Chapter 7 - The Mother Who Wasn't Invited
Vanessa recoiled as if Daniel had slapped her.
“My mother?”
Daniel lowered his voice. “Not here.”
“Here is exactly where you’re going to explain it.”
Her mother, Renee Caldwell, had not been invited to the wedding. Vanessa had told everyone they were estranged because Renee had spent most of Vanessa’s childhood choosing wealthy men, bad investments, and dramatic exits over her daughter.
Daniel took a breath. “Six months ago, someone tried to sell a package of Whitmore family documents to a gossip site. Old letters. Foundation records. Photos from Emily’s college years.”
Margaret looked stunned. “You never told me.”
“I was trying to verify it first.”
Vanessa’s anger rose. “And you thought my mother was involved?”
“The seller used an account connected to one of her old companies.”
“That company closed ten years ago.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn’t you ask me?”
“Because every time I mentioned Renee, you shut down.”
Vanessa laughed once, sharp and hurt. “So you investigated her behind my back.”
Celeste stepped forward. “I connected Daniel with a private investigator. That’s all the hotel photo is.”
Brooke scoffed. “Convenient.”
Celeste turned on her. “You stole my badge.”
“I borrowed it because I thought you were sleeping with him.”
“And while you were ‘protecting’ Vanessa, did you steal Emily’s sketch?”
Brooke’s mouth closed.
Vanessa noticed.
“Answer her.”
“I went into the archive,” Brooke said. “I found a file with your mother’s name on it.”
Daniel’s head snapped up. “What file?”
Brooke looked terrified now.
“A payment record.”
Margaret whispered, “Payment for what?”
Brooke reached into her purse a third time.
She pulled out a photocopied ledger page.
Vanessa saw the date first.
Nine years ago.
Three days after Emily Whitmore died.
Then she saw the name beside a transfer of $75,000.
RENEE CALDWELL.
May you like
And beneath it, in handwriting that looked painfully familiar, were three words:
For the original.
