The Good Twin(39)

“What does this all mean?” Ben asked. “What’s the bottom line?”

I stared at Ben. This was supposed to be my inheritance. Didn’t he realize how inappropriately eager he sounded?

“Well, the federal inheritance tax rate is forty percent, and New York state inheritance tax is another sixteen percent.”

I could see Ben doing a quick calculation in his head, and then his eyes bugged out.

“You mean taxes will be almost five hundred million?” he asked.

I wished I could will Ben to quiet his reaction. Half a billion still left more than $2 billion—more money than either of us could spend in a lifetime, I figured.

“The good news is that Rick prepared for that kind of hit almost ten years ago. Jensen Capital was really taking off, and he didn’t want you,” he nodded in my direction, “stuck with a huge tax bill. He created an irrevocable life insurance trust—an ILIT—and named me as the trustee. I then purchased life insurance in the amount of two hundred fifty million dollars as trustee of the ILIT. Now, I submit a claim on the insurance, and when it’s paid, it’s not considered part of your father’s trust, and it’s not taxable. That money will then be used to pay half of the estate tax that’s due.”

“That’s brilliant,” I said. I looked over at Ben. He still had a sour look on his face. What a greedy bastard, I thought.

I thanked Kantor and stood up to leave, but Ben stopped at the doorway to ask one more question. “How long will all of this take?”

“I’ll have to get a new tax ID for the trust, and file a tax return for it, but you can get access to the cash immediately. Changing the ownership of the stocks and bonds will take a little longer. Figure about two months to wrap everything up.”

Ben squeezed my hand as we left the office. “You did good, kid.”

I suppose I had.



The next morning, we headed to Steve Goldfarb’s midtown office on Park Avenue. He was the attorney who’d drawn up the prenuptial agreements Ben and Charly had signed before they were married. He worked in a midsize firm, specializing in matrimonial and family law. We were ushered into his office as soon as we arrived.

“I heard about your father, Charly. My deepest condolences,” he said, a somber look on his face.

“Thank you.”

“So, how can I help you today?”

“You may remember, the only reason I agreed to a prenuptial agreement was to satisfy my father. He was so insistent. Now that he’s gone, I want to revoke it.”

Goldfarb cleared his throat, then began tapping his fingers on the desk. “You know, your father was looking out for your welfare. I advise everyone who has substantial assets to have a prenuptial agreement.”

I took Ben’s hand in mine. “I love Ben very much. I’ve shared my life with him for the past six years. Now, I want to share my wealth.” I looked over at Ben and smiled, then turned back to Goldfarb. “This is my Valentine’s Day gift to Ben.” I could see Goldfarb becoming more agitated as I spoke. A sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he was rubbing the back of his neck.

“If I remember correctly, your prenup was very generous to Ben. If you divorced, he would get a million dollars for each year of marriage. Unless the divorce was the result of an affair.”

I smiled. “But I’m worth so much more than that. Especially once Dad’s estate is settled. I trust Ben completely, and I want to do this to show my trust.” All this time, Ben sat quietly next to me, his back straight in the chair.

Goldfarb slowly shook his head. “I strongly advise against it. But if you insist, I’ll draw up a revocation. I’ll have my assistant call you when it’s ready.”

“I’d like you to do it now. We can wait.”

“I have another appointment soon. I promise, I’ll have it in a day or two.”

I remained in my seat. “I suspect you can have a paralegal prepare it in less than a half hour. How about we go get a cup of coffee and then return in an hour?”

The attorney sighed deeply, then nodded. “One hour. I’ll see you then.”



An hour later, we were back. Once again, we were brought into Goldfarb’s office right away. A young woman was already seated by his desk, and Goldfarb instructed his assistant to remain. “Charlotte, Ben, this is Amy. She’s prepared the revocation.” He handed copies to Ben and me to read over, and when we finished, offered us pens. We signed each of the three copies, then Amy, Goldfarb, and his assistant signed as witnesses.

We left the office, and before heading our separate ways, Ben hugged me. “We did it,” he whispered in my ear. “We’re both going to be filthy rich. We can have the lives we want.”

I pulled away, then smiled weakly. “But look at the cost,” I said, then turned and walked away. I had performed as promised. My job was done.





CHAPTER 29

The next day, Ben got to the gym early and decided to grab a latte at the café while he waited for Graham. After it was handed to him, he glanced around and saw that every table was taken. Sitting alone at one was a stunning brunette, still clothed in her spandex tights, with a sports bra covering her ample breasts. He walked over. “Mind if I sit here?”

She smiled and looked even more beautiful. “Not at all. I’ve seen you around. I guess we work out at the same time.”