CHAPTER 4 — The Socialite's Perfect Lie
CHAPTER 4 — The Socialite's Perfect Lie
By sunrise, Charlotte Vale had become a criminal.
Not in court.
Not on paper.
Not officially.
But on every screen in the city.
The first video appeared at 6:17 a.m.
Charlotte being dragged across the marble floor of the Solmere Hotel.
Her torn shirt.
Her bleeding lip.
Vivian Ashford's furious face.
And the caption:
MYSTERY WOMAN CAUGHT BREAKING INTO LUXURY HOTEL — SOCIALITE VIVIAN ASHFORD CONFRONTS TRESPASSER.
By 6:30, the video had been viewed two hundred thousand times.
By 7:00, it had passed one million.
By 8:00, Charlotte's name was trending.
But the truth wasn't.
The truth had been edited out.
Every second showing Vivian grabbing Charlotte had disappeared.
Every moment before the confrontation was gone.
The security footage showing Charlotte entering through the employee entrance was gone.
The video showed only one thing:
A bruised young woman being thrown out of a luxury hotel.
And Vivian Ashford standing above her like a victim.
Charlotte watched the clip on her phone.
She didn't blink.
Daniel stood across the room.
Margaret sat beside the window.
Detective Bennett leaned against the wall.
"She did this deliberately," Charlotte said.
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
"How?"
"She released a shortened version."
"That explains the video."
Charlotte turned the screen around.
"Read the comments."
Daniel didn't need to.
They were brutal.
Gold digger.
Probably trying to blackmail the hotel.
People will do anything for attention.
Vivian handled it perfectly.
One comment read:
She should be arrested.
Charlotte locked the phone.
"She's building a case."
Daniel looked at her.
"Not a legal one."
"A public one."
"Exactly."
Charlotte walked toward the window.
Outside, reporters were already gathering.
Cameras.
Microphones.
Cars parked along the street.
Someone had leaked her address.
Someone knew where she was.
And someone wanted her afraid.
Charlotte wasn't afraid.
She was beginning to understand Vivian.
Vivian didn't want to prove Charlotte was a criminal.
She wanted everyone to believe Charlotte was a criminal before Charlotte could prove who she really was.
At 9:00 a.m., Vivian appeared on television.
Perfect hair.
Perfect makeup.
Perfect white dress.
A small bandage wrapped around one wrist.
The interviewer looked sympathetic.
"Ms. Ashford, the footage has shocked the city."
Vivian lowered her eyes.
"I never wanted this to become public."
Charlotte laughed bitterly.
Daniel muted the television.
Vivian continued speaking silently on screen.
The interviewer asked another question.
Vivian looked devastated.
Daniel unmuted it.
"...I honestly thought she was in danger."
Charlotte froze.
"What?"
Vivian's voice came through the speakers.
"When I found her inside the restricted executive area, she became aggressive."
Charlotte stared.
"She's lying."
"I know," Daniel said.
Vivian continued.
"I tried to ask her to leave peacefully."
Charlotte shook her head.
"No."
Vivian wiped away a fake tear.
"But she attacked me."
Margaret gasped.
"She attacked you?"
Charlotte's expression hardened.
"That's the story."
The interviewer leaned forward.
"Why do you think she targeted the Solmere Hotel?"
Vivian hesitated.
Then whispered:
"I don't know."
She looked toward the camera.
"But I hope she's getting the help she needs."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed.
There it was.
Not an accusation.
Something worse.
Pity.
Vivian was turning Charlotte into someone unstable.
Someone desperate.
Someone dangerous.
Charlotte understood immediately.
This wasn't about the hotel anymore.
Vivian was trying to destroy Charlotte's credibility.
At noon, the story became even worse.
A second video appeared.
This one showed Charlotte entering the hotel.
The footage had been slowed down.
Zoomed in.
Edited.
Her face looked suspicious.
The caption read:
TRESPASSER ENTERED HOTEL WITH FALSE IDENTIFICATION.
Charlotte stared at the screen.
"I never used false identification."
Daniel nodded.
"I know."
"Then where did they get this?"
"Security."
"Who controls security?"
"Solmere."
"Who controls Solmere?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Officially?"
Charlotte smiled.
"Exactly."
Richard Ashford.
The acting chairman.
Vivian's father.
The man who had controlled the company since Eleanor's death.
The man who had access to every camera.
Every employee.
Every file.
Every journalist.
And possibly every police officer assigned to the case.
Charlotte looked at Daniel.
"How much control does Richard actually have?"
"Enough."
"That's not a number."
"More than eighty percent of the board currently supports him."
Charlotte's jaw tightened.
"Eighty percent?"
"They believe the company belongs to him until your inheritance dispute is resolved."
"Because of the false will."
"Yes."
Charlotte walked toward the desk.
"Then we expose the will."
Daniel shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because you don't have the original."
Charlotte looked at him.
"I know where it is."
Daniel's expression changed.
"Where?"
"Under the hotel."
Silence.
Margaret looked frightened.
"You found the entrance?"
"Yes."
"And the vault?"
"Not yet."
Daniel stepped closer.
"Charlotte, you cannot go back there."
"Why?"
"Because Richard knows you're looking."
"He already knows."
"Then you don't understand."
Daniel's voice lowered.
"Someone tried to kill your mother because she found that vault."
Charlotte went still.
"You said her death was suspicious."
"It was more than suspicious."
"What happened?"
Daniel looked away.
"I wasn't there."
"Then who was?"
"Your father."
Charlotte stared.
"My father?"
Daniel nodded.
"And that's exactly why Vivian is trying so hard to destroy you."
That afternoon, another story broke.
This time, it came from a supposedly anonymous hotel employee.
The employee claimed Charlotte had been seen "wandering through restricted areas for several days."
The story spread immediately.
Then another employee claimed Charlotte had threatened staff.
Then another claimed she had tried to steal documents.
Charlotte stared at the reports.
"They're fabricating witnesses."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
"Can we identify them?"
"Some are real."
"Real employees?"
"Yes."
"Then why are they lying?"
Daniel's expression was grim.
"Because they still work for Richard."
Charlotte sat down.
She understood.
Fear.
Money.
Jobs.
Families.
Richard didn't need everyone to believe him.
He only needed enough people to be afraid of him.
At 6:00 p.m., Charlotte received an invitation.
A television interview.
Live.
National broadcast.
The producer wanted her response to Vivian's accusations.
Daniel immediately said no.
Charlotte said yes.
"No."
Daniel stared at her.
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"Because they'll destroy you."
"They already are."
"You don't know what questions they'll ask."
"I don't need to."
Charlotte picked up her coat.
"I'll tell the truth."
Daniel shook his head.
"The public doesn't care about truth."
Charlotte looked at him.
"Then I'll give them something they can't edit."
The studio was packed.
Cameras.
Producers.
Lawyers.
Security.
Charlotte sat beneath bright lights.
Across from her sat the host.
And beside him—
Vivian.
Charlotte hadn't known she would be there.
Vivian smiled.
"Charlotte."
Charlotte looked at her.
"Vivian."
The host smiled.
"This is certainly an unusual interview."
Vivian nodded.
"I only agreed because I want the public to hear the truth."
Charlotte almost laughed.
The host turned to her.
"Charlotte, according to hotel security, you entered a restricted area without authorization."
"Correct."
"You admit it?"
"Yes."
Vivian smiled.
The host continued.
"And according to Ms. Ashford, you became violent when asked to leave."
"No."
"She says you attacked her."
"She lied."
Vivian shook her head.
"I understand that you're upset."
Charlotte turned toward her.
"Don't."
Vivian blinked.
"Don't what?"
"Use that voice."
"What voice?"
"The voice you use when pretending to care."
The studio became silent.
The host leaned forward.
"Charlotte, why were you inside the hotel?"
Charlotte looked directly into the camera.
"Because I was investigating my mother's death."
Vivian's smile vanished.
The host paused.
"Your mother?"
"Eleanor Vale."
The room changed.
Everyone knew the name.
Charlotte continued.
"She was the former CEO of Solmere Holdings."
The host looked confused.
"Yes."
"And you are claiming—"
"That the current leadership is hiding evidence."
Vivian interrupted.
"That's absurd."
Charlotte looked at her.
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Then let's discuss the security footage."
Vivian froze.
Charlotte continued.
"The footage shows me entering the hotel."
"Yes," the host said.
"But it doesn't show what happened before."
Vivian's face tightened.
Charlotte looked at the camera.
"The full footage shows Vivian Ashford physically assaulting me."
Vivian immediately shook her head.
"No."
"The full footage also shows her ordering security not to call the police."
"That's not true."
"It also shows her demanding that I hand over a key."
Vivian went pale.
The host looked at her.
"What key?"
Vivian said nothing.
Charlotte smiled.
"That's a good question."
The producer suddenly rushed onto the set.
"Cut."
The cameras stopped.
The host looked confused.
Vivian stood.
"What is happening?"
The producer whispered something into his ear.
The host looked at Charlotte.
"I'm sorry. We're having technical difficulties."
Charlotte knew immediately.
Someone had interfered.
The producer's phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
Then he hung up.
"Interview over."
Charlotte stood.
"Who called?"
He wouldn't answer.
Vivian walked past her.
As she reached the door, she whispered:
"You should have stayed quiet."
Charlotte turned.
"Why?"
Vivian smiled.
"Because now I'm going to make sure everyone hates you."
Charlotte watched her leave.
Then she noticed something.
A small red mark on Vivian's wrist.
The same wrist Charlotte had seen Vivian protect earlier.
The wrist Vivian claimed Charlotte had attacked.
Charlotte smiled.
Vivian had forgotten one thing.
Her lies were beginning to contradict each other.
That night, Charlotte returned home.
The front door was unlocked.
She froze.
Daniel immediately reached for his weapon.
"Stay behind me."
They entered.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
Then Charlotte saw the table.
The black folder containing her mother's false will was gone.
So was the photograph of her father.
Only one thing remained.
A white envelope.
Charlotte opened it.
Inside was a newspaper clipping.
Twenty-seven years old.
Headline:
SOLMERE HOTEL FIRE CLAIMS FOUR LIVES.
Charlotte read the names.
Then froze.
One of them was:
Jonathan Ashford.
Her father.
But beneath the headline, someone had written in black ink:
HE DID NOT DIE HERE.
Charlotte's hands began shaking.
Daniel stared at the clipping.
"Where did you get that?"
"I didn't."
Charlotte turned it over.
Another sentence was written on the back.
ASK VIVIAN WHY HER FATHER HAS KEPT YOUR FATHER ALIVE.
Charlotte's heart stopped.
The next morning, Vivian held another press conference.
She stood before dozens of cameras.
"I want to make something clear," she said.
"Charlotte Vale is not the victim."
Charlotte watched from her mother's library.
Vivian continued.
"She has repeatedly attempted to gain access to confidential Solmere information."
Reporters shouted questions.
Vivian raised her hand.
"I believe she is being manipulated by people who want access to the company."
Then she looked directly into the cameras.
"I am asking the authorities to investigate."
Charlotte slowly smiled.
Daniel looked at her.
"What's funny?"
"She just made a mistake."
"What?"
"She said I wanted access to the company."
"So?"
Charlotte picked up the false will.
"That's exactly what I want them to believe."
Daniel frowned.
Charlotte walked toward the safe.
"Because when they think I'm trying to steal Solmere..."
She opened it.
"...they won't realize I'm trying to prove it was stolen from me."
She removed the original legal documents she had recovered from her mother's attorney.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"Vivian wants a war."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
Charlotte's eyes hardened.
"Then she can have one."
That evening, Charlotte received another message.
Unknown number.
YOU THINK THE PUBLIC WILL BELIEVE YOU?
She typed:
I don't need them to believe me.
The response came instantly.
THEN WHAT DO YOU NEED?
Charlotte stared at the screen.
Then typed:
PROOF.
Three dots appeared.
Then:
YOU ALREADY HAVE IT.
Charlotte frowned.
Another message arrived.
LOOK AT THE WOMAN WHO RECOGNIZED YOU.
Charlotte froze.
Margaret.
Why would someone tell her to investigate Margaret?
Her phone rang.
Margaret.
Charlotte answered.
"Margaret?"
The woman was crying.
"Miss Vale..."
"What happened?"
"I found something."
"What?"
"Your mother's original will."
Charlotte stopped breathing.
"Where?"
Margaret whispered:
"Inside the hotel."
"Where?"
"In the old portrait."
Charlotte looked at Daniel.
"Is it safe?"
"No."
"What do you mean?"
Margaret's voice dropped.
"Because Richard knows I have it."
Charlotte's heart raced.
"Where are you?"
Silence.
"Margaret?"
A man's voice answered.
"She's not available."
Charlotte froze.
Richard.
He was on the other end.
"You've been asking too many questions, Charlotte."
"Where is Margaret?"
"Safe."
"If you hurt her—"
"You still don't understand."
"What?"
"You think this is about money."
Charlotte tightened her grip on the phone.
"It's not?"
"No."
Richard laughed softly.
"It's about your mother."
Charlotte said nothing.
Then he whispered:
"Ask yourself why Eleanor spent twenty-seven years hiding the truth about your father."
The call ended.
Charlotte stared at the phone.
Daniel looked at her.
"What did he say?"
Charlotte looked toward the hotel across the city.
"He took Margaret."
Daniel immediately grabbed his coat.
"Then we're going."
Charlotte shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
She held up the phone.
"Because he wants us to go there."
Daniel stopped.
Charlotte looked at the dark window.
"Vivian's lie wasn't meant to destroy me."
"What was it meant to do?"
Charlotte's expression hardened.
"It was meant to make sure that when I disappeared..."
She paused.
"...nobody would believe I was missing."
Daniel's face changed.
Charlotte picked up her coat.
"And that means Margaret isn't the real target."
"Who is?"
Charlotte looked at the photograph of her mother.
"Me."
She walked toward the door.
Behind her, the television continued broadcasting Vivian's perfect story.
But Charlotte no longer cared what the city believed.
Because for the first time, she knew exactly where the truth was hiding.
May you like
And she was going to take it back.
Even if she had to walk into the lion's den herself.
