Chapter 15 - THE LETTER THAT ARRIVED TOO LATE
Six months after the wedding scandal, I thought the worst part of my life was finally behind me.
Maison Hayes was thriving inside Bellamere Estate. Our new flagship atelier had attracted international attention, and young designers were applying for positions every week.
For the first time, I could walk through the east wing without remembering the people who had tried to destroy my family.
Then a letter arrived.
It was addressed in familiar handwriting.
Brittany Hayes.
I stared at the envelope for several minutes before opening it.
Inside was a handwritten letter and a small photograph.
Madison,
I know you probably never want to hear from me again. I don't expect forgiveness. But there's something I should have told you before I left.
Mom didn't act alone.
There was another person involved in the theft of Eleanor's original designs. Someone who was never mentioned during the investigation.
I found his name in Victoria's private correspondence.
His name is Adrian Cross.
He was the former financial director of Bellamere Hospitality, and he helped Victoria move the stolen money through several companies.
But that's not the worst part.
He has copies of the original designs.
And he believes he owns them.
Please be careful.
Brittany.
I examined the photograph.
It showed Victoria standing beside a man in a dark suit outside a private auction house.
On the back, Brittany had written a date.
Three weeks before my wedding.
I immediately called Daniel.
He arrived within forty minutes.
After examining the photograph, he became unusually quiet.
“Adrian Cross,” he finally said.
“You know him?”
“He was dismissed from Bellamere four years ago after an internal financial investigation. Victoria claimed he had stolen company funds.”
“Was he prosecuted?”
“No. He disappeared before the investigation was completed.”
I looked at the photograph again.
“So he was working with her.”
“Possibly. But there's something more concerning.”
Daniel enlarged the image.
The man was holding a black leather portfolio.
On its surface was a familiar symbol.
A small white orchid.
My mother's private mark.
I felt a chill.
“Daniel, why would he have something belonging to my mother?”
He closed his laptop.
“I think we're about to discover that Victoria wasn't the only person who wanted Eleanor's collection.”
That evening, I received an email from an unfamiliar address.
The subject line contained only four words.
YOUR MOTHER LEFT MORE.
The message included a photograph of an old design sketch.
I recognized it immediately.
It was the original wedding gown my mother had designed thirty years ago.
The one she had always refused to sell.
At the bottom of the sketch was a handwritten note.
The second collection belongs to the daughter.
I stared at those words.
May you like
My mother had left another inheritance.
And someone else knew exactly where to find it.
