Chapter 3 - The Syndicate's Interrogation
The atmosphere in the gallery turned glacial.
Maria Torres shifted from foot to foot, her knuckles white as she gripped little Lily closer. The housekeeper’s heart hammered against her ribs. She was just a domestic worker trying to survive, raising her daughter in a cramped attic room above the stables. She had never wanted to cross paths with the inner workings of the Cole empire, let alone stand witness to whatever dark secrets were buried behind a family portrait.
"Mr. Cole," Maria murmured, her voice trembling slightly. "If... if I should take Lily back outside—"
"Stay," Adrian commanded, not unkindly. He glanced down at the little girl. Lily’s big, innocent eyes blinked up at him. She didn't look scared anymore; she looked sleepy, her thumb hovering near her mouth before she remembered she was in a big room with important people.
"Lily," Adrian knelt down so they were eye-to-eye. "How did you know the bug was gone?"
Lily pointed a small, stubby finger at the painting. "The pretty bug flew away yesterday. But the shiny lady was mad. She had a little knife like my play-scissors."
Vanessa shrieked, losing whatever composure she had left. "She's a liar! A dirty, uneducated maid's brat! You're going to believe a peasant child over your own fiancée?"
Marcus Vance stepped smoothly into Vanessa’s path, blocking her from moving toward the child. "Watch your mouth, Miss Hale. You're speaking to the guest who just solved a security breach that cost fifty million dollars."
Adrian stood up, his gaze narrowing. "Fifty million?"
Marcus pulled a secure tablet from his jacket, tapping the screen. "Boss, remember the offshore bearer bonds your father left in trust? The ones tied to the syndicate's European holdings? The key to the digital ledger was stored on a micro-chip encoded into the pigment of that exact butterfly. Your mother used micro-fluorescent layering. Only someone with insider knowledge—or someone who inherited the family lore—could know it was there."
Adrian’s jaw clenched. He looked back at Vanessa, the realization dawning with the crushing weight of a collapsing mountain.
"You didn't love me, Vanessa," Adrian said, his voice flat, devoid of all human warmth. "You wanted the European portfolio. You thought by marrying me, you could access the vault during the honeymoon phase, replace the chip with a dummy, and disappear into Zurich."
"That's insane!" Vanessa sobbed hysterically, tears finally breaking free, ruining her mascara. "You're a monster, Adrian! You're turning on me over a fairy tale told by a maid!"
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"Marcus," Adrian said, ignoring her completely. "Pull up the security logs for the private wing between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM yesterday."
"Already running, boss," Marcus replied, tapping his tablet. "Facial recognition and thermal mapping. Let's see who else helped her cut the canvas."
