Page 3 of Second Chance At Love

He closed the door, keeping the other two lawyers out of the discussion. “I thought I should let you know that the sale of Mrs. Ramesly’s home has gone through. The closing date is tomorrow.”

“Excuse me?” frowned Henry. Cora hadn’t said anything about her home being sold. While she had offered to house him during his recovery after his surgery, they had mutually agreed to stay at the hotel. It was closer to the hospital and simply more convenient should anything go wrong. Henry had put both suites on his account so Cora wouldn’t be inconvenienced by any bills. “What do you mean the sale of Cora’s house has gone through?”

The lawyer sighed. “I would have thought with Gerrit being the executor of the estate and considering he is in rehab, he would have told you that to fulfill the terms of Nathaniel Ramesly’s will. The home, car, and all large furnishings were to be sold. The money is to be put into trust for their son Nicholas. Mrs. Ramesly cannot access the trust fund, nor can Nicholas until he is twenty-one.”

An alarm chimed on Henry’s phone. He automatically clicked it off. “You have two minutes to expand on what you have just told me.”

“Nathaniel’s will specified all money, investment revenues, and incomes were to go directly to Nicholas’s trust. There is no trust for Oliver, or the coming child. Mrs. Ramesly was left penniless upon her husband’s death. Gerrit had a team of lawyers look into it. It can’t be overturned. I thought you should know,” finished the lawyer with quiet dignity.

“What is your name again?” asked Henry, trying to absorb the information.

“Temple, sir,” responded the lawyer.

“Mr. Temple, you will receive a bonus for this. Keep me apprised of the situation,” said Henry.

Temple shook his head. “No sir. I don’t want the money. I just thought it was the right thing to do.”

He let himself out, shutting the door behind him.

Henry’s computer chimed at him and he leaned back, ignoring it for a moment.

Why hadn’t Cora told him?

Probably because she was embarrassed, or overwhelmed. Cora had been focused on his health, and his problems rather than her own.

Well, Henry still wasn’t fit, but he had managed to mostly recover from the first surgery. He was going to do what he could for Cora and the boys.

Opening the screen on his laptop, Henry joined the conference call with his cousins. Henry was the last one on the call.

“Henry,” Everett greeted him.

“Evening everyone,” responded Henry. It was already getting late.

“We were just discussing the lawyer’s latest assessment of the situation,” inserted Max. From his thunderous look, Henry knew he wouldn’t like what Max was about to reveal. “FBI Deputy Director Epps has a strong case on the money laundering angle. He is going to use all resources at his disposal, with the backing of the governor.”

“It’s an election year and part of the governor’s platform is being tough on white collar crime,” dryly said Everett. “This is politically motivated. That’s why any offers to settle out of court have been refused.”

“I did some digging into the background of the judges and all of them are heavily in the pocket of the governor. It’s not likely to be a fair trial for any of them,” inserted Gabe.

“That’s not all the lawyers said,” Henry surmised from their dark looks.

Max visibly swallowed his frustration, dragging a hand across his face as he struggled for words. “They said Epps might go for a deal.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” questioned Gabe.

Max had a bitter laugh. “For each company, if one of them takes the fall, the other can be let go. Sorry about Gerrit, he’s on his own since he’s the only one being charged for RameslyHotels.”

There was silence as the men digested the news.

“You mean either Michael or Noah would plead guilty and the other would have the charges dropped,” flatly stated Everett.

“It’s the same situation for Jake and Dillon,” confirmed Max.

“What are we talking about here? A minimum security facility for three years? House arrest? What would the sentence be?” wondered Gabe.

“Eight years prison,” revealed Max.

“That’s absurd!” complained Everett.