TESTAMENT

Synopsis

Testament is a story about how one mistake coupled with lies and deceit; lead an honest man to depths of hell and back

KAMI VELAZQUEZ had always dreamed about having the kind of fortune and success that JOHN WILCOX enjoyed. In fact, she had grown up around people like John her whole life. Whenever she heard people use the expression “Money can’t buy you happiness”, Kami always figured that it was just something people WITHOUT money tell themselves to feel better about their mundane lives. Even surrounded by the beautiful jewelry and trinkets in the high priced jewelry store she worked at, Kami knew it wasn’t so much the FLASH of a diamond ring that intrigued her. It was the PEOPLE who bought them. Unfortunately for Kami, all of the guys who came into the store were TAKEN. Sure, they would FLIRT with her, thanks to her obvious good looks...but the jewelry always went home to the wife or girlfriend.

When John first came into the store, Kami could tell he was wealthy. This was a knack of hers. Most people could spot if somebody was rich, but there was a difference between being rich, and being wealthy. John was WEALTHY. John was looking for an anniversary ring for his wife. Kami decided to try a different approach with him. Rather than go for the quick commission, she decided to recommend a “real jewelry store” in Beverly Hills. A wealthy person can spot desperation from a mile away, and Kami decided to go for the long term commission. It WORKED. Before he left, John tossed her a business card, and suggested that she come work for him...she was all too eager to take him up on the offer. 10 months later, Kami had become one of the top Mortgage consultants in (one of) John’s many companies. She had a knack for sniffing out the big deals, and her DECEPTIVELY naive approach was working well for her. She was like the Columbo of the mortgage World. John had an office in the same building where she worked, and she would often try and vie for his attention in the halls. He was always very professional and courteous to her, and NEVER fell for her obvious advances. The company holiday party was another story. As if holiday parties didn’t already have a reputation for inter-office romances gone wrong, the employees at First Rate Mortgage Company voted on having this year’s celebration in LAS VEGAS. This was double-trouble. Kami seized the opportunity. With a barrage of alcohol and some quick thinking, Kami managed to infiltrate John’s penthouse suite. She SEDUCED him, and found herself spending a weekend of Vegas-style debauchery with the very married owner of the company she worked for. John Wilcox and his lovely wife TRINA had been married for almost sixteen years. This was the first time he had ever cheated on her, unless you can count the one massage he had gotten on a trip to Thailand a few years back...but John chalked that up to being “therapeutic”. Kami snuck up on him; he knew she was beautiful, but what really got to him was her perfect blend of being both sweet AND seductive.

Many women had tried to get to him before, but not until Kami had he ever let his guard down enough to let anything happen. After all, he had a gorgeous wife and two very precocious young boys. Why would he risk it for one night of lust? John’s wife, Trina, was born and raised in Romania, and hailed from a large family in Bucharest. Her ancestors had been Gypsies for hundreds of years, and they had always STRUGGLED financially. Trina managed to get a scholarship to a respected University, and while studying she was discovered by a modeling scout. Trina dropped out, and traveled all over the World as a model. On a trip to the U.S. When she was only 19, she met John, and the two of them instantly fell in LOVE. When they were married a few years later, John had no idea that he would be marrying her FAMILY too. One-by-one Trina brought her problematic family to Southern California from Romania. The more family that came over, the more TROUBLES John seemed to encounter. He did his best though to give them all jobs. This, however, did not stop them from taking advantage of John’s wealth whenever they could. After the holiday party, things seemed to go back to normal for the John, his family, and Kami, as they went back to their old lives as if nothing happened. Trina’s sister SUSANNA GHEZZO, her brother KEN GHEZZO and their younger cousin SHAWNA GHEZZO were all suspicious about Kami and John, but didn’t have any proof to bring to the table. One day, John found Susanna and Shawna smoking pot in the company parking lot. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for John, and he ended up FIRING his Romanian In-laws. This is when things got ugly. One day, Shawna, Trina’s young cousin, decides to try and blackmail John. She asked for a ride, and then demanded that he walk into his bank, withdraw $35,000 cash for her...or she would claim that he RAPED her. John did NOT fall for her idle threat, and DENIED her request for cash. Little did he know that the Romanian girls were only just beginning to plot an elaborate EXTORTION attempt against him. Meanwhile, Kami discovers that she is PREGNANT. She hides it for a couple of months, but eventually a co-worker figures it out, and puts the pieces together about Kami’s tryst with John in Vegas. The co-worker convinces Kami that she needs to TELL John about the pregnancy, and she eventually does. John does NOT handle the news very well at first; he is more concerned about salvaging his marriage and reputation. Kami feels DISRESPECTED by his reaction. She tells him, “It doesn’t matter how successful a man is...when it comes down to it, you are all just little boys.”

Susanna and Shawna also find out about Kami’s pregnancy, and knowing Kami’s CAPITALISTIC nature, they offer her a piece of the extortion money. All Kami has to do is say that John RAPED her, and got her pregnant. After John’s initial reaction to the pregnancy, Kami agrees to go through with it. Back at home, John comes clean to his wife about his affair, and Kami’s pregnancy.

As head of the sex crimes unit for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, DETECTIVE RON SANDERS know’s how the system works. He is exactly the type of guy who the girls need to help them with their extortion attempt. He is reckless, brazen, has a penchant for disobeying the rules, and he has serious self-esteem issues which he overcompensates for on a daily basis. Susanna knows how to handle a man like this. With a little attention, power, and what’s sometimes referred to as a “Romanian Handshake” (sexual favors), Sanders is on their side. With the pieces now in place, they decide to go forward with their plan. Multi-victim crimes hold strength in NUMBERS, not in the PROOF, and this is what the GHEZZO girls were banking on. Four women, Shawna, Susanna, DIANE (Ken’s wife), and now Kami would all come forward, saying how at some point, John sexually assaulted, and/or raped them. Kami’s child would be the only physical PROOF of any of this, and she was the key to a successful extortion. They would first try and make a deal with John before they went public with their charges...asking for a cool 1.5 million dollars. John of course, turned down the pay-off. They would now have to use the court system, and eventually be able to sue John in a civil suit, after he was convicted in a criminal court. The other factor that worked to their benefit, was the fact that John’s imprisonment would mean that his wife Trina would control ALL of his money. Romanian families are extremely close-knit, so they knew that if Trina controlled the money, it would only be a positive thing for the Ghezzo family. Kami is internally conflicted about her intentions to lie about John raping her. All she would have to do is say that she was under the influence of alcohol, and UNABLE to refuse his advances. When Kami goes in for first pre-natal exam she gets her first ultrasound. She sees her baby’s heart beating, and discovers that she will be having a BOY. Kami brings the sonogram pictures to John, and the two of them share a moment about the importance of this baby in both of their lives. Kami decides that not only is she NOT able to go through with the extortion, she may actually still be in love with John. Without Kami on their side, the Ghezzo’s decide to go through with their plan anyway. With the help of Detective Sanders, they file charges against John.

Eventually John is arrested, and immediately posts bail. John is under surveillance from both the Ghezzo family, and the Orange County police while out on bail. During this time, Kami goes into labor and Detective Sanders and Susanna Ghezzo harass Kami and John. Kami nearly loses the child. She ends up giving birth to LUCAS JONATHAN WILCOX. Meanwhile, John and his lawyer are fighting his court battle. One of the girls, Diane Ghezzo, Ken’s wife, has her case completely thrown out of court.

Things are looking up for John’s case. Bringing Kami back into the picture is their only hope of winning this trial, so they decide to try and do it with FORCE. Ken Ghezzo takes Kami and her baby on a DRIVE to a secluded location. He makes Kami a financial offer again but she refuses to take until Ken rips her baby from her hands, and threatens to kill him. Kami reluctantly agrees to the terms. Knowing what she needs to do, Kami arranges a meeting with the other two Ghezzo ladies, to plan their strategy. At their meeting, Kami secretly RECORDS both of them admitting that they had LIED about John raping them. Kami clears John’s name, and her own conscience, eventually realizing that MONEY “really cannot” buy you happiness.