Chapter 4: The Woman Wearing Lillian’s Brooch
The woman stepped into the dining room and removed the brooch.
“Aunt Delia?” Avery said.
Delia Ward held the jewelry in her palm.
“I can explain.”
“You signed my mother’s name.”
“Conrad said the archive would disappear if I didn’t help him.”
Conrad moved between them.
“Be careful, Delia.
You’re confused.”
“No,” Delia replied.
“I was frightened.”
Avery’s voice cracked.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did.
Your number had changed.”
“My address has been the same for four years.”
Delia looked down.
“Your father told me you wanted nothing to do with us.”
Avery gripped the back of a chair.
“My father said that?”
Conrad held out his hand.
“Give me the brooch and go home.”
Delia closed her fingers around it.
“You promised this would only prove the designs came from our family.”
“They do,” Conrad said.
“That makes the filing legitimate.”
“It does not make my signature legitimate,” Avery replied.
Celeste gathered the papers.
“Nobody leaves until I understand what I paid for.”
Conrad faced her.
“You paid for a global launch that begins tomorrow.
If you cancel now, your lenders take the company.”
Naomi looked at Celeste.
“Is that true?”
Celeste did not answer.
Conrad leaned closer to her.
“The venue, advertising, and factory deposits are tied to completion.
One missed launch and the loan becomes due.”
“You told me the loan was protected,” Celeste said.
“It is—if Avery cooperates.”
Avery pulled out a chair for Delia.
“Tell us exactly what he made you sign.”
Conrad snatched the document from Naomi’s hands.
“Conrad!” Celeste shouted.
He tore the first page in half.
Naomi lunged forward, but Conrad swept the remaining pages into a water pitcher.
Ink spread through the glass.
“There,” he said.
“Now we can stop this performance.”
Celeste stared at the floating paper.
“You just destroyed my company record.”
“I protected you from a stolen draft.”
Two uniformed security guards entered from the lobby.
Conrad pointed at Avery.
“Remove her.
She came here under false pretenses and took confidential documents.”
Avery lifted her apron from the chair.
“I came because Delia called this restaurant and told me Conrad met clients here every Thursday.
The owner let me cover a shift so I could watch him.”
“You tricked us,” Celeste said.
“I served your table for forty minutes.
You never looked at my face until I challenged you.”
Celeste glanced at the money still scattered across the floor.
Conrad gave the guards a cold nod.
“Take her out.”
Naomi stepped in front of Avery.
“Then you’ll have to remove me too.”
“You’re dismissed,” Conrad said.
“You don’t employ her,” Celeste snapped.
“I control operations under the emergency agreement you signed.”
Celeste went still.
“What emergency agreement?”
Conrad smiled.
“The one giving me authority if your judgment threatens the launch.”
He held up his phone.
An email appeared on Celeste’s screen seconds later.
Naomi read over her shoulder.
“He suspended your executive access.”
Celeste tried to call her board chair.
The call failed.
“He locked me out,” she said.
Conrad turned to the diners.
“The restaurant is closing.
Everyone must leave.”
Naomi slipped a small flash drive into Avery’s palm.
“I copied the server before he arrived,” she whispered.
“Don’t let him see it.”
Avery closed her fist around the drive.
The front doors opened again.
A tired man with silver hair walked past the guards.
Avery’s face crumpled.
“Dad?”
Thomas Ward looked at Conrad, then at his daughter.
“Tell her the truth,” Conrad said.
“Tell Avery who gave me the key to Lillian’s archive.”
May you like
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I did,” he said.
