Chapter 2 - THE ENVELOPE UNDER THE WINDOW)
Rosa slid the envelope into the pocket of her apron before opening the door fully.
Ethan smiled at her.
It was not a friendly smile.
"Everything all right?"
"Perfectly."
His eyes moved past her toward Elsie.
The child was coloring another petal.
Ethan leaned against the doorway.
"Vanessa said there were some old papers up here."
"Mr. Lombardi already collected them."
"So I heard."
He stepped inside.
Rosa did not move away.
"Miss Elsie needs to rest."
"I'm not here for Elsie."
He looked toward the wooden box.
Rosa's hand tightened inside her pocket.
Ethan walked to the window seat.
He opened the box.
Nothing.
He ran his fingers along the inside.
Then beneath the lining.
Rosa felt her heartbeat begin to pound.
Elsie watched him.
"That's Mommy's."
Ethan looked at her.
"What did Mommy keep in here?"
"My flower papers."
"Anything else?"
Elsie thought.
Rosa interrupted.
"She's three years old."
Ethan smiled.
"I can see that."
He turned toward Rosa.
"If you find anything with Clara's handwriting, give it to Julian."
"Why?"
"Family matter."
"Then Mr. Cesare should probably see it."
The smile left Ethan's face.
"Julian."
Rosa held his stare.
"I understand."
He walked past her.
At the doorway, he stopped.
"And Rosa?"
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow will be busy."
"I'm aware."
"Stay in the staff areas."
Then he left.
Rosa closed the door.
Elsie looked frightened.
"Is Uncle Ethan mad?"
"He isn't your uncle."
"Vanessa says he will be."
Rosa looked toward the hallway.
Then she removed the envelope from her pocket.
She did not open it.
Clara had written Cesare's name.
Rosa respected that.
But she suddenly understood why Clara had hidden it.
By noon, she tried calling Cesare.
His assistant answered.
Mr. Lombardi was in Boston finalizing a foundation acquisition and would return late the next afternoon, only hours before the reception.
Rosa left no message.
The fewer people who knew, the better.
What she did not know was that Ethan had walked directly downstairs and found Julian in the library.
"There's something else."
Julian closed the door.
"What?"
"An envelope."
Julian's face drained.
"Where?"
"Rosa has it."
"You saw it?"
"No."
"Then how do you know?"
"Because she moved her hand to her pocket the second I mentioned Clara."
Julian began pacing.
Ethan watched him with contempt.
"You told us everything was destroyed."
"I thought it was."
"You thought?"
"I cleaned out Clara's office. Her laptop was wiped. The duplicate files were gone."
"You missed the box."
"I didn't know she was using Elsie's room."
Ethan stepped closer.
"This is exactly why Vanessa told you to get the kid out of the house."
Julian looked at him.
"She's my daughter."
"And Clara was your wife. Look how well that worked out."
Julian's fist tightened.
Ethan did not care.
"For fourteen months we've kept this quiet."
"You kept it quiet."
"We all kept it quiet."
"I never touched the money."
Ethan laughed.
"You signed the approvals."
"Because Vanessa told me they were bridge transfers."
"And you believed her?"
Julian turned away.
That was the answer.
At first, Julian really had believed her.
After Clara's death, he had barely functioned.
Vanessa had entered his life as a patient friend.
She organized his schedule.
Handled calls.
Helped with foundation documents.
Encouraged him to stop drowning in grief.
By the time Julian realized that Vanessa and Ethan had been moving money through companies controlled by Hale associates, he had already signed six authorization packages.
He could have told Cesare.
He should have.
Instead, he had panicked.
Vanessa showed him documents suggesting Clara had also signed transfers.
She claimed Clara had been involved.
Julian could not allow that scandal to stain Elsie's mother's name.
So he kept quiet.
Then Vanessa became more than a friend.
And the lie became a life.
Ethan moved toward the desk.
"The blue seal appears on every certified transfer sheet."
Julian looked at him.
"Elsie cut up one of the documents."
"How much could be visible?"
"I don't know."
"Get the flower."
Julian's face tightened.
"No."
Ethan stared at him.
Julian lowered his voice.
"She's already scared of me."
"Then be a father for once and take away a piece of paper."
Julian looked toward the ceiling, as though he could see Elsie's room above them.
He remembered Clara holding their newborn daughter.
He remembered promising he would never let anything happen to her.
Then he remembered Vanessa's warning.
If Cesare discovered the transfers, Julian could lose his position, inheritance influence, board seat, and possibly face criminal investigation.
Fear won again.
"I'll get it tonight."
Ethan nodded.
"And the envelope."
That evening, Julian entered Elsie's bedroom after she had fallen asleep.
The paper flower lay beside her pillow.
He reached for it.
Elsie opened her eyes.
"Daddy?"
Julian froze.
She smiled sleepily.
"I made it for Grandpa."
He looked at her.
There was so much trust in her face that his hand stopped.
"Go back to sleep."
"Do you like it?"
Julian swallowed.
"Yes."
"Mommy showed me."
He stared.
"What?"
"Mommy said make it pretty so nobody knows."
Julian's blood went cold.
"Nobody knows what?"
Elsie's eyes were already closing.
"The blue papers."
Julian stood motionless beside the bed.
Then he slowly backed away.
In the hallway, Vanessa was waiting.
"Well?"
Julian closed the bedroom door.
"I couldn't."
Vanessa stared at him.
Then she smiled without warmth.
"That's fine."
May you like
"What does that mean?"
"It means tomorrow, I'll handle your daughter myself."
