dislike sharp enough to feel.
‘You see?’ she said. ‘This is how it begins. People like her find a weakness and build a life inside it.’
Mara’s face warmed, but she kept her voice steady. ‘People like me know the difference between a crying baby and an inconvenience.’
Adrian turned to Celeste. ‘Pack a bag.’
Her smile vanished. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Leave the penthouse.’
‘Adrian, do not be stupid. Your board already thinks you are unstable. Your investors call me because you stopped answering. I kept this family from becoming a headline.’
‘By hiding my son in a pantry?’
‘By protecting your name.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘You were protecting your place in it.’
For the first time, Celeste looked frightened.
The private elevator opened behind them.
An older man stepped out wearing a charcoal coat darkened by rain. He carried a leather folder against his chest. His eyes moved quickly from the broken glass to Celeste, then to Leo in Mara’s arms.
‘Mr. Bellmont,’ he said. ‘I came as soon as you called.’
Adrian did not take his eyes off Celeste. ‘Not now, Victor.’
The older man swallowed. ‘It cannot wait.’
He opened the folder and removed a sealed envelope.
Mara saw Adrian’s face drain of color.
The handwriting on the front was soft and slanted. A woman’s handwriting.
Adrian.
Victor held it with both hands. ‘Mrs. Bellmont gave this to me before her final surgery. She instructed me to deliver it if anyone attempted to separate Leo from you, question your guardianship, or use your grief to influence company control.’
Celeste stepped backward.
Adrian took the envelope as if it might burn him.
‘Elise left this?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Celeste whispered, ‘Victor, do not.’
Everyone looked at her.
Adrian broke the seal.
His hands trembled as he unfolded the letter. He read in silence. The first line seemed to take his breath. The second made him grip the paper harder.
When he looked up, grief had transformed his face.
Not softened it.
Sharpened it.
‘Elise knew,’ he said.
Celeste’s perfect posture faltered.
Victor removed another document from the folder. ‘There is also a signed statement, witnessed by Mrs. Bellmont’s physician and attorney. She became concerned that Ms. Laurent was pressuring her to alter trust documents while medicated.’
Mara looked at Celeste.
So that was it.
Not merely jealousy of a crying baby. Not just annoyance at grief in a house of glass.
Money. Control. The Bellmont estate. A child standing between Celeste and the power she had nearly touched.
Adrian’s voice was almost calm. ‘You told me Elise wanted you involved with the trust.’
Celeste recovered quickly, but not completely. Her lips parted. Her eyes flashed toward Victor with hatred. ‘She was frightened. She did not understand what she was signing by then.’
Victor’s expression remained steady. ‘Mrs. Bellmont recorded a video statement as well.’
Celeste went white.
Adrian opened the folder with slow, deliberate care. Inside was a small drive sealed in a clear evidence pouch. The label was turned away, unreadable.
‘You have watched it?’ he asked Victor.
‘Only enough to confirm her identity and intent.’
Celeste reached for Adrian’s arm. ‘Listen to me. Whatever she said, she was sick. She was angry because I told her you would fall apart without help.’
Adrian looked down at her hand
