Kayla looked at Scott, her eyes darting nervously.

“Scott, what is he talking about?” she asked.

“Shut up,” Scott snapped.

“Don’t tell me to shut up!” Kayla yelled, her voice echoing in the small room.

“Quiet, both of you,” Sterling said, his voice dropping an octave.

He looked at Jerome, his eyes narrowing.

“Even if you contest the inheritance, you have no claim to the pre-marital home,” Sterling said. “The house in the suburbs belongs to Scott. It was purchased three years before they met.”

“It was,” Jerome agreed.

“And Avery signed a waiver of interest when they married,” Sterling added.

“She did,” Jerome said. “But that waiver assumes the property was maintained solely with separate funds.”

Scott sneered. “It was. I paid the mortgage from my personal account.”

“Your personal account which was funded by your salary during the marriage,” Jerome said.

Jerome pulled out a bank statement with a yellow highlighter marking several transactions.

“Salary earned during a marriage is considered marital property,” Jerome explained.

He slid the statements across the polished wood table.