Chương 7
“That she believed my father had settled the matter years earlier and that your mother had agreed not to contact us.”
“Settled.”
Richard nodded.
“The payment.”
Maya’s mouth tightened.
“Your father bought her silence.”
“That may be what he believed.”
“What do you believe?”
Richard looked at her.
“I think my father controlled people by making his version of their choices more expensive to contradict.”
The sentence had clearly cost him something.
Maya gestured toward the file.
“What else?”
Richard did not open it.
“In 2002, my father gave me an envelope.”
Maya went still.
Richard’s eyes stayed on the folder.
“He said Elena had contacted the family asking for more money.”
“Did she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you open it?”
Richard’s silence answered.
Maya felt something settle inside her.
Not shock.
Something heavier.
“You didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“My marriage to Adrian’s mother was already collapsing. The company was in the middle of a financing crisis. My father told me Elena had taken money, left, and was threatening to create a scandal unless I paid again.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Richard nodded.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you open it?”
He looked at her.
“Because I wanted him to handle it.”
Maya said nothing.
Richard swallowed.
“I told myself he understood the risk better than I did. I told myself Elena had made her choice. I told myself if there was something important, he would tell me.”
“And then he told you the baby died.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Later that year.”
“After you gave him the letter.”
“Yes.”
Maya turned away.
Richard said, “I let him decide what I was allowed to know.”
“No.”
He waited.
“You let him decide what you were willing to know.”
Richard closed his eyes.
Maya felt the anger rise again.
“You came here acting like everyone lied to you.”
“They did.”
“And you helped.”
“Yes.”
The word stopped her.
Richard opened his eyes.
“Yes,” he said again. “I did.”
Maya looked at him.
For the first time since the auction, she believed him completely.
Not because he was innocent.
Because he had stopped trying to be.
“What happened to the envelope?”
“My father’s records show it was archived.”
“Do you have it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s missing.”
Maya laughed bitterly.
“Convenient.”
“I know.”
“Who had access?”
“My father. His executive assistant. Family counsel. Later, archive staff.”
“And Victoria.”
Richard looked at her.
“Yes.”
Maya picked up Elena’s copied 2013 letter.
“She knew.”
“Yes.”
“Before she ever married you.”
“Yes.”
“And at the auction she knew the pendant.”
Richard’s jaw tightened.
“She saw photographs in the archive.”
“What photographs?”
He opened the folder.
Inside was a copy of an old estate inventory.
Eleanor Vale.
Richard’s mother.
One entry showed a small oval pendant.
The same pendant Maya now owned.
Beside it, a note written by Eleanor.
Given to E.R., 2001.
Maya sat down.
Richard did not speak.
She traced the photograph with one finger.
“Your mother gave it to mine.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Maya shot him a look.
Richard almost smiled.
“Sorry.”
She looked again.
“When did your mother die?”
“2017.”
“So Victoria knew the pendant wasn’t stolen.”
Richard’s face hardened.
“Yes.”
“She lied.”
“Yes.”
Maya leaned back.
“Why would your mother give Elena jewelry?”
“I have a guess.”
“I don’t want guesses.”
“Neither do I.”
Richard’s phone buzzed.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Maya looked at him.
“Answer it.”
“It’s Daniel.”
“Maybe your wife slapped someone else.”
Richard gave her a startled look.
Maya did not mean to smile.
She did anyway.
It lasted less than a second.
Richard answered.
“Yes?”
He listened.
His expression changed.
“When?”
Another pause.
“Don’t release anything.”
He looked at Maya.
“No. I’m with her.”
Maya hated the small warmth that came from hearing that.
Richard ended the call.
“What happened?” she asked.
“Victoria issued a statement through her own attorney.”
Maya stood.
“What does it say?”
“That she regrets the physical confrontation but acted after recognizing property she believed had been unlawfully removed from the Vale family estate.”
Maya stared at him.
Richard’s voice flattened.
“She also says she had no prior knowledge of your identity.”
Maya held up Elena’s letter.
“Then she’s lying publicly now.”
“Yes.”
“Can we prove those initials are hers?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I have documents from the foundation with the same notation style and initials.”
Maya sat again.
She felt strangely calm.
“What are you going to do?”
Richard looked at her.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I asked what you’re going to do.”
He rubbed his beard.
“I’m going to contradict her.”
“Publicly?”
“If necessary.”
“She made it public.”
“Yes.”
“Then necessary happened.”
Richard nodded.
“I’ll have Daniel draft something.”
“No.”
He frowned.
“No?”
“You said you solve practical problems and expect emotional problems to follow.”
Richard stared at her.
“Adrian told you that.”
“He did.”
Richard sighed.
“He has my worst qualities arranged in alphabetical order.”
“He likes you.”
“That makes it worse.”
Maya picked up her phone.
“If you make a statement, say only what you know.”
“Which is?”
“That DNA confirmed I’m your biological daughter. That Victoria had access to records identifying my mother years before the auction. That the pendant was given to my mother by your mother. Nothing about why. Nothing about motives. Nothing about me wanting a relationship with you.”
Richard nodded.
“Nothing about inheritance.”
His expression changed.
“I wasn’t going to mention money.”
“Everyone else will.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want yours.”
Richard looked at her for a long moment.
“Okay.”
“Don’t say ‘for now.’”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You thought it.”
“I did.”
Maya pointed toward the door.
“You can go.”
Richard stood.
At the door he stopped.
“My mother met Elena.”
Maya looked up.
“I think there may be letters between them.”
“Find them.”
“I will.”
This time, when he left, Maya did not feel relieved.
That bothered her more than anything.
The public statement changed the story but did not improve it.
May you like
By evening, reporters were outside Maya’s building.
A website published photographs of Elena from old gallery events.
