Chapter 5: The Documents Beneath the Flowers
I found a quiet corner near the hotel's west terrace and stood beside a tall window overlooking the illuminated gardens.
The ballroom remained noisy behind me, but the sound had changed.
The music was still playing.
The servers were still moving between tables.
Yet every conversation seemed to carry the same subject.
Victoria's firing.
Preston's mysterious account.
Adrian Bennett's unexpected announcement.
And me.
I could imagine the stories being assembled by people who had known my family for years.
Olivia had somehow gotten involved.
Olivia had always been jealous of Victoria.
Olivia must have used her business connections to sabotage her sister's wedding.
I knew how easily speculation could become accepted truth.
I had spent eight years watching my family transform a resignation into a career-ending failure, despite having no evidence to support their claims.
This time, however, I wasn't twenty-four.
I wasn't sitting in my parents' kitchen, desperately trying to persuade them to look at documents they had already decided were irrelevant.
I had my own company.
My own clients.
My own reputation.
And I wasn't going to sacrifice any of them to satisfy my family's demand for a convenient villain.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel, my firm's senior investigator, appeared on the screen.
Have you received any communication from Carrington's audit committee? We need to confirm tomorrow's review schedule.
I stared at the message.
The timing was unsettling.
Daniel had no idea what had happened at the wedding.
I couldn't tell him.
I replied that I hadn't received any formal change to the schedule and would contact him through our secure channel if that changed.
Then I put my phone away.
“Olivia.””
Adrian's voice came from behind me.
I turned.
He had left the ballroom and was standing a few feet away, his hands resting loosely at his sides.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
I blinked.
“For what?””
“For the way that unfolded.””
I looked back toward the ballroom.
“You didn't make Victoria insult me.””
“No. But announcing her termination at a wedding reception wasn't ideal.””
“Was there ever going to be an ideal time?””
He considered the question.
“I had intended to speak with her privately after the reception. Her conduct tonight made it clear that delaying the conversation would serve no purpose.””
I understood what he meant.
But I also knew that firing someone publicly could create complications, especially when an active investigation was involved.
“Was her termination solely because of what she said to me?””
“No.””
The answer came without hesitation.
“Her conduct tonight demonstrated a serious lack of judgment. But the employment decision was based on concerns that existed before this evening.””
I studied his face.
“Can you tell me more?””
“Not without risking the integrity of the investigation.””
“Then I won't ask.””
He nodded.
That was one reason I respected him professionally.
He understood that there were things he couldn't say, even when saying them might make a difficult conversation easier.
“Your firm has done excellent work,” he continued.
“The audit committee has been impressed with the thoroughness of your findings.””
“Thank you.””
“But I want to make something clear. Your relationship with Victoria must not influence your team's conclusions.””
“It won't.””
“I know. I simply need to make sure there is no appearance of a conflict.””
I appreciated that he said it directly.
“I'm not conducting the investigation personally. My team is handling the analysis, and the committee has access to our documented findings. I'll disclose the family relationship through the proper channel if it hasn't already been recorded.””
“Good.””
He paused.
Then he glanced through the window toward the gardens.
“The account connected to Preston is more complicated than it appears.””
I felt my attention sharpen.
“Do you know who controls it?””
“Not conclusively.””
“Then the name alone isn't proof of misconduct.””
“Agreed.””
The answer reassured me.
I had spent years learning that an account holder's name was a starting point, not a verdict.
Accounts could be jointly controlled.
Companies could use authorized intermediaries.
Transfers could be legitimate even when their descriptions looked suspicious.
What mattered was the full chain of evidence.
“Does the audit committee know about the account?”” I asked.
“They know an account has been identified as relevant. The documentation is still being reviewed.””
“Then we should be careful about what we say in public.””
A faint smile crossed Adrian's face.
“That's exactly what I told my legal team.””
We stood in silence for a moment.
Then the terrace doors opened behind us.
Victoria appeared in the doorway.
Her mascara had begun to smudge beneath her eyes, and she had gathered the front of her gown in one hand to keep it from dragging across the floor.
She looked from Adrian to me.
“May I speak with you?””
Adrian glanced at me.
“Of course.””
I expected him to leave.
Instead, he said, “I'll give you a moment, but I want you to understand that any questions about the investigation must be directed through the appropriate channels.””
Victoria barely seemed to hear him.
She was staring at me.
When he stepped away, she approached.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered, “What did you tell him?””
I stared at her.
“About what?””
“About me.””
“Nothing.””
“Don't lie to me, Olivia.””
I felt a familiar exhaustion settle over my shoulders.
Even now, even after what had happened, she couldn't imagine that the world might not revolve around my opinions of her.
“I haven't discussed you with Adrian outside the professional context of the investigation,” I said.
“And I wouldn't do that without authorization.””
Victoria gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course you'd say that.””
“Why did you ask me to come tonight if you were going to treat me like this?””
Her expression hardened.
“Because you're my sister.””
“That doesn't answer the question.””
She looked away.
For the first time, I saw something beneath her anger.
Panic.
Not the kind caused by losing a job.
Something deeper.
Something connected to Preston.
“Did you know he was being investigated?”” she asked.
“No.””
“Did your company investigate his business?””
“I can't discuss confidential client matters with you.””
Her eyes widened.
“So you do know something!””
“I know that there are procedures governing an active investigation. I'm not going to violate them because you demand answers.””
She stared at me.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Preston told me his company had been working with Carrington Capital. He said the relationship was completely legitimate.””
“That may be true. I don't know the details of his business arrangements.””
“He said he had an account used for property transactions.””
I remained silent.
“He said it was normal,” she continued.
“He told me there was nothing unusual about it.””
“Then he should be able to explain it to the auditors.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“You don't understand. If people think he's done something wrong, it could destroy him.””
I looked at her carefully.
“Has he told you what the account was used for?””
She hesitated.
It was brief.
But it was enough.
“Victoria?””
“He said it was a temporary account for project expenses.””
“Which project?””
“I don't know.””
“Who authorized the transfers?””
“I don't know!””
Her voice cracked.
She pressed both hands against her face, careful not to disturb the elaborate hairstyle that had cost hours of preparation.
Then she lowered them.
“He said he was protecting an investment.””
“From what?””
“I don't know, Olivia!””
The words came out so desperately that I believed she might genuinely be frightened.
But fear wasn't evidence.
And sympathy wasn't permission to ignore questions.
“Victoria, if you have information relevant to the investigation, you should preserve it and speak to the appropriate legal representatives.””
She stared at me.
“You sound like a stranger.””
I felt the words land somewhere deep inside me.
Perhaps because, in some ways, I was.
The sister who used to chase after her when she cried had grown up.
The girl who had apologized whenever Victoria became angry had learned to recognize manipulation.
And the daughter who once begged her parents to believe her had finally stopped treating their approval as the price of her own peace.
“I don't want anything bad to happen to you,” I said.
“But I can't protect you from facts.””
Victoria shook her head.
“You always thought you were better than me.””
“No. I thought we were sisters.””
She looked down at her wedding ring.
Then she said something that made me reconsider everything I had assumed about the evening.
“Preston told me there might be an audit.””
My stomach tightened.
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
“Did he say what was being audited?””
“He said there had been questions about some old transactions. He told me not to worry.””
I waited.
Victoria swallowed.
“He said someone inside Carrington was trying to shift blame onto him.””
“Did he give you a name?””
“No.””
“Did he ask you to do anything?””
Her silence lasted too long.
“Victoria.””
“He asked me to confirm a few things about a property acquisition.””
“What things?””
“That the division had reviewed the numbers. That the invoices had been processed correctly.””
I felt a cold sensation spread through my chest.
“Had you reviewed them?””
She looked away.
“Some of them.””
“Were you certain they were correct?””
“I was told they had been approved.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
Her eyes flashed.
“You don't get to interrogate me!””
“I'm not interrogating you. I'm trying to understand whether you have information you need to disclose.””
She took a step backward.
Then her face changed.
She looked toward the ballroom, where Preston had disappeared.
“I have to find him.””
“Victoria, if he has documents related to the investigation, don't destroy or alter anything.””
She looked at me as if I had slapped her.
“Why would you say that?””
“Because you seem frightened, and I want you to make decisions you won't regret.””
She stared at me for another second.
Then she turned and hurried through the terrace doors.
I remained by the window.
The conversation had raised more questions than it answered.
Preston knew about an audit.
He had described the investigation as an attempt to shift blame.
He had asked Victoria to confirm financial approvals.
And now he was trying to leave before Adrian could ask him any questions.
None of those facts proved that he had committed a crime.
But together, they formed a pattern that demanded careful examination.
I reached for my phone.
Before I could send Daniel another message, a new notification appeared.
It was an email from an unfamiliar address.
The subject line contained only five words.
You need to see what she signed.
I opened it.
There was no message.
Just one attachment.
A scanned document bearing the Carrington Capital logo, a property reference number, and Victoria Hayes's signature.
Below the signature was a second name.
Preston Vale.
And beneath both names was a date from three weeks earlier.
The same week Victoria had said her husband warned her about the audit.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then I noticed the final line on the document.
*Authorization for the transfer of project funds to an external account.*
