Chapter 6: What Happened on October 14
I read the message three times.
Then I called the number.
It was disconnected.
Olivia looked at my face.
"Maya? What's wrong?""
I showed her the screen.
She read the message and went pale.
"Your mother was murdered?""
"I don't know.""
"Who sent this?""
"I don't know that either.""
The elevator doors opened.
Vanessa was nowhere in sight.
Olivia looked toward the basement corridor.
"She's probably in the old storage area.""
I took a step forward.
"Let's go.""
"Maya, wait. We should get Helen.""
But I was already walking.
The basement smelled of dust, cardboard, and old paint.
Rows of metal shelves lined the walls. Boxes were stacked almost to the ceiling.
At the far end, a door stood slightly open.
A narrow strip of light escaped beneath it.
I heard Vanessa's voice.
"Just tell me where it is.""
Another voice answered.
"I told you. I don't know.""
I recognized the second voice.
It was Richard Hale.
Olivia and I exchanged a look.
I approached the door carefully.
Inside, Richard stood beside an open filing cabinet.
Vanessa was holding a folder.
"You're wasting my time," she said.
Richard looked exhausted.
"I've worked with this company for twenty years. I'm not going to falsify historical records for you.""
Vanessa stepped closer.
"You don't have to falsify anything. You just have to make a few documents disappear.""
"Those documents belong to the company.""
"And I'm trying to protect it.""
"From what? The truth?""
Vanessa slammed the folder against the cabinet.
"From a girl who suddenly thinks she's entitled to half of everything!""
Richard shook his head.
"Your mother's ownership agreement was legitimate.""
Vanessa went silent.
Then she laughed bitterly.
"My mother abandoned this family. She doesn't deserve anything.""
Richard looked at her.
"Victoria didn't abandon you.""
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
"Don't talk about my mother.""
I stepped into the room.
"Then perhaps you should stop talking about mine.""
Both of them turned.
Vanessa's face tightened.
"Maya.""
Richard looked relieved.
"Thank goodness.""
I glanced at the folder in her hand.
"What are you doing?""
Vanessa closed it.
"Administrative work.""
"In the basement?""
"Is that a problem?""
I looked at Richard.
"What's in the folder?""
He hesitated.
Vanessa answered for him.
"Nothing that concerns you.""
I stepped forward.
"Does it contain the original October 14 records?""
Vanessa's expression changed.
She grabbed her bag.
"You're becoming tiresome.""
Richard moved between us.
"Vanessa, give me the folder.""
She stared at him.
"You work for this company. Remember that.""
"I do.""
"Then act like it.""
She pushed past him and walked toward the door.
As she passed me, she whispered:
"Your mother should have stayed quiet.""
I turned.
"What did you just say?""
Vanessa stopped.
For one brief moment, her expression revealed something I hadn't seen before.
Fear.
Then she left.
Richard waited until her footsteps disappeared.
"That girl has no idea how much damage she's causing.""
I looked at him.
"What was in the folder?""
He hesitated.
Then he opened a drawer and removed a small photograph.
It showed the old Bellamy showroom.
The runway platform was visible in the background.
Beneath it, a section of wooden flooring had been removed.
On the back was a handwritten note.
October 14, 1998. Eleanor's final warning.
I looked up.
"What does this mean?""
Richard's face became serious.
"It means your mother didn't disappear from Bellamy House voluntarily.""
Helen arrived twenty minutes later.
Arthur came with her.
When they saw the photograph, Arthur sat down heavily on a nearby chair.
"Where did you get this?""
"Richard gave it to me.""
Arthur examined the back.
His fingers trembled.
"I remember this.""
Helen looked at him.
"Arthur?""
He closed his eyes.
"That night.""
I moved closer.
"What happened that night?""
Arthur looked at me.
"Eleanor came to my office carrying a folder. She told me she had discovered something in the company's financial records.""
"What?""
"Money had been transferred from our original design account into a private company. Several payments had been authorized using my signature.""
"Did you make those payments?""
"No.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Who did?""
Arthur looked toward Helen.
She answered quietly.
"Victoria.""
I stared.
"But Victoria told me she was trying to protect my mother.""
Arthur shook his head.
"She may have been. But she was also involved.""
Helen placed the photograph on a nearby table.
"Arthur, we need to tell Maya everything.""
He nodded.
Then he turned toward me.
"On October 14, Eleanor confronted Victoria. She had discovered that your mother's original collection had been copied and sold to an overseas fashion house.""
"Who sold it?""
"Victoria arranged the transaction.""
I couldn't breathe.
"Why?""
"She wanted control of the company. She believed that if Eleanor lost credibility, Arthur would withdraw the partnership agreement.""
"And you believed the accusations against my mother?""
Arthur looked ashamed.
"At first, yes.""
I stepped backward.
"She was innocent.""
"I know that now.""
"How convenient.""
Arthur accepted the words.
"You're right.""
Helen took a deep breath.
"That night, Eleanor threatened to expose everything. She told Arthur she had hidden the original agreement and the financial evidence somewhere only she could find.""
"Under the first collection," I whispered.
Arthur nodded.
"She said the same thing to me.""
My hands trembled.
"Then what happened?""
Arthur looked down.
"She left the building. We never saw her again.""
I stared at him.
"She went home.""
"That's what we were told.""
"What do you mean?""
Arthur's expression darkened.
"Her car was found two days later near the river. The police said she had been involved in an accident.""
My stomach dropped.
"My mother never told me about an accident.""
Helen looked at me.
"How old were you?""
"Seventeen.""
"Perhaps she didn't want you to know.""
I shook my head.
"She died when I was twenty-one. She never mentioned anything.""
Arthur stood slowly.
"Because the accident happened before she left Bellamy House. The hospital records indicated she had suffered a head injury.""
I felt sick.
"You're saying someone attacked her?""
Arthur didn't answer.
Then Richard spoke.
"There is one more thing.""
We all turned.
He held up a document.
"Police records from that period indicate the vehicle was registered to a company owned by the Bellamy family.""
I stared at him.
"Whose company?""
Richard lowered his voice.
"Victoria's.""
I left the building in a daze.
Outside, the evening air was cold.
I walked several blocks before finding a quiet bench.
My phone rang.
Victoria.
I answered immediately.
"Did you know?""
There was silence.
"Know what, Maya?""
"About my mother's accident.""
Victoria exhaled.
"Yes.""
My chest tightened.
"You told me she was betrayed because of the ownership agreement. You never mentioned the accident.""
"I didn't want to frighten you.""
"You don't get to decide what I deserve to know.""
"You're right.""
"Was your daughter involved?""
Victoria didn't answer.
"Victoria!""
"Yes.""
I closed my eyes.
"Tell me exactly what happened.""
Her voice became shaky.
"Vanessa was eighteen. She found out Eleanor had hidden the original documents. She believed your mother was going to destroy everything my father had built.""
"That doesn't answer my question.""
"She followed Eleanor that night.""
I stood.
"What?""
"She wanted to retrieve the documents. There was an argument outside the building.""
My hands began shaking.
"Did Vanessa hurt my mother?""
Victoria started crying.
"I don't know what happened after they left.""
"You're her mother. You must know something.""
"I found Vanessa's car damaged the following morning. She told me she'd been in an accident with a parked vehicle.""
My stomach turned.
"Was my mother in that vehicle?""
Victoria whispered:
"I believe she was.""
I couldn't speak.
Then she added:
"But there's something you don't know. Eleanor came to see me three days before she died.""
My breath caught.
"What?""
"She gave me something. She said if anything happened to her, I had to protect it.""
"Protect what?""
"A recording.""
I gripped the phone.
"What recording?""
Victoria's voice dropped.
"Your mother recorded the entire argument with Vanessa that night.""
I felt my heart pounding.
"Where is it?""
Victoria was quiet.
Then she answered:
"At my house.""
I looked down the empty street.
"Why didn't you give it to Arthur?""
"Because it contains something that could destroy more than Vanessa's career.""
"What?""
Victoria took a shaky breath.
"It proves Arthur knew about the attack before the police ever contacted him.""
I couldn't move.
The man who had apologized to me.
The man who claimed to have spent twenty-eight years regretting what happened.
He might have known the truth all along.
"Victoria," I whispered.
"Why are you telling me this now?""
"Because Vanessa knows I've kept the recording.""
A sudden crash sounded through the phone.
Victoria gasped.
"Who's there?""
"Victoria?""
I heard footsteps.
Then a man's voice.
"Give me the recording.""
Victoria screamed.
The call went dead.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
I called again.
Nothing.
Then a message appeared.
It came from Victoria's number.
Don't come to my house. The recording is gone.
A second message followed.
And Maya, if you ever find the original agreement, look at the signature on the final page.
I stared at the screen.
The signature isn't Arthur's.
My blood ran cold.
Because if Arthur hadn't signed the agreement...
May you like
Then who had given my mother forty-five percent of Bellamy House?
And why had someone gone to such extraordinary lengths to make sure she never claimed it?
