Chapter 4 - The Gold WomanBy midnight, Celeste Arden had disappeared.
Her office was closed. Her apartment was empty. Her phone was off. The professional website that had listed her as a child psychologist now displayed a maintenance page.
But Kingsley security had copied everything before she vanished.
Adrian placed printed pages across the dining table of the safe house.
Celeste’s credentials.
Her client list.
Her payments.
Her connection to Grant.
And one photograph that made my blood run cold.
Celeste standing beside my father at a charity gala six years earlier.
I picked up the photo. “She knew my father?”
Ruth leaned closer. “I remember that night. She introduced herself as a research consultant.”
“For what?”
“Child inheritance law,” Elias said.
I looked between them. “Why would my father speak to her?”
“He didn’t know who she truly represented.”
“And who was that?”
Elias did not answer immediately.
That silence told me enough.
“Someone in the Kingsley family,” I said.
Ruth’s mouth tightened.
“Possibly.”
I dropped the photo onto the table. “Grant is an outsider. Celeste is an outsider. They couldn’t know about Bluebird unless someone inside helped them.”
“No,” Elias said. “They couldn’t.”
A cry sounded from upstairs.
Ellie.
I was out of my chair before anyone moved.
When I reached the guest bedroom, Ellie was sitting upright in bed, clutching the blue stuffed rabbit she carried everywhere.
“Mommy,” she whimpered.
“I’m here.” I sat beside her. “Bad dream?”
She nodded.
“What happened?”
Her lip trembled. “Daddy said the bird would fly away if I told.”
My heart hurt so badly I almost couldn’t speak.
“What bird, sweetheart?”
She pointed toward the window.
Not at the sky.
At the curtains.
Blue curtains.
“The blue room,” she whispered. “The lady made me draw Mommy sleeping.”
I went still.
“What do you mean?”
Ellie squeezed the rabbit. “She said draw Mommy when Mommy takes too much medicine.”
I closed my eyes.
The custody case.
They had coached my three-year-old daughter to create evidence against me.
I smoothed Ellie’s hair, forcing my voice to stay calm.
“Did Mommy ever take too much medicine?”
Ellie shook her head hard. “No. Daddy said pretend.”
I pulled her into my arms.
Behind me, I heard Ruth enter the room and stop.
“She said pretend,” I whispered.
Ruth’s hand flew to her mouth.
Ellie looked over my shoulder. “Auntie Ruth?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Is Daddy mad?”
Ruth came closer, her face softening. “No one here is mad at you.”
Ellie nodded, but she did not believe it. Not fully.
Children who have been taught to keep secrets learn fear before language.
After Ellie fell asleep again, I walked downstairs with Ruth.
Elias was on the phone.
Adrian stood at the dining table, staring at another page.
“What is it?” I asked.
He turned the paper toward me.
It was a payment record from a shell company to Celeste.
The shell company name was WREN HOUSE LLC.
Ruth inhaled sharply.
I looked at her. “You know it.”
She nodded, face pale.
“Wren House was my brother’s emergency trust office.”
“My father’s?”
“Yes.”
“Then why is it paying Celeste?”
May you like
Ruth’s eyes met mine.
“Because after your father died, someone took it over.”
Related Stories
