The lawyer eyed James with a mix of pity and discomfort. “My God. You look just like her.”
“I can’t believe she did this to me,” James said, his hand cradling his new breast. “To inherit... I had to become her daughter? It’s insane.”
“It was explicit in her will. She built an empire on personal beauty and femininity. She believed only a woman could run it—”
“But I’m not—”
“You are now,” the lawyer said. “You agreed to the terms.”
“She disowned me when I turned eighteen because I was a boy! She kicked me out. I was homeless for a while.” James’s voice broke as he spoke. “I had to dig through trash for food, sleep under bridges... And now she forces me back, but only by taking everything from me? My identity? My body?”
“Your mother was a…complicated woman. But always wanted a daughter to inherit her business, her vision.” The lawyer sighed. “She loved you—in her way. This was how she knew to show it.”
“Love? You call this love?”
“You can’t know her like I did. To even give you a second chance—”
“Fuck you. This isn’t a second chance, it’s her final insult. She always wanted a doll more than a child.” James felt tears welling up, betraying his stoic front. “She couldn’t accept me as I was.”
“James...”
“No! Don’t ‘James’ me! My name... my name was supposed to be Jasmine. She decided before I was born. When I came out wrong in her eyes, she never forgave me.”
“There’s more at stake than just money here. Your mother’s company employs thousands. They depend on its survival.” The lawyer’s gaze hardened. “Now that’s enough self-pity. It’s done. You’re Jasmine now, and it’s time to act like her.”
Jasmine clenched his fists, nails digging into her palms. “I didn’t ask for this body! For these...these...”
“Breasts,” the lawyer finished flatly. “Curves. Soft skin. Yes, you have them now because that was the condition of inheritance. You think you’re the first to sacrifice for power? This company is a titan in the industry because she demanded excellence and got it by any means necessary.”
Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest, the weight foreign yet undeniable.
“You’ve been given an empire,” the lawyer continued. “It’s more than most will ever dream of.”
Jasmine opened her eyes and met the lawyer’s unwavering stare. “I’ll run her damn company. But not as her puppet or some twisted version of a daughter she never had.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Jasmine stood, grabbed the bra off the table, and pulled it over her head. The fabric stretched snugly across her chest. “Nothing about my life has ever been easy.” She stared at the lawyer with a steely determination that could only have been inherited from her mother. “And make no mistake—I’ll do it my way.”