ZACH’S POV

It depicted a younger, carefree version of myself with a beaming Malia by my side. We were both teenagers, dressed in our high school graduation gowns, the world a canvas of possibilities stretching before us. The sight of her, a ghost from a happier time, ignited a spark of nostalgia within me, a bittersweet pang for what could have been.

Malia's interests? The lawyer's cryptic parting words echoed in my mind. What kind of interests could possibly be relevant to this bizarre inheritance situation?

A wave of nostalgia washed over me, tinged with a bittersweet pang. I rummaged through a drawer, finally retrieving a dusty photo album. Its...