Sea hairline, Arnie Adler, Ms. Hepburn's lawyer.

He said, "Because the lady's family members all have their own lives and live far apart. They will need to reunite in the future..."

It might not be that convenient. That's why I've scheduled the reading of the will for tonight; I'm here to inform you that you also need to be present.

Henry, still somewhat surprised, asked as he walked down the aisle, "What would I be doing there while the will is being read?"

"I need your presence because it's related to you, of course. Don't wander off tonight, or I'll have to call you again."

"Okay, I will." After agreeing, Henry asked again, "Mr. Adler, what about my final salary?"

"And what should I do with the pocket money and credit cards that my boss has entrusted to me?"

"Oh, the lady instructed me before she passed away to settle this with you, and there's a special fund for these expenses. The accountant happens to be here too; come with me to him and get this settled."

Henry asked, "Is there any quiet place in the house? Or would you like to come to the Penthouse?"

The two looked around the house, and lawyer Adler said, "I think I'll bring the person to the Penthouse."

"Okay. I'll go prepare the documents and things to be handed over."

"OK."

A short while later, lawyer Adler brought another old German man up to the Penthouse.

This place was originally used as a warehouse, but since Henry moved in, he cleaned and tidied it up, turning it into a small living room and bedroom. It's much bigger than the room he was originally assigned to downstairs.

The people preparing to leave were packing their belongings, so it looked a bit messy. Fortunately, it didn't look dirty, and the lighting was quite bright.

Seeing this, Ani Adler asked, "Henry, are you moving out so soon?"

"My job is to be the boss's assistant. The boss is gone, and I can't communicate with spirits, so I'm her representative on earth. What else can I do if I don't leave?" Henry laughed.

"Didn't Robert or Sean talk to you?"

Henry shook his head and said, "They all have experienced people. I just happened to fill the vacancy left by Anton's retirement, which is why I was fortunate enough to work for the boss. Now, there's no point in forcing myself to stay."

Henry was able to stay in the position of assistant because his client was Audrey Hepburn. He wouldn't have been interested in anyone else. It wasn't a question of whether he could do it or not, but whether he would enjoy it.

He invited the two respectable men to sit down and served them tea. Henry then laid out his prepared account books, receipts, and various currencies and credit cards to be returned on the table.

The accountant calculated and counted the amount based on the ledgers and documents. After confirming that everything was correct, he issued a visa for approval.

Together with lawyer Ani Adler, they put the returned cash and credit cards into a brown paper bag and sealed it, to be taken out and counted later during the asset liquidation.

After confirming that the wording of the dowry drafted by Henry Adler correct, both parties signed and accepted it.

In particular, this legal document was signed in Switzerland, and Ani Adler is a practicing lawyer in Switzerland, so the text of the document is written in French, one of the official languages Switzerland, rather than in English.

Looking at the statement of consent drafted by Henry, Attorney Adler exclaimed, "If the lady hadn't told me herself that you don't have any degree from any school, I would have thought you were a top student from some law school."

"Even my firm's interns might not be able to write such a simple document smoothly. They just know how to find existing documents, make copies, or copy them verbatim with only minor modifications."

Henry chuckled and said, "This is an excuse. I looked for information beforehand, but I only saw templates, not blank copies, so I wrote this down."

"That's excellent too," Attorney Adler chuckled. "Remember to stay tonight, don't leave too early. My old bones and legs are getting old; if you expect me to search the whole world for you, I'll definitely complain to Ms. Hepburn when I see her."

The old man was telling Hell jokes, what could Henry do? He could only laugh and reply, "I certainly won't be complaining so soon. Give me a few more years to catch my breath."

"You rascal," Attorney Adler chuckled, patting Henry on the shoulder. "Got it, you have to be there."

"OK."

Having been specifically asked to attend, Henry certainly wouldn't deliberately go against the grain and insist on leaving early. Besides, he also needed help with the cleanup of the funeral banquet. After seeing off most of the guests, Henry arrived at the dining table in the restaurant where the lady's will was to be read.

The woman's two children sat in the front, while their father sat behind them.

Although her ex-husband had no legal right to distribute the property, and the children were adults and did not need a guardian, the vast estate of Audrey Hepburn was of great concern to everyone.

Unauthorized individuals are not allowed to stay; otherwise, believe me, the restaurant will be packed tonight.

Robert Wolders was the woman's acknowledged life partner, but the two were not legally married. This decision was made to protect the inheritance rights of her two children.

Robert did not object to the lady's actions. But as her de facto husband, it was impossible for her to leave him nothing. This was something that neither Sean nor Luca could object to.

It was not surprising that Hubert de Givenchy, a close friend, was also present. However, Henry's appearance still slightly surprised everyone there.

Although no malice was explicitly shown, people couldn't help but wonder what the assistant might gain from the lady's inheritance.