Chapter 4 - The Counter-Attack"This meeting is adjourned," Arthur Pendelton said, his voice trembling with disgust. He looked directly at Vivian. "Effective immediately, Vivian Bellamy’s access to all trust funds is frozen pending a full criminal and forensic investigation. Control of the primary estate is temporarily transferred to the co-trustee, Daniel Bellamy, and the Senior Auditor, Claire Bellamy."
Vivian stood up so fast her chair screeched against the floor. "You cannot do this! I am a Bellamy! She is nothing!"
"You are a criminal, Vivian," Daniel said, his voice cold as ice. "And if you ever come near my wife or my unborn children again, I won't wait for the police to handle it."
As Vivian and Elise were escorted out of the building by security, I felt a sudden, sharp wave of dizziness hit me. Daniel caught me before my knees buckled, his face twisted in panic.
"Claire! Claire, look at me!"
The physical toll of standing and fighting just twelve hours after internal surgery was catching up to me. I was rushed back to the hospital, where the doctors immediately put me on strict bed rest.
"The twins are stable," the doctor told us after an agonizing ultrasound. "But the stress and physical trauma have put you at a very high risk for early complications. You cannot leave this bed, Mrs. Bellamy. No stress, no work, no movement."
Daniel didn't leave my side for the next two weeks. He moved his entire office into my hospital room, working tirelessly to clean up the financial mess his mother had left behind. But Vivian wasn't going down without a fight.
One evening, while Daniel was out picking up dinner, the door to my room opened. I expected a nurse, but instead, a tall, slick-looking man in a sharp grey suit walked in. It was Julian Vance, Vivian’s lead defense attorney and one of the most ruthless fixers in the city.
"Mrs. Bellamy," Julian said, closing the door behind him and pulling up a chair without being asked. "I suggest you don't scream. I'm only here to deliver a message and a choice."
"Get out," I said, reaching for the nurse call button, but he casually placed his hand over the panel, blocking me.
"Your recording is impressive, I’ll admit," Julian said smoothly. "But audio is easily manipulated in the age of AI. We have already filed a motion to dismiss the recording as doctored evidence. Furthermore, we have a dozen witnesses—the entire catering staff at Bellamy House—who have signed affidavits swearing they saw you trip over your own dress."
"They're lying, and they'll commit perjury under oath," I spat back.
"They are paid very well to remember things a certain way," Julian replied with a cold smile. "But here is the real issue, Claire. If you pursue these criminal charges and the trust audit, we will release a certain file to the press. A file regarding your late father’s logistics company."
My breath caught in my throat. My father had passed away three years ago. He was a good, honest man who had run a small shipping business.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered.
"Ten years ago, your father’s company unknowingly transported a shipment that contained illegal contraband," Julian said, pulling a manila folder from his briefcase and tossing it onto my lap. "He was never charged, but the paperwork looks incredibly damning. If this leaks, his memory will be dragged through the mud, his remaining business partners will be ruined, and your family's name will be synonymous with smuggling. How will that look for the new Senior Trustee of the Bellamy Estate?"
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I looked at the forged documents in the folder. They had meticulously fabricated a paper trail linking my dead father to a criminal syndicate. It was a masterpiece of extortion.
"Sign this waiver," Julian said, sliding a legal document toward me. "Drop the audit, drop the charges, resign from Blackstone, and Vivian will allow you and Daniel to live your quiet little lives in peace. You have until tomorrow morning."
