Chapter 10 - THE LAWYER WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Claire Beaumont did not move.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room came from the monitor beside Adrien's bed.
Then she placed her phone on the table.
"Daniel," she said calmly, "send the recording to an independent forensic examiner."
Adrien stared at her.
"That's your response?"
Claire looked at him.
"What would you prefer?"
"The truth."
She took a slow breath.
"Then you need to understand something. Your father had reasons to distrust me."
Adrien felt his anger rising.
"Did you betray him?"
"No."
"Did you know he was alive?"
Claire hesitated.
"Yes."
The word struck Adrien harder than he expected.
He stared at her.
"How long?"
"Four years."
Adrien's hands began shaking.
"Four years?"
Claire lowered her eyes.
"Étienne contacted me after his disappearance. He asked me to protect certain documents and monitor the company's financial activities."
"And you never told me?"
"He made me promise."
Adrien laughed bitterly.
"My father made you promise, so you let me believe he was dead?"
Claire's composure finally cracked.
"I believed telling you would put you and Lila in danger."
"That wasn't your decision to make!"
"No," she whispered. "It wasn't."
Adrien looked away.
He had trusted Claire with everything.
His estate.
His business.
His daughter's future.
Now he discovered that she had concealed one of the most important truths of his life.
Sophie watched the exchange with growing concern.
"Why would Étienne accuse you in the recording?" she asked.
Claire looked toward her.
"Because I refused to give him access to a set of documents."
Adrien turned back.
"What documents?"
"Original transaction records from the medical foundation."
"Why refuse?"
"Because I believed someone had compromised his communications. He was demanding the files through an intermediary I couldn't verify."
Claire paused.
"Three days later, he disappeared again."
Adrien studied her.
"Are you saying he blamed you because you wouldn't hand over evidence?"
"Yes."
"Can you prove it?"
Claire shook her head.
"Not yet."
Adrien felt exhausted.
Every explanation created another question.
Every trusted person seemed to be hiding something.
He looked toward Daniel's face on the video screen.
"Do you believe her?"
Daniel answered carefully.
"I believe we need to verify her account. Until then, she shouldn't control the investigation or have unrestricted access to the evidence."
Claire nodded.
"Agreed."
She removed her identification badge from the table.
"I'll step aside."
Adrien watched her.
For a moment, he saw the woman who had guided him through countless business crises.
Then he remembered his father's recording.
"Claire."
She stopped at the door.
"Did you know about Émilie?"
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"Yes."
Adrien felt the final piece of his trust shatter.
"Did you ever speak to her?"
"Once."
"When?"
"Two years ago."
He gripped the armrest.
"What did she say?"
Claire swallowed.
"She asked whether Lila still remembered her."
Adrien closed his eyes.
The pain was unbearable.
"And what did you tell her?"
"That Lila still slept with the rabbit her mother gave her."
A tear rolled down Claire's cheek.
"Émilie cried for almost an hour."
Adrien looked away.
He could not bear to hear more.
After Claire left, Sophie remained beside him.
She did not try to defend the attorney.
She did not offer easy explanations.
Instead, she helped him through his evening treatment and waited until he was ready to speak.
Finally, Adrien whispered, "I don't know who to trust anymore."
Sophie looked at him.
"Trust the evidence. And trust people who are willing to be questioned."
He turned toward her.
"What about you?"
She met his eyes.
"You can question me, too."
Adrien studied her face.
Then he nodded.
The next morning, investigators searched the abandoned rehabilitation center.
They found signs of recent occupancy.
Food containers.
Medical supplies.
A chair with restraints attached.
But Étienne was gone.
On a table lay a handwritten message.
You are looking in the wrong place.
Daniel photographed it.
Then an investigator discovered a second message scratched into the underside of the table.
Three words.
Ask about Sophie.
Daniel stared at the inscription.
He immediately called Adrien.
"There's something you need to know."
Adrien looked toward Sophie, who was arranging his medication schedule.
"What?"
Daniel's voice became cautious.
"Your father left a message about her."
Adrien felt a chill.
"What does it say?"
Daniel answered.
"It says to ask about Sophie."
Adrien slowly turned toward the woman who had saved his leg.
May you like
And for the first time, he wondered whether she had entered his life by accident.
END OF CHAPTER 10
