Chapter 6 - The Transfer
At nine o'clock the following morning, three black SUVs pulled up to the curb outside the Bellamy family residence in the quiet suburb of Oakridge.
The house—a sprawling, twenty-year-old Colonial that had once been pristine—was showing its age. The paint on the front porch pillars was peeling, the lawn was untrimmed, and the heavy oak front door was propped open with an old brass doorstop.
Simone stepped out of the lead SUV, her right hand tucked neatly into a soft cashmere sling, wearing a clean tailored coat that Julian had ordered for her that morning.
Behind her stepped Julian, followed by four large men in dark grey suits carrying heavy aluminum transport cases.
Inside the house, the atmosphere was chaotic.
Deline was sitting at the dining room table in her silk dressing gown, her hair in rollers, surrounded by three catering managers and an event coordinator who were all shouting at once.
“The hotel cleared the ballroom at midnight!” the caterer yelled, waving a clipboard in the air. “They locked our equipment in the service bay! Mr. Marzano’s security team told us our deposit was forfeited due to property damage!”
“I don't care about your deposit!” Deline screamed, slamming her coffee cup onto the table, splashing dark liquid over her wedding planner’s binder. “My father-in-law is calling the governor! We are going to sue that hotel for—"
She froze.
Simone walked through the front archway, her expression completely calm.
Behind her, Julian Marzano filled the doorway, his massive shoulders blocking out the morning sunlight from the hall windows.
Deline stood up so fast her chair screeched against the hardwood floor. “You! How dare you show your face in this house after what you did last night?!”
Simone didn't answer her. She looked past Deline toward the back hallway, where Nurse Clara was pushing Walter’s wheelchair out of his ground-floor bedroom.
Walter’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Simone.
“Daddy,” Simone said, walking quickly across the room, ignoring Deline completely. She dropped to one knee beside his chair, placing her left hand on his knee. “We’re leaving.”
“Leaving?” Deline shrieked, running over to the hallway entrance. “He isn't going anywhere! This is his house! I am his healthcare proxy!”
Julian took a single step forward into the room.
The four men behind him immediately fanned out, two standing near the front door, two positioning themselves quietly on either side of the dining room table. The catering managers instantly lowered their clipboards and backed toward the kitchen door without saying another word.
Julian pulled a folded white document from his coat pocket and tossed it onto the dining table.
“You were his proxy,” Julian said calmly. “Until six o'clock this morning, when Judge Henderson signed an emergency court order transferring full conservatorship to Simone Bellamy based on evidence of financial mismanagement.”
Deline stared at the paper as if it were a poisonous spider. “Judge Henderson? That... that’s impossible! Matteo’s father speaks to Henderson every week!”
“Judge Henderson doesn't like politicians who steal from stroke victims,” Julian said flatly. “Nurse Clara, please gather Mr. Bellamy’s personal medical files and immediate clothing. The transport vehicle is waiting.”
“Yes, Mr. Marzano,” Nurse Clara said briskly, stepping around Deline with a look of absolute satisfaction on her face.
Deline turned on Simone, her eyes wide with frantic, uncontrolled rage. “You think you’ve won, don't you?! You think because this... this gangster picked you off the floor that you’re safe?! Matteo is going to freeze every account you have! He’s going to make sure Daddy’s pension is audited!”
Simone stood up slowly. She walked over to the table, picked up a small silver-framed photograph of her mother that had been sitting among Deline’s wedding clutter, and tucked it carefully under her left arm.
She looked at her sister.
“Matteo’s accounts were frozen two hours ago, Deline,” Simone said, her voice remarkably steady. “The District Attorney’s office issued three search warrants for your wedding vendors this morning. If I were you, I would stop worrying about my pension and start looking for a criminal defense lawyer who takes credit cards.”
Deline gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
Julian opened the front door, gesturing for Nurse Clara to push Walter’s wheelchair down the new ramp toward the specialized medical van parked behind the SUVs.
As Walter passed Julian, the old man lifted his good hand, reaching out to grasp Julian’s wrist.
Julian didn't pull away. He stopped, leaning down so his ear was three inches from Walter’s mouth.
Walter produced a rough, low, slurred whisper: “Take... care... of... her.”
May you like
Julian looked up at the old man, his hazel eyes completely clear.
“With my life, sir,” Julian said.
