Chapter 3 - The Envelope Behind the Painting
Daniel closed the door to his office.
Camille walked in as though she owned the room.
She poured herself a drink from the crystal decanter on his sideboard, even though Daniel had not offered one.
“You humiliated me,” she said.
Daniel removed his cufflinks slowly.
“You attempted to strike my mother.”
“I was frustrated.”
“That is not an answer.”
“She has been against me from the beginning.”
“My mother has been polite to you.”
“She has been cold.”
“She has been cautious.”
Camille turned, her eyes sharp.
“Because she thinks I am not good enough for you?”
“No,” Daniel said. “Because she has seen the way you treat people who cannot give you anything.”
Camille laughed bitterly.
“You are taking the word of a housemaid over mine?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Her name is Maya.”
“She is staff.”
“She is a human being.”
Camille stared at him.
Then she placed her glass down with more force than necessary.
“You really think you’re different from your father, don’t you?”
Daniel went still.
His father had died five years earlier, leaving Daniel control of Ashford Holdings, a multibillion-dollar investment and development firm. His father had been respected publicly, feared privately, and trusted almost no one.
“You should be careful,” Camille continued. “Your father understood that people have places. The moment you allow employees to challenge you, you lose control.”
“My father also taught me that loyalty cannot be demanded by humiliation.”
Camille’s smile faded.
“Fine,” she said. “Suspend her, then. At least until this mess is handled.”
“No.”
“Daniel—”
“No, Camille.”
The finality in his tone shocked them both.
Camille walked toward him slowly.
“Do you know what will happen if you embarrass my family tonight?” she asked. “My father is your largest partner in the Hudson redevelopment project. His board votes could delay everything.”
“So this is business.”
“This is reality.”
Daniel looked at her carefully.
Something had shifted in his mind.
For months, Camille had pushed for faster approvals, private meetings with contractors, and unusual adjustments to the project’s financial structure. Daniel had dismissed most of it as ambition.
Now he wondered if he had been too willing to believe in the woman he planned to marry.
“Why were you arguing with my mother?” he asked.
Camille looked away.
“She has been interfering in things she doesn’t understand.”
“What things?”
“Foundation matters.”
“My mother founded the Ashford Foundation.”
“And now she is old, Daniel.”
The words hung in the room.
Camille saw his expression change and immediately softened her voice.
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes,” Daniel said. “You did.”
A knock came at the door.
Daniel’s assistant, Renee, stepped inside. Her face was tense.
“Mr. Ashford, I’m sorry to interrupt. Mrs. Ashford asked me to bring you this.”
She held out a cream-colored envelope.
“It was hidden behind a painting in the library,” Renee continued. “Maya found it while looking for Mrs. Ashford’s medication case.”
Daniel took the envelope.
His name was written on the front in his mother’s trembling handwriting.
Daniel—if anything happens to me, do not trust Camille.
Camille’s face changed.
Only for a second.
But Daniel saw it.
He opened the envelope.
Inside were copies of bank statements, foundation invoices, and an unsigned letter.
The first document showed large donations supposedly made by the Ashford Foundation to a company called Sterling Community Renewal Initiative.
Daniel knew that company.
It belonged to Camille’s father.
The second document showed the money being transferred out within days to offshore accounts.
The third was a note from Evelyn.
I found irregularities. Camille said I was confused because of my medication. I am not confused. She wants me to sign new authority documents over the foundation accounts. I refused.
Daniel slowly looked up.
Camille stood perfectly still.
“You searched through my mother’s things,” he said.
Camille’s face hardened.
“She has been paranoid.”
“You called her paranoid because she found evidence.”
“You have no idea what you are looking at.”
“Then explain it.”
Camille’s phone buzzed.
She glanced down at the screen.
Daniel saw a message preview.
Your problem needs to be handled tonight.
The sender’s name was her father.
Richard Sterling.
Camille locked the screen immediately.
Daniel stepped closer.
“What does he mean by handled?”
Camille smiled again.
But this time, there was fear behind it.
“You should ask your mother why she kept secrets from you.”
Then she pushed past him and walked out of the office.
Daniel stood alone with the documents in his hands.
Outside, thunder rolled over the city.
May you like
And somewhere in the house, Maya was beginning to understand that the spilled champagne was not the only stain Camille Sterling had tried to hide.
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