Chapter 4 - THE SECRET INSIDE THE FAMILY
Camille read the final sentence three times.
Armand must never know what I discovered until I can prove it.
Her father.
The man who had protected her since childhood.
The man who had just saved her from signing away thirty-two percent of her company.
Why would Madeleine have wanted to keep something from him?
Thomas Renard remained beside his computer, waiting for instructions.
“Camille?”
She forced herself to breathe.
“Print the document.”
He nodded.
“And make a secure copy of the original file, including its metadata.”
“Already doing it.”
Camille looked at the screen again.
The recovered page contained no explanation.
No names.
No supporting documents.
Only a warning written in her mother's familiar handwriting.
She remembered Madeleine sitting at the kitchen table years earlier, carefully reviewing household bills while Armand spoke on the telephone.
Her mother had always been thoughtful.
Patient.
Methodical.
She rarely accused anyone without evidence.
If Madeleine had written such a warning, she must have believed something was terribly wrong.
But Camille refused to jump to conclusions.
A statement without context could be misleading.
And she had already learned how dangerous misplaced trust could become.
“Thomas, who uploaded this file?”
He checked the metadata.
“The system says it was added four years ago.”
Camille frowned.
“Four years after my mother's death?”
“Yes.”
“By whom?”
Thomas opened the access history.
His expression changed.
“Marc Vautrin.”
Camille stared at him.
“Marc wasn't even working here when Mom died.”
“No.”
“Then where did he get it?”
Thomas shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Camille folded her arms.
“Find out.”
By noon, Sofia Bennett had arranged a meeting with an independent forensic accountant named Evelyn Brooks.
Evelyn was fifty-two, sharp-eyed, and known for investigating complicated financial fraud across multiple jurisdictions.
She had spent twenty years tracing hidden assets and fraudulent transactions.
When Camille showed her the documents, Evelyn listened without interruption.
Then she asked one question.
“Who benefits if you believe your father is guilty?”
Camille hesitated.
“Julien.”
“Exactly.”
Evelyn tapped the recovered report.
“This could be authentic. It could also be altered, incomplete, or deliberately placed where you would find it.”
Camille looked down.
“So I shouldn't trust it?”
“You shouldn't trust anything until we verify it.”
That answer comforted her more than reassurance would have.
Evelyn continued.
“We need the original Mercier investigation records, the Saint-Clair bank statements, the Bellwether ownership structure, and the transaction records from Northbridge.”
Sofia nodded.
“I can begin preparing legal requests.”
Camille looked between them.
“And Diane?”
Evelyn's expression hardened.
“Diane is central to both the old transfer and the new scheme. That makes her very important.”
“What do you think her role was?”
“Based on what you've shown me, she appears to have managed the financial architecture. Julien supplied the personal access. Diane supplied the corporate vehicles.”
Camille felt sick.
She remembered Diane helping her choose wedding invitations.
Diane had sat beside her in a boutique, laughing about flowers and table arrangements.
All the while, she had been involved in a plan to acquire Camille's company.
“Do you think they're romantically involved?” Camille asked.
Sofia glanced at her.
“Does it matter?”
Camille looked away.
“Yes.”
She hated admitting it.
But it did.
The financial betrayal was enormous.
Yet the possibility that Julien had shared his private life with Diane while pretending to love Camille felt like a separate wound.
Evelyn spoke gently.
“We'll follow the evidence. But I don't want you confronting either of them alone.”
Camille nodded.
That afternoon, she visited her father's office.
Armand was standing beside the window when she entered.
He turned immediately.
“Camille.”
She placed the recovered report on his desk.
“Have you seen this before?”
He read it.
His face tightened.
“No.”
She watched him carefully.
“Mom wrote that someone responsible for the Mercier accounts was still inside our family.”
Armand looked up.
“I can see that.”
“And she didn't want you to know.”
His expression grew pained.
“Apparently.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
Camille searched his face.
For the first time, she wondered whether he was telling the truth.
Armand sat down slowly.
“Your mother and I had disagreements during the Mercier investigation.”
“What disagreements?”
“She believed the accounting evidence had been manipulated.”
“And you didn't?”
“I believed the auditors.”
“Who hired them?”
Armand hesitated.
“My company.”
“Who selected them?”
He frowned.
“Our chief operating officer at the time.”
“Who was that?”
Armand looked at her.
“Victor Lemaire.”
Camille recognized the name immediately.
Victor had been Armand's closest business associate for nearly thirty years.
He was practically family.
He attended birthdays, holidays, and charity events.
After Madeleine's death, Victor had helped Armand manage the family businesses.
Camille called him Uncle Victor.
“Victor?” she whispered.
Armand nodded.
“He oversaw the internal investigation.”
Camille felt a chill.
“Does he still work for you?”
“He's chairman of our investment committee.”
She stared at him.
“And he still has access to the family holdings?”
“Yes.”
Camille's mind raced.
Her mother's warning had said the responsible person was still inside the family.
Not necessarily a blood relative.
Someone trusted.
Someone with access.
Someone Armand would never suspect.
“Dad, did Victor know Julien's father?”
“Of course. They worked together.”
“Did he know Julien?”
Armand paused.
“I assume so.”
Camille took out her phone.
She showed him the old photograph of Madeleine, Julien, and Diane.
“Have you ever seen this?”
Armand studied it.
“No.”
“Look at the background.”
Behind the three figures was the entrance to a financial office.
A brass plaque appeared beside the door.
Camille enlarged the image.
The letters were blurry.
But she could make out part of the company name.
Lemaire Advisory Group.
Armand's expression changed.
“Victor owned that office.”
Camille felt her pulse quicken.
“Then Julien and Diane met Mom at Victor's company.”
Armand slowly sat back.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he reached for his telephone.
Camille stopped him.
“Who are you calling?”
“Victor.”
“No.”
Armand looked up.
“Camille—”
“If he's involved, calling him gives him time to destroy evidence.”
Her father stared at her.
Then slowly replaced the receiver.
“You sound like your mother.”
Camille felt tears rise.
“Then maybe you should have listened to her.”
Armand lowered his eyes.
“I wish I had.”
That evening, Camille returned to her apartment accompanied by a private security professional Sofia had recommended.
She packed Julien's belongings into sealed boxes.
She changed the access codes.
She instructed the building staff not to admit him.
Then she sat alone in the living room.
The silence was unbearable.
At 9:43 p.m., an unfamiliar number called.
Camille almost ignored it.
Then she answered.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice whispered.
“Camille?”
She recognized it immediately.
Diane.
Camille stiffened.
“How did you get this number?”
“Please don't hang up.”
“Give me one reason.”
“Because Julien doesn't know I'm calling.”
Camille stood.
“What do you want?”
Diane was breathing rapidly.
“I need to tell you something about your mother.”
“Then tell my attorney.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
A pause.
Then Diane whispered:
“Because Victor Lemaire knows where I live.”
Camille's stomach tightened.
“What does Victor have to do with this?”
Diane began crying.
“Everything.”
Camille gripped the phone.
“Where are you?”
“At a hotel near the station. I can't stay here.”
“Why?”
“Someone followed me.”
Camille glanced toward the windows.
“Diane, listen carefully. Contact the police.”
“I already tried.”
“Then—”
“Camille, please.”
Diane's voice broke.
“I helped Julien approach you. I helped prepare the financing. I knew about the thirty-two percent.”
Camille closed her eyes.
The confession hurt, even though she had already suspected it.
“But I didn't know Victor was planning to take the whole company,” Diane continued.
Camille went still.
“What?”
“Thirty-two percent was only the beginning.”
“Explain.”
Diane hesitated.
May you like
Then said something Camille would never forget.
“Once Julien obtained your shares, Victor planned to use a hidden debt agreement to force your company into receivership.”
