Chapter 5 - THE MASTER CODICIL
Arthur Bell stood up and moved to the head of the table.
He was a man who had seen three generations of my family.
He had been there when Grant was hired as a junior analyst.
He had been there at our wedding,
offering a toast to "long-lasting prosperity."
“Grant,”
Arthur said,
his voice heavy with disappointment.
“We found the master codicil.”
Grant looked up,
his eyes widening.
“The what?”
“The secret amendment your father-in-law made before he died.”
I watched Grant’s face.
He had always been obsessed with the will.
He had spent years trying to find a way to break the trust.
“The codicil states,”
Arthur continued,
“that in the event of documented infidelity,”
“any spouse of a Bellamy heir forfeits all rights to the family name,”
“all rights to corporate shares,”
“and is subject to a full claw-back of all gifts received during the marriage.”
The room went deathly silent.
Grant’s jaw dropped.
“That’s not legal.
You can’t do that.”
“It’s very legal when the trust is private,”
Madeleine Cross said.
“And since the behavior is now part of the public record—thanks to the event at The Plaza—”
“The claw-back is already in motion.”
“We’ve already seized your personal accounts,
Grant.”
“And the villa in Tuscany.”
“And the apartment you bought for Sienna’s mother.”
Sienna let out a sharp cry.
“My mother?
She has nowhere else to go!”
Grant turned on her,
snarling.
“Shut up,
Sienna!”
The man she thought was her protector had finally shown his true teeth.
He was a cornered animal,
ready to bite anyone to save himself.
I watched the scene with a cold detachment.
I felt no joy,
only a profound sense of closure.
The man I had spent a decade supporting was a fiction.
The man before me was the reality.
“There’s one more thing,”
I said,
May you like
looking at Grant.
“The robe wasn't the most shocking thing you stole.”
