Chapter 12 - The Woman Elena Trusted Before She Died|
Gabriel stared at Victor.
"Explain."
Victor stood in the doorway, his face pale.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that every word he spoke could change the course of a criminal investigation.
"Cassandra worked as a private financial consultant," he said.
I frowned.
"She told everyone she was an event planner."
Victor nodded.
"She was doing both at different times."
Gabriel's expression hardened.
"Start at the beginning."
Victor swallowed.
"Elena hired Cassandra to review transactions connected to the family foundation."
The room went silent.
Gabriel looked at the notebook.
"Elena never mentioned her."
Victor nodded.
"She wanted the investigation kept confidential."
I stared.
Cassandra had presented herself as a woman who entered the Romano family's life long after Elena's death.
But apparently she had known Elena before the accident.
And Elena had trusted her enough to hire her.
I thought about the photograph.
Cassandra standing beside Elena's car.
Holding an envelope.
A terrible possibility formed in my mind.
"Did Cassandra betray her?" I asked.
Victor hesitated.
"That's what I believe."
Gabriel leaned forward.
"Why?"
Victor looked down.
"Raymond found out about the investigation."
He paused.
"And Cassandra realized she could make more money working for him."
I felt sick.
Victor continued.
"Elena believed Cassandra had uncovered proof of the missing donations."
Gabriel's jaw tightened.
"Did she?"
"Yes."
Victor looked at the notebook.
"But instead of giving Elena the records, Cassandra offered them to Raymond."
Gabriel stared at him.
"And you knew?"
Victor shook his head.
"Not until afterward."
Gabriel looked disgusted.
"Your excuses are becoming predictable."
Victor lowered his eyes.
"I deserve that."
Daniel escorted Victor from the room a few minutes later.
He would be questioned further, and Gabriel's new legal team would have to sort through the damage he had caused.
But his confession left us with another troubling question.
Why had Elena's own consultant become the woman Gabriel intended to marry?
It seemed impossible that Cassandra had entered his life by coincidence.
I looked at Gabriel.
"How did you meet her?"
He leaned against the desk.
"At a charity auction."
I frowned.
"Which charity?"
He hesitated.
"The Romano Family Foundation."
My stomach dropped.
Gabriel closed his eyes.
"She approached me after the event."
I looked at him.
"What did she say?"
He swallowed.
"She told me she admired Elena's work."
I stared.
"She mentioned Lily?"
He nodded slowly.
"She said she understood how difficult it must be to raise a daughter after losing a spouse."
He looked away.
"I thought she was compassionate."
My heart twisted.
Cassandra had known exactly which words would reach him.
She hadn't needed to force her way into Gabriel's life.
She had simply learned where he was hurting.
Then she had offered herself as the answer.
Gabriel sat heavily.
"I introduced her to Lily six months later."
I said nothing.
He continued.
"At first, Cassandra was kind."
His voice became quiet.
"She brought gifts."
I remembered Lily telling me about those early months.
The beautiful dresses.
The trips to the theater.
The expensive dollhouse Cassandra had ordered from Paris.
Then slowly, everything changed.
Cassandra began telling Lily that her mother's photographs were upsetting Gabriel.
She stopped inviting the girl to family dinners.
She canceled playdates.
She made Lily apologize whenever she cried.
And eventually, she convinced the child that her own father was tired of her.
I looked at Gabriel.
"She didn't change overnight."
He nodded.
"I know."
"She changed when she thought she had enough control."
He looked at me.
There was pain in his expression.
"Yes."
I sat beside him.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Gabriel said something that surprised me.
"I used to believe the biggest danger to my family came from outside this house."
He looked toward the hallway.
"I surrounded us with gates, cameras, guards, and locked doors."
His voice trembled.
"But the person hurting my daughter was sitting at my dinner table."
I swallowed.
"And you were the one who opened the door for her."
He nodded.
"I know."
There was no defensiveness in his voice.
No attempt to excuse what had happened.
Only grief.
And responsibility.
That mattered more than he probably realized.
Later that afternoon, Gabriel met with a new attorney, Rebecca Morgan.
She was a sharp, composed woman in her early forties who had handled complex financial litigation for years.
Unlike Victor, she didn't seem impressed by Gabriel's reputation.
She simply opened her notebook and started asking questions.
"First," she said, "we separate the evidence from the allegations."
Gabriel nodded.
"Agreed."
"Second, nobody in this household contacts the suspects without consulting investigators."
He nodded again.
"Understood."
"Third, your daughter's welfare becomes the priority."
Gabriel leaned forward.
"It already is."
Rebecca studied him.
"Then let's make sure your actions prove it."
I nearly smiled.
She sounded like someone Lily would have liked.
Rebecca reviewed Elena's notebook, my father's photographs, the original authorization, and the available security recordings.
She made a list of missing evidence.
She also explained that some of the information would need authentication before it could be used in court.
I listened carefully.
For the first time, the investigation felt less like a nightmare and more like something that could eventually produce real answers.
Then Rebecca turned toward me.
"Miss Brooks."
I straightened.
"Yes?"
"I understand Cassandra has accused you of altering documents."
I nodded.
"Yes."
Rebecca studied me.
"Do you have any independent record of where you were when those documents were handled?"
I thought.
Then shook my head.
"I was working."
She nodded.
"Anyone with you?"
I considered.
"The kitchen staff."
"Anyone else?"
I stared at the table.
Then I remembered something.
My housekeeping cart.
Every morning, I used a digital checklist on the staff tablet.
The system recorded when each room was serviced.
And during yesterday's office cleaning, I had used the tablet to report a damaged lamp.
I looked up.
"Yes."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me."
I explained.
Daniel immediately retrieved the housekeeping records.
The timestamps showed that I had entered Gabriel's office at 10:12 a.m.
The same records showed that Cassandra had requested coffee through the household system at 10:14.
I had left at 10:18.
Rebecca studied the information.
"Useful."
Gabriel looked at me.
"Can it help?"
Rebecca nodded cautiously.
"It can help establish a timeline, particularly alongside complete security footage."
Daniel opened the original recording archive.
And there it was.
The unedited footage.
Cassandra standing beside Gabriel's desk.
Dropping the blue folder.
Asking me to retrieve it.
Then leaning over the documents while I collected the papers.
I watched myself place the folder back on the desk.
Cassandra thanked me.
Then she looked directly toward the camera.
And smiled.
A cold feeling moved through my body.
She knew exactly where the camera was.
Rebecca paused the footage.
"Look at this."
She enlarged the image.
Cassandra's hand moved toward the corner of the folder.
A silver-capped pen was visible between her fingers.
She slid a page beneath another sheet.
Then closed the folder.
Gabriel leaned forward.
"Can we determine what she changed?"
Rebecca shook her head.
"Not from this angle alone."
But she looked satisfied.
"It does contradict the cropped video used to accuse Natalie."
I nearly cried with relief.
Gabriel turned toward me.
"Your name will be cleared."
Rebecca corrected him gently.
"The full evidence will be provided to investigators."
He nodded.
"Of course."
I looked at the screen again.
Cassandra had been so confident.
So certain that nobody would question her.
She had treated the staff as though we were invisible.
She had forgotten that invisible people still remembered what they saw.
That evening, Gabriel invited Lily to have dinner in the small family kitchen.
Not the grand dining room.
Not beneath the chandeliers.
Just the kitchen.
Lily insisted on making grilled cheese sandwiches.
Gabriel admitted he'd never made one.
She looked horrified.
"Daddy, you've never made grilled cheese?"
He shook his head.
"Apparently I've been living a very sheltered life."
Lily giggled.
I helped her place the bread in the skillet.
Gabriel followed her instructions with exaggerated seriousness.
When he flipped the sandwich too early, the cheese slid onto the stovetop.
Lily burst out laughing.
I laughed too.
Even Gabriel smiled.
For a few minutes, we were simply three people making dinner.
Then Lily looked toward the empty fourth chair.
Her smile faded.
"Mommy used to make these."
Gabriel set down the spatula.
"Did she?"
Lily nodded.
"She cut them into stars."
I glanced at Gabriel.
He looked at the sandwich.
Then at me.
"Can we do that?"
I smiled.
"Absolutely."
I found a star-shaped cookie cutter.
Together, we cut the sandwiches into little stars.
Lily arranged them on a plate.
When Gabriel placed one in front of her, she looked up.
"Thanks, Daddy."
He kissed her forehead.
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
She took a bite.
Then whispered, "Mommy would like you trying."
Gabriel's eyes filled.
He smiled.
"I hope so."
Later, while Lily washed her hands, Gabriel turned toward me.
"Natalie."
"Yes?"
"Today was the first time she laughed at dinner in months."
I looked toward the sink.
"She's been waiting for you."
He nodded.
"I know."
There was a pause.
Then he said, "I'd like to make some changes."
I smiled.
"To dinner?"
He shook his head.
"To my life."
I looked at him.
He continued.
"I've spent years believing that providing everything was the same as being present."
His voice softened.
"It isn't."
I didn't answer.
I didn't need to.
Then Daniel appeared at the kitchen door.
His expression was tense.
"Mr. Romano."
Gabriel turned.
"What happened?"
Daniel glanced toward Lily.
"Rebecca just received a call from the district attorney's office."
Gabriel straightened.
"About Raymond?"
Daniel shook his head.
"About Cassandra."
My stomach tightened.
"What about her?"
Daniel swallowed.
"She wants to cooperate."
Gabriel stared.
Daniel continued.
"She claims she can prove who ordered the tampering with Elena's car."
The kitchen went silent.
May you like
Then Daniel said the words that changed everything.
"And she says Raymond wasn't the one who gave the final order."
