Chapter 2 - The House John Had Already Spent
John arrived at Bellamy House the following morning.
Emma heard his car before she saw it. He parked beside the fountain and walked inside without knocking.
Helen followed him carrying a leather folder.
John stopped when he saw Emma sitting at the dining table with Ruth.
“What are you doing here?”
“Visiting Grandma.”
“I asked you to check on her, not interfere with her finances.”
Ruth placed her teacup down.
“She is helping me review my accounts.”
“There’s nothing to review,” John said. “Everything is under control.”
“Whose control?” Ruth asked.
John ignored the question.
He opened Helen’s folder and removed a document.
“Mother, Northgate improved its offer. All you need to do is sign the final agreement.”
“I have already told you I am not selling my home.”
“The house is too large for you.”
“It was not too large when you used it for your business parties.”
John’s jaw tightened.
Helen stepped forward with a careful smile.
“Ruth, we’re only thinking about your safety. A private care facility would be much better.”
“You mean less inconvenient.”
“That isn’t fair.”
“No,” Ruth replied. “What is unfair is stealing money from an old woman and then calling it care.”
John looked at Emma.
“What have you been telling her?”
Emma rose from the table.
“I didn’t need to tell her about the transfers. They’re on her bank statement.”
For several seconds, John said nothing.
Then he laughed.
“Those were reimbursements.”
“For what?” Emma asked.
“For managing this property.”
Ruth shook her head.
“You have never managed this property.”
John leaned both hands on the table.
“I have spent years protecting the Bellamy name. This house will become mine eventually. Selling it now simply saves time.”
Ruth’s face hardened.
“You have already spent the money, haven’t you?”
John stepped back.
That small movement gave Emma the answer.
John had not merely planned to inherit Bellamy House. He had made financial commitments based on money he did not yet own.
Ruth looked at her son with heartbreaking clarity.
“You are waiting for me to die so your debts can disappear.”
John closed the folder.
“You’re tired. We will discuss this when you’re thinking clearly.”
“I have never thought more clearly in my life.”
As John and Helen left, Emma noticed a business card on the floor.
Victor Hall, Senior Acquisition Director, Northgate Development.
May you like
On the back, someone had written a date and time.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
