Chapter 7 - The Woman in Burgundy
Charles Wren.
Henry’s attorney.
The man who had admitted hiding the trust.
Cordelia felt nothing at first.
Then rage arrived.
Charles was gone.
Security footage showed him leaving the warehouse two hours after they rescued Henry.
Elena watched the recording.
“He knows we found the accident report.”
Lucian asked, “Where would he go?”
Henry sat silently.
Cordelia turned toward him.
“Dad.”
No answer.
She walked closer.
“Where?”
Henry whispered, “The old Ashford house.”
The property had been empty since Cordelia’s mother died.
They found Charles in the study.
He did not run.
A pistol sat on the desk.
Lucian’s men removed it.
Cordelia stood in front of him.
“Did you kill my mother?”
Charles looked at Henry.
Cordelia slammed her palm onto the desk.
“Look at me.”
He did.
“No.”
“Your fingerprint was under her car.”
“I cut the brake line.”
Henry made a strangled sound.
Cordelia stared.
“That is killing her.”
“I cut it after the accident.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“To make it appear deliberate.”
Everyone froze.
Cordelia whispered, “What?”
Charles looked exhausted.
“Your mother’s brakes failed naturally. Henry was about to face an investigation. He needed sympathy and time. I altered the car after the crash so police would suspect one of his business enemies.”
Henry stared.
“You told me—”
“I told you what you wanted to hear.”
Cordelia felt sick.
Her mother had died accidentally.
Then her father’s lawyer had weaponized the corpse.
She turned toward Henry.
“You knew?”
“No.”
For once, she believed him.
Charles laughed bitterly.
“Henry never knew half of what I did for him.”
Lucian asked, “Including the Vasquez frame?”
Charles’s face changed.
Elena stepped forward.
“My father.”
Charles looked at her.
“Yes.”
Elena struck him.
Once.
Hard.
Then she stepped back.
“My father died believing his daughter thought he was a thief.”
Charles said nothing.
Dante watched Elena with an expression Cordelia could not read.
Elena turned toward him.
“I used you.”
Dante’s jaw tightened.
“I know.”
“I also loved you.”
Cordelia looked away.
Elena continued.
“That doesn’t make what I did acceptable.”
“No.”
“I thought Henry’s alliance with your family would give me access to Charles.”
“And Cordelia?”
Elena’s eyes moved toward her.
“I hated her before I met her.”
Cordelia almost smiled.
“Charming.”
“She had everything my father lost.”
Elena swallowed.
“Then I watched Henry use her exactly the way he used everyone else.”
Cordelia said, “So you protected me.”
“Eventually.”
“While sleeping with my fiancé.”
“Yes.”
There was no defense.
Cordelia appreciated that more than an excuse.
Charles began laughing.
“You’re all congratulating yourselves too early.”
Lucian turned.
“What?”
“You think this was Henry’s scheme?”
Charles shook his head.
“Henry was drowning. Salvatore was greedy. Elena wanted revenge. Dante wanted the port. Vale wanted leverage.”
He smiled.
“But none of you asked who kept giving Henry money after every bank refused.”
Cordelia’s stomach tightened.
“Who?”
Charles looked at her.
“Someone who wanted Ashford Group weak enough to buy.”
“Who?”
He leaned back.
“Check the wedding guest list.”
Cordelia stared.
Four hundred people.
Politicians.
Executives.
Family friends.
Competitors.
Charles smiled.
“The person who paid me was in the room when you said your vows.”
Rachel found the first clue that night.
One wedding guest had transferred twelve million dollars to a company Charles controlled.
Cordelia recognized the name.
She had known him since childhood.
Arthur Bellamy.
Her father’s oldest friend.
Her godfather.
Henry stared at the screen.
“No.”
Cordelia looked at him.
“You keep saying that about people you trusted.”
Arthur owned Bellamy Capital, Ashford Group’s largest competitor.
Lucian’s investigators discovered Arthur had quietly purchased Ashford debt for six years.
“He engineered the collapse,” Rachel said.
Cordelia looked at her father.
“And you kept borrowing.”
Henry lowered his eyes.
“Yes.”
Her phone rang.
Arthur Bellamy.
Nobody moved.
Cordelia answered.
“Hello, Uncle Arthur.”
A warm familiar voice replied.
“Cordy.”
She hated the childhood nickname in his mouth.
“You’ve been busy.”
“So have you.”
Arthur chuckled.
“I always said you were smarter than Henry.”
“What do you want?”
“What should have been mine twenty years ago.”
“Port Mercer.”
“Yes.”
“You destroyed my father for a port?”
“No, sweetheart.”
His voice became colder.
“I destroyed your father because he stole it from me first.”
Cordelia looked at Lucian.
Arthur continued.
“Ask Henry who actually founded Ashford Logistics.”
Henry’s face changed.
Cordelia saw it.
Another secret.
Arthur said, “And when he finally tells you, ask him whose blood is on the original partnership agreement.”
The call ended.
Henry sank into a chair.
Cordelia approached him.
“What did he mean?”
Henry looked at her with tears in his eyes.
Before he could answer, someone knocked on the front door.
Three slow knocks.
Lucian’s guard opened the security feed.
May you like
A man stood outside holding an old leather ledger.
And beside him was Arthur Bellamy.
