Chapter 4 - The Woman in Red
Elisa Rochefort returned to the Cross estate two days later, accompanied by a lawyer and a photographer.
She arrived wearing cream silk and a sympathetic expression carefully designed for public consumption.
“I've come to see whether Damon has recovered from his unfortunate outburst,” she told the receptionist. “And to make sure the child is receiving proper care.”
Damon met her in his office.
“You're not seeing Lily.”
Elisa's smile tightened.
“I'm concerned about her welfare.”
“You called her a street child in front of three hundred donors.”
“She was reaching for food that wasn't meant to be taken without permission.”
“The entire gala was advertised as helping children in need.”
“That's a slogan, Damon. The money goes through programs, not directly to anyone who wanders onto private property.”
He watched her carefully.
“You knew who she was.”
Elisa's expression barely changed.
“I had never seen her before that evening.”
“Then why did you look frightened when I showed you Amelia's photograph?”
For the first time, Elisa said nothing.
Damon placed a copy of the storage-unit records on his desk.
“Your name appears in several documents connected to questionable foundation payments.”
Her face turned cold.
“You're accusing me of stealing from your own foundation?”
“I'm asking you to explain the records.”
“You're letting a child manipulate you.”
“She's four.”
“Children can be coached.”
“And adults can lie.”
Elisa stood.
“If you destroy this engagement because of an unknown girl and some old paperwork, don't expect my family to help you recover from the consequences.”
Damon almost laughed.
“Is that a threat?”
“It's advice.”
She walked out.
That afternoon, an independent accountant confirmed that several million dollars had passed through organizations linked to Elisa's father, Richard Rochefort. Some transfers had been recorded as emergency grants for children's housing, but the listed shelters denied ever receiving the money.
The foundation's public reports were incomplete.
Worse, a number of digital approvals appeared to have been made using Amelia's credentials after her death.
Damon ordered a full audit and voluntarily notified the foundation's board. He knew the decision could damage his company's reputation. He also knew concealing the information would make him no better than the people responsible.
Meanwhile, Lily began speaking more freely with Rachel.
She described a large house with locked doors, a woman who sometimes came to visit her mother, and a man who had once taken Anna's phone away.
“She said Mommy was a thief,” Lily explained. “But Mommy said she was trying to give back the money.”
Rachel did not press for details.
Later, Lily drew a picture of three people standing beside a cake.
One was a little girl. One was a woman with long brown hair. The third was a woman wearing a red dress.
“Who's this?” Damon asked, pointing to the woman in red.
Lily's crayon stopped.
“That's the lady who came to our apartment.”
“When?”
“Before Mommy took me away.”
“What did she do?”
Lily looked at the floor.
“She said Mommy had to give her the blue book.”
Damon remembered the storage unit. There had been a blue notebook among the papers.
“Did your mother give it to her?”
“No. Mommy hid it.”
“Where?”
Lily shook her head.
“I don't know. But the lady said if Mommy didn't tell her, she'd make sure we never saw each other again.”
Damon felt anger rise, but he kept his voice gentle.
“Lily, you don't have to remember everything today.”
She looked up.
“Will you find my mommy?”
“Yes.”
“Even if the lady gets mad?”
Damon thought of the money, the powerful families, and the foundation he had inherited without understanding how deeply it had been compromised.
“Especially then.”
That evening, his private investigator found an old photograph showing Elisa leaving Amelia's hospital room on the night before the fatal crash.
The photograph did not prove wrongdoing.
But Elisa had told Damon she barely knew Amelia during those final months.
May you like
She had lied.
And now Damon understood that the woman who had humiliated Lily in public might have been trying to silence her mother long before the gala.
