Chapter 4 - The Woman in the White Room.
Adrian closed the office door and locked it from the inside.
Claire sat on the leather sofa with Sophie beside her while Cole remained near the window.
Jonah stayed outside with instructions that no one entered, including Celeste.
Adrian placed the black folder on his desk.
"Start at the beginning."
Claire looked at Sophie.
"She shouldn't hear all of this."
Sophie hugged the stuffed rabbit Cole had retrieved from the foyer.
"I already heard them talking."
Claire's face changed.
"What did you hear?"
Sophie looked down.
"Aunt Pretty said you made a mistake."
Adrian frowned.
"Aunt Pretty?"
Sophie pointed toward the door.
"The lady with the shiny necklace."
Claire closed her eyes briefly.
"Celeste."
The nickname would have been funny on any other night.
No one laughed.
Adrian sat behind the desk.
"Claire."
She nodded.
"I audit charitable foundations."
"I know."
"Your father contacted my firm seven years ago."
Adrian stared at her.
"My father died five years ago."
"I know."
"Why did he contact you?"
Claire looked at the black folder.
"He suspected money was disappearing from the Vale Foundation."
Adrian felt his stomach tighten.
The foundation funded scholarships, medical grants, and housing programs across three states.
His father had treated it as the most important part of the family name.
"How much?"
"At first, not much."
Claire opened the folder.
"Then the transfers became larger."
She turned several pages toward him.
"Shell consulting firms."
"Fake renovation invoices."
"Security contracts that never existed."
"Donations routed through intermediaries and returned as private assets."
Adrian read the numbers.
They were not thousands.
They were millions.
"Why didn't my father stop it?"
Claire's voice softened.
"He was trying to identify everyone involved."
"And did he?"
"I think he got close."
Adrian looked at the sealed envelope.
"Then he died."
Claire did not answer.
The silence was enough.
Adrian's head snapped up.
"No."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"I'm thinking that he became frightened enough to make copies of everything."
She pointed toward the flash drive.
"That was one of them."
Adrian reached for it.
Claire stopped him again.
"Don't plug it into your computer."
"Why?"
"Because your network is compromised."
Cole spoke from the window.
"She's right."
Adrian looked at him.
Cole held up his phone.
"Someone just tried to wipe the security archive remotely."
"Can they?"
"Not now."
"Why not?"
"I pulled the external connection."
Adrian looked back at Claire.
"Tell me about the pit."
Her fingers tightened around Sophie's hand.
"I came yesterday because Celeste said you wanted a private meeting."
"I never contacted you."
"I know that now."
"What happened?"
"She met me in the west drawing room."
Claire's eyes lost focus as she remembered.
"She was polite."
"Almost friendly."
"She told me you were delayed."
"Then Nolan came in and said there had been a security issue at the gate."
Cole's expression sharpened.
"Nolan was there?"
"Yes."
"Did he touch you?"
"No."
Claire looked at Adrian.
"That's the strange part."
"What is?"
"He told Celeste this wasn't part of the plan."
Adrian leaned forward.
"Those exact words?"
"Exactly."
That did not make Nolan innocent.
It made the situation more complicated.
"Then what?"
"The lights went out in the drawing room."
"Someone grabbed my arms from behind."
"A hood went over my head."
"When it came off, I was in a white underground room."
Adrian looked toward the hidden floor several rooms away.
"The chamber wasn't dark at first."
"No."
"Who was there?"
Claire swallowed.
"Celeste."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Anyone else?"
"A man."
"Nolan?"
Claire shook her head.
"I never saw his face."
"But you heard him?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Claire looked toward Sophie.
Sophie was staring at her rabbit.
Claire lowered her voice.
"He told Celeste they only needed my signature."
"Signature on what?"
Claire opened the black folder to the final page.
A transfer agreement lay inside.
Adrian read the title twice.
It was not a foundation document.
It was a controlling-interest transfer for Vale Holdings.
The listed recipient was Celeste Vale.
The listed approving executive was Adrian Vale.
His signature was already on the page.
Claire pointed to a blank line beneath it.
"They needed me to certify this as legitimate."
Adrian looked up.
"Why you?"
Claire's face became very still.
"Because your father named me as an independent trustee before he died."
A knock struck the office door.
Jonah spoke from the hall.
"Sir, you need to see this."
Adrian opened the door.
Jonah held a phone showing live security video from the garage.
A black sedan had smashed through the inner gate.
May you like
Behind the wheel was Celeste.
And in the passenger seat sat Nolan Price.
