CHAPTER 5 — The Man Who Refused to Believe Her
CHAPTER 5 — The Man Who Refused to Believe Her
Daniel Cross had spent his entire career learning not to trust appearances.
That was why Charlotte Vale frightened him.
Not because she was the heir.
He still didn't know that.
Not because she had walked into the Solmere Hotel disguised as an ordinary young woman.
Not even because she had somehow survived an attack that should have destroyed her confidence.
She frightened him because every time he looked at her, he saw someone who knew more than she should.
Someone who asked the right questions.
Someone who noticed the smallest inconsistencies.
Someone who refused to behave like a frightened heiress.
And Daniel had spent twenty years protecting Solmere from people exactly like her.
People with secrets.
People with agendas.
People who smiled while they lied.
So when Charlotte stood in front of him that morning and said—
"Richard Ashford took Margaret."
Daniel's first instinct wasn't to believe her.
It was to investigate her.
"You said Margaret called you."
"Yes."
"How long did you speak?"
"Less than a minute."
"What exactly did she say?"
Charlotte stared at him.
"I already told you."
"I want to hear it again."
She folded her arms.
"Why?"
"Because details matter."
"Margaret said she found my mother's original will."
Daniel watched her carefully.
"Where?"
"Inside the old portrait."
"And then?"
"Richard took the phone."
"How do you know it was Richard?"
"He told me."
"Did you see him?"
"No."
"Did you recognize his voice?"
"Yes."
Daniel nodded slowly.
Charlotte frowned.
"What?"
"I'm trying to understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why Richard would tell you he has Margaret."
"Because he wants me frightened."
"Or because someone wants you to believe he has her."
Charlotte went silent.
Daniel continued.
"You've spent the last few days accusing almost everyone connected to Solmere."
"Because almost everyone connected to Solmere has lied to me."
"That's an assumption."
"No."
She stepped closer.
"It's a pattern."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Patterns aren't proof."
Charlotte looked directly at him.
"Then help me find the proof."
He didn't answer.
Because that was the problem.
He wanted to.
More than she realized.
But Daniel Cross had learned long ago that helping the wrong person could destroy an entire company.
And Charlotte had still not told him the truth about who she was.
Daniel had met Charlotte six months earlier.
Or so he believed.
She had entered Solmere through a legal dispute involving her mother's estate.
Quiet.
Polite.
Unassuming.
She had never demanded control of the company.
Never publicly claimed the Vale shares.
Never accused the board.
She had simply asked questions.
Too many questions.
At first, Daniel had admired her.
Then he became suspicious.
She knew details that weren't public.
She knew about internal transfers.
She knew which board members had met secretly.
She knew about the old hotel.
She knew about the family vault.
And now she was claiming Margaret had discovered the original will.
Daniel had one question.
Why?
Why would an ordinary woman investigating her mother's death know so much about Solmere?
Unless she wasn't ordinary.
Unless she had another reason for being there.
Unless she was working for someone.
Daniel looked at Charlotte.
"Who sent you?"
Her expression changed.
"No one."
"Richard?"
"No."
"Your mother's lawyers?"
"No."
"Someone on the board?"
"No."
"Then who?"
Charlotte stepped closer.
"My mother."
Daniel froze.
"She's dead."
"I know."
"Then what do you mean?"
Charlotte's voice softened.
"She left me instructions."
Daniel stared at her.
"What kind?"
"Instructions to find out who killed her."
The room went silent.
Daniel's stomach tightened.
"Charlotte..."
"You know she didn't die naturally."
He looked away.
"Do you?"
"I know enough."
"What do you know?"
"That she was afraid."
Daniel said nothing.
"That she trusted almost nobody."
Still nothing.
"And that you were one of the last people she spoke to."
Daniel looked at her sharply.
"Who told you that?"
"My mother."
His face changed.
That was impossible.
Eleanor had never told him she would reveal their conversations.
Unless—
Daniel stopped the thought.
No.
Charlotte was manipulating him.
She had to be.
"You're lying."
Charlotte blinked.
"What?"
"Your mother never told you that."
"How do you know?"
"Because I knew Eleanor."
"Apparently not well enough."
Daniel stepped toward her.
"Don't play games with me."
"I'm not."
"You arrived at Solmere pretending to be a stranger."
"I was protecting myself."
"You entered restricted areas."
"I was looking for evidence."
"You stole security information."
"I found it."
"You've accused senior executives of conspiracy."
"They're involved."
"And now you're claiming your mother gave you secret instructions before she died."
"She did."
Daniel stared at her.
"Do you expect me to believe all of that?"
"No."
She paused.
"I expect you to verify it."
That answer stopped him.
Most liars tried to convince people.
Charlotte didn't.
She simply challenged him to investigate.
Daniel studied her.
Then asked:
"Why don't you tell me everything?"
"Because I don't know if I can trust you."
The words hit harder than he expected.
"You don't trust me?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you knew my mother."
"That isn't a reason."
"It is when everyone who knew my mother seems to have a secret."
Daniel looked away.
Charlotte continued.
"And you have more secrets than most."
He said nothing.
Because she was right.
An hour later, Daniel sat alone in his office.
The city stretched beyond the glass.
He opened Eleanor Vale's old personnel file.
He had accessed it hundreds of times.
But this time he looked at it differently.
He found the last entry.
SUBJECT: ELEANOR VALE
STATUS: CONFIDENTIAL
FINAL SECURITY REVIEW: PENDING
Daniel frowned.
The file had been created three days before her death.
He opened the attached document.
It was encrypted.
He tried his executive password.
Denied.
He tried Eleanor's birth date.
Denied.
Then something occurred to him.
He entered Charlotte's birthday.
The file opened.
Daniel froze.
Inside was one sentence.
If Charlotte ever comes looking, believe her.
Daniel leaned back.
His heart pounded.
He read it again.
Then again.
There was another line beneath it.
Daniel, she will not trust you. She shouldn't.
He stared at the screen.
Eleanor had known.
She had known Charlotte would doubt him.
She had known Daniel would investigate her.
And she had prepared for it.
Then a third line appeared.
But when the time comes, tell her what happened to Jonathan.
Daniel closed his eyes.
Jonathan.
Charlotte's father.
The secret he had spent twenty-seven years burying.
He wasn't ready.
Not yet.
That afternoon, Charlotte received a call.
"Miss Vale?"
She recognized the voice.
Thomas Reed.
Her mother's former attorney.
"Yes?"
"I need to see you."
"Why?"
"Because I found something."
"About the will?"
"Yes."
Charlotte stood.
"Where are you?"
"My office."
"I'll come."
"Come alone."
Charlotte hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because if Daniel Cross is with you, I cannot guarantee this conversation will remain private."
Charlotte looked across the room.
Daniel was standing by the window.
He wasn't listening.
Or pretending not to.
"I'll come alone."
She hung up.
Daniel turned.
"Who was that?"
"Thomas Reed."
"What did he want?"
"To discuss my mother's will."
Daniel's expression tightened.
"Don't go."
"Why?"
"Because Thomas Reed was on Richard's payroll."
Charlotte froze.
"What?"
"He received money from a company connected to Richard."
"How do you know?"
"I investigated him."
"Then why did you let him remain my mother's attorney?"
"I didn't know until recently."
Charlotte stared.
"You're beginning to sound like you might actually be telling me the truth."
Daniel gave a faint smile.
"Don't get used to it."
They went together.
Charlotte didn't like it.
Daniel knew that.
But he refused to let her walk into a potentially dangerous situation alone.
Thomas Reed was waiting.
His office door was open.
He looked nervous.
"Charlotte."
His eyes moved toward Daniel.
"I told you to come alone."
Daniel stepped forward.
"And I told her not to trust you."
Thomas swallowed.
"Then we're even."
Charlotte sat down.
"What did you find?"
Thomas placed a folder on the desk.
"The original will."
Charlotte's heart stopped.
Daniel looked at him.
"Where?"
Thomas opened the folder.
"Not here."
Charlotte frowned.
"Then why say you have it?"
"Because I have proof that it exists."
He removed a photograph.
It showed Eleanor signing a document.
Beside her stood a notary.
And another man.
Charlotte recognized him immediately.
Richard Ashford.
But the photograph had something strange.
Eleanor wasn't signing the will.
She was signing a separate document.
Thomas pointed to it.
"This was taken forty-eight hours before your mother's death."
"What is it?"
"A revocation."
Charlotte looked confused.
"Revocation of what?"
"The false will."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Then the document everyone has is automatically invalid."
Thomas nodded.
"Yes."
Charlotte's heart raced.
"Where is the original will?"
Thomas looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
"With the person who witnessed it."
"Who?"
He hesitated.
"Your father's sister."
Charlotte froze.
"My father's sister?"
"Yes."
"Who is she?"
Thomas's voice dropped.
"Isabelle Ashford."
Daniel suddenly stood.
"No."
Charlotte looked at him.
"What?"
He stared at Thomas.
"Isabelle is dead."
Thomas shook his head.
"That's what Richard wants everyone to believe."
The room fell silent.
Charlotte slowly turned toward Daniel.
"You knew her."
Daniel looked at her.
"Yes."
"How?"
"She worked for Eleanor."
"For how long?"
"Ten years."
"Why did you say she was dead?"
"I didn't know she was alive."
Thomas interrupted.
"She disappeared after the fire."
Charlotte stared.
"The fire?"
"Yes."
"The same fire where my father supposedly died?"
Thomas nodded.
Charlotte's pulse quickened.
"Where is she now?"
Thomas looked at Daniel.
Then at Charlotte.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
"Someone found her."
"Who?"
Thomas's voice trembled.
"Richard."
Charlotte left the office furious.
Daniel followed.
"You need to listen to me."
"No."
"Charlotte."
"You knew about Isabelle."
"I knew of her."
"You knew she might be alive."
"I suspected."
"That's not the same."
"I couldn't risk telling you without proof."
Charlotte turned.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
"You want me to trust you."
"No."
Daniel surprised her.
"I want you to survive."
She stared at him.
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"Because your mother asked me to."
Charlotte's anger softened for half a second.
Then she remembered the missing pieces.
Her father.
The will.
The vault.
Margaret.
Vivian.
Richard.
Too many secrets.
She looked at him.
"Tell me one truth."
Daniel nodded.
"Anything."
"Did my father die in that fire?"
Daniel looked at her.
"No."
Charlotte's breath caught.
"He's alive?"
Daniel nodded.
"I believe he is."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Then why is Richard afraid of him?"
Daniel's expression changed.
"Because Jonathan knows where the original Solmere fortune came from."
Charlotte froze.
"What does that mean?"
Daniel looked toward the street.
"Your grandfather didn't build Solmere alone."
"Who helped him?"
Daniel whispered:
"The Ashford family."
That night, Charlotte returned to the hotel.
She went directly to the old portrait.
The secret door was still hidden behind it.
But the vault was empty.
The will was gone.
The photograph of her father was gone.
Someone had been there.
Again.
Charlotte looked at the floor.
A single envelope remained.
She opened it.
Inside was a handwritten message.
YOU ASKED DANIEL FOR THE TRUTH.
Charlotte's stomach tightened.
NOW ASK HIM WHY HE NEVER TOLD YOU THAT HE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND YOUR FATHER.
She slowly looked toward Daniel.
He was standing in the doorway.
His face had gone pale.
Charlotte held up the note.
"Is this true?"
Daniel said nothing.
"Did you find my father?"
Still silence.
"Daniel."
He finally answered.
"Yes."
Charlotte's heart stopped.
"When?"
"Six years ago."
"Where?"
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Montreal."
"Why didn't you tell my mother?"
"I did."
"Then why didn't she tell me?"
"Because your father was being watched."
"By whom?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Richard."
Charlotte stepped closer.
"What happened to him?"
Daniel's voice dropped.
"He disappeared again."
"When?"
"Three days before your mother died."
Charlotte stared at him.
Three days.
The same timing.
Her mother's death.
Her father's disappearance.
The forged will.
The conspiracy.
Suddenly, Charlotte understood why Daniel had refused to believe her.
He hadn't been protecting Richard.
He had been testing her.
He needed to know whether she was really Eleanor's daughter.
Whether she knew the truth.
Whether she could survive it.
Charlotte's voice became quiet.
"You thought I was working for Richard."
Daniel nodded.
"Yes."
"And now?"
He looked at her.
"Now I think Richard is working for someone else."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Daniel stepped closer.
"I don't know."
Then he looked at the hidden vault.
"But whoever it is..."
He paused.
"...they've been controlling Solmere for longer than either of us realized."
Charlotte looked at the empty vault.
The woman she had thought was her enemy might be a victim.
The man she had thought was protecting her might be hiding the truth.
And the man she had believed dead might still be alive.
She turned to Daniel.
"From now on, no more secrets."
Daniel nodded.
"No more."
Charlotte held out her hand.
He looked at it.
"What?"
"Your phone."
"Why?"
"Because if we're going to trust each other..."
She smiled coldly.
"...I'm going to make sure we have nothing left to hide."
Daniel handed it to her.
Charlotte unlocked the screen.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
DANIEL HAS LIED TO YOU AGAIN.
Charlotte looked at him.
Another message arrived.
HE KNOWS WHO KILLED YOUR MOTHER.
Charlotte's expression changed.
Daniel saw it.
"What did you receive?"
She showed him the screen.
He went completely still.
Then whispered:
"That's impossible."
Charlotte stared.
"Why?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Because the person who killed your mother..."
He stopped.
His face had lost all color.
"...was supposed to be dead."
And somewhere beneath the Solmere Hotel, a hidden security light switched on.
For the first time in twenty-seven years.
May you like
Someone had entered the family vault.
And the person walking inside was carrying the original will.
