Chapter 2: Cracks Behind the Perfect Smile
Chapter 2: Cracks Behind the Perfect Smile
Nathaniel canceled his Chicago trip.
Officially, it was to stay near his recovering mother.
Unofficially...
He began investigating his own fiancée.
Without telling anyone, he asked the head of estate security to recover every camera recording from the property.
An hour later, the answer came.
"There aren't any recordings, sir."
Nathaniel frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The cameras covering the front staircase stopped recording exactly twenty-three minutes before the accident."
"Technical issue?"
"They were manually disabled."
Nathaniel slowly lowered the report.
Only three people knew the security system's master code.
Himself.
The security chief.
Vivien.
Across town, Vivien smiled through a bridal fitting.
White silk.
Fresh flowers.
Champagne.
Everyone complimented how radiant she looked.
But the moment she stepped into the dressing room alone, her smile disappeared.
She checked her phone.
No messages.
No accusations.
Good.
She had planned everything perfectly.
Margaret had become suspicious weeks ago after quietly reviewing several trust documents.
If the wedding happened, Vivien would eventually gain influence over hundreds of millions of dollars.
Margaret had threatened to expose everything.
So Vivien had made a decision.
One push.
Just enough.
She never intended for the older woman to survive.
Back at the estate, Lily wandered into the entrance hall holding her stuffed rabbit.
She stopped in front of the staircase.
Nathaniel noticed her.
"You like rabbits?"
Lily nodded.
"They don't lie."
Nathaniel chuckled softly.
"That's true."
She looked at him with those impossibly serious brown eyes.
"The grandma didn't fall."
Nathaniel froze.
His heartbeat became painfully slow.
"What did you say?"
"The pretty lady pushed."
Rosa entered the hall carrying fresh linens.
She went pale.
"Lily!"
The little girl looked confused.
"What?"
Nathaniel stood.
"Rosa..."
She couldn't breathe.
"I'm so sorry, sir..."
"Lily."
Nathaniel knelt until they were eye level.
"Can you tell me exactly what you saw?"
Children invent stories.
Nathaniel knew that.
But children almost never maintain complicated lies.
For nearly ten minutes Lily calmly described every detail.
Where she had been hiding.
What Margaret had said.
Where Vivien's hand landed.
Even which slipper came off first.
Details no newspaper had reported.
Details only someone present could know.
Nathaniel stood slowly.
His face had gone completely expressionless.
That expression terrified people who negotiated against him.
Because it meant he had reached a conclusion.
That evening he invited Vivien to dinner.
Candles.
Wine.
Her favorite music.
She smiled, relieved.
Perhaps he had finally accepted the accident.
Halfway through dessert, Nathaniel asked quietly,
"Do you remember what my mother's last words were before she fell?"
Vivien answered immediately.
"She didn't say anything."
Nathaniel simply stared at her.
Then he placed his napkin beside the plate.
"My mother told me exactly what she said."
Vivien's smile faltered.
May you like
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
