Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Prologue, Part Three: Plans for Weddings, Investigations, and Confessions

Third-Person POV

Back on Earth, Two Months after Hezekiah's Death...

"Andrew and Mariah, our family has been rocked with scandal and secrets since we've laid Hezekiah to rest," Adelle Chamblee said crisply as she, her husband, and the betrothed pair gathered in the parlor room of the family manor one sunny afternoon. "With Alex being shipped off to South Carolina after his steroid and bullying stints, Leigh-Anne being off to rehab for a time, my husband and I suffering through our own scandals, and Cameron now in England; you can bet that things are not looking in our favor. Now, I'm not saying that you two are completely innocent with your open relationship and all, but you have done marvelously after putting a pause on your escapades. Even so, this family needs to get back on track."

Mariah nodded, grasping her fiance's hand. "I agree," she replied, pausing to sip on her glass of lemonade. "In all fairness, Andrew and I needed a break before things got out of hand."

"Which is why your mother and I are going to ensure that your wedding is going to place things back on track," Jeffrey commented. "We've handled most of the heavy lifting with the guest list, the venues, and other arrangements since it'll be a semi-private affair. You two will need to get in your fittings for your wedding attire while also making appearances for the various charities and local non-profit organizations in the greater Boston area. That means less trips to the nightclubs and bars and no overnight parties at your home. The public and our social circles need to see that we are coming back on the right path."

"Who will be at the wedding?" Andrew wanted to know.

"Well, everyone who is everyone is going to attend," Adelle noted. "As for the wedding party, I'll be allowing Cameron to attend as a groomsman while one of the newer maids that we've hired will be his female escort. But the wedding party itself is going to be limited to family only. Andrew, I know that your parents and relatives won't be there since they denounced us at the memorial service."

"True," Andrew sighed. "Mom and Dad have gone through their promise to disown me, so it's no use to invite them. Maybe I can ask Jeffrey to be my best man."

"I'd be honored," Jeffrey said, granting the younger man a small smile.

"Mom, you can be my matron of honor," Mariah offered. "Since Leigh-Anne will need to detox, I want you to make sure that you stand by my side."

Adelle's face brightened, steeling away the tears. "Of course," she chirped. "I'll make sure to handle the final details myself. As for Cameron, I do hope that he will come around and see that this is all for the benefit of the diamond standard. He's being too petty with disowning us after Hezekiah's tragic ending. Then again, his opinions don't matter. As long as he stands by his word, he will be seen as an expendable liability- like his sainted brother."

Mariah and Andrew looked at each other, unsure of what to think about that last statement. "Let's just focus on the the nuptials," the former stated. "The sooner that this wedding takes place, the better off we'll be."

"Right," Adelle replied, raising her glass. "To the reinvention of the Chamblee Diamond Standard. May it be reborn as a shining light that it was meant to be."

"To the diamond standard," everyone else echoed as they clinked glasses, even though the aura wasn't as enthusiastic as planned.

Little did everyone know was that the silent witness was monitoring every move, he still on the scene and remained "loyal" to the family as the butler.

********************

At the Coleman residence....

Michael Coleman sat behind his desk in his study, huffing out a bemused sigh as he continued to read through Hezekiah's journal that was gifted to him by one Jana Sulzbach to keep safe for Cameron as requested. "This young man has quite a tale of his life in the shadows," he said to himself just as his wife came into the room with glasses of lemonade on hand. "Dear, listen to this."