Page 41 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 2

GIOVANNI

“Wait a minute, I need you to say that again for me on speaker so my husband can hear it.” Julianne moved the phone from her ear and pressed a button.

“I didn’t know you’d gotten married, Ms. Myers. Congratulations.” The caller had a feminine voice I didn’t recognize.

“It’s Myers-Falco now, please update my records. Also, can you repeat what you said just a moment ago about my parents’ will? I’d like my husband to hear.”

“I was explaining that I had a forensic handwriting expert review the last several will and testaments your parents submitted over the previous years. All of them matched except for the signatures on the one submitted a week before their deaths. The last is a forgery.”

I stood abruptly and exited the bath, water trailing to the floor in my wake. “This is Giovanni Falco, Julianne’s husband. You can speak freely. Are you saying you can prove the last submission of Rachel and Lewis Myers’ wills is a fake?” Julianne stood naked, her eyes wide and expression scared.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Mr. Falco. Our experts have a ninety-nine percent accuracy rating. Their expertise has beenused in hundreds of legal cases just like this. We can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Tears slid down Julianne’s cheeks, and her bottom lip trembled. I pulled her into my arms and took the phone from her hand. Her shoulders shook as she cried quietly against my chest.

“Can we meet with you and your experts tomorrow morning to determine next steps in the case? We’d like to see the proof in person. This is a big find. One that could rip apart families. It also may need to be shared with the police, as this information may shed new light on the plane crash that killed Lewis and Rachel Myers, as well as my own parents, Valentino and Caterina Falco a few months ago.”

“I agree it’s definitely suspicious and warrants more investigation. I’ll schedule a meeting for 10 a.m. Does that work for the two of you?” the lawyer asked.

I eased my hand around Julianne’s jaw where she had it tucked to my chest and lifted her chin up so I could see her face. The grief I found in her expression was laid open and bare. It tore at my heart. “We’ll meet with them tomorrow. Get to the bottom of all of this, okay?”

Julianne nodded, then cleared her throat. “Thank you for calling, Ms. Christofferson. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll see you tomorrow,” she said and hung up.

I tossed her phone onto the stack of towels I’d grabbed for us. Then I took Julianne’s hand and stepped into the steaming tub.

“I’m not sure I can…” Julianne started to protest.

“Just sit with me. That was a lot to take in. Let me hold you.” I genuinely wanted nothing more.

This news was devastating for so many reasons, not the least of which because it proved the will was a fake. I’d known something was strange from the get-go. The Myers loved Julianne and Brenden with their whole hearts. They’d neverleave her out of owning part of the business she’d devoted her career to. It wasn’t like them. Now we knew why. Then there was the fact that the documents had been submitted only a week prior to our parents dying in that plane crash.

Julianne stepped in front of me, and I sat down, my back resting against the tub, my legs opened wide for her. She slowly eased down between them. Once she was settled, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close, tucking her back against my chest. She came willingly, almost like a limp ragdoll, and keeping her close, I settled myself once more against the back of the tub.

A long sigh left her as she relaxed against me, the water cresting her beautiful pink-tipped breasts that bobbed enticingly. The woman was my every fantasy come to life, but there was plenty of time for pleasure. We’d just been hit with some pretty life-altering news that would change the way we moved forward with a lot of things. Namely, her brother. Secondly, I now had reason for the authorities to reopen the case into our parents’ deaths.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she murmured, shock evident in her tone.

I reached for a large sponge in a basket and pumped some soap onto it. Then I drew the sudsy sponge along her arm, down to her fingers, and back up to her neck. She hummed pleasantly as I did so.

“It’s surprising news and a bit hard to swallow,” I agreed.

“It was all a lie. Everything in the will was a lie. It makes so much more sense now.” She sighed as I ran the sponge along her other arm.

“Surely makes more sense. Your parents wouldn’t hurt you the way that will reads. But the bigger question is, who forged the documents? Who has something to gain from all this treachery?”

“Brenden obviously got the best deal out of it. Still…” Her words fell away, disbelief filling the air around us.

“Honestly, I can’t see him doing that to you, or going against your parents like that. Your family has always been really tight.”

“So has yours. All of us were close; our parents were best of friends for life. They said it all the time,” she reminded me.

“True. They loved one another deeply. It was the only consolation we had with losing them so soon. Knowing they all went together. There’s even some jewelry and art my parents left to you from our estate I need to give you. A couple cars Dad gifted Brenden… You know how they shared their love of cars with one another.”

She nodded.

“I just haven’t been willing to deal with it all, as you know…”

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