Chapter 13 - The Public Accusation
By nine o’clock that morning, reporters surrounded every entrance to Bellarose.
Television vans blocked the street. Cameras pointed toward the golden doors. Journalists shouted questions about fraud, secret accounts, and hidden property deals.
Daniel watched from the upstairs window.
“They moved faster than the police,” he said.
Eleanor stood beside him, holding Thomas’s blueprint.
“That means the story was prepared before last night.”
Daniel’s phone rang again.
Another investor.
Another demand for an explanation.
Another threat to withdraw support.
Within two hours, three major suppliers suspended their contracts. Two banks froze Bellarose’s expansion funds. A city official publicly called for an emergency investigation.
Adrian had not simply stolen documents.
He had built a narrative.
Daniel was meant to look like the mastermind behind everything hidden beneath the restaurant.
Samuel entered carrying a tablet.
“There’s a live press conference outside.”
On the screen, Melissa stood before the cameras.
Her face looked pale, but her voice remained steady.
“I have evidence that Daniel Cole knew about illegal financial activity connected to Bellarose.”
Daniel stared at her.
Eleanor watched more carefully.
Melissa continued.
“I was instructed to hide documents, alter complaint records, and silence employees.”
The reporters erupted.
Daniel moved toward the door.
“I’m going down there.”
Eleanor grabbed his arm.
“No.”
“She’s lying.”
“Maybe.”
Daniel turned toward her.
“Maybe?”
Eleanor pointed to Melissa’s left hand.
It was pressed against her coat pocket.
“She keeps touching something.”
The camera angle shifted.
For one brief second, Daniel saw a small red light blinking beneath the fabric.
A recording device.
Or a tracker.
Melissa’s eyes moved toward the building as she spoke.
“She is not talking freely,” Eleanor said.
Daniel looked again.
Melissa’s final statement was strange.
“Everything began where the first meal was served.”
Then she stepped away from the microphones and entered an unmarked black car.
Daniel repeated the sentence.
“Where the first meal was served.”
Samuel looked toward the main dining room.
“The original kitchen.”
They hurried downstairs.
The modern kitchen had been rebuilt many times, but one wall still contained bricks from Rose’s Kitchen.
Eleanor pressed her hand against the oldest section.
“This is where I cooked for Daniel the night I found him.”
Behind a loose brick, they discovered a small metal container.
Inside was a memory card.
Daniel inserted it into Samuel’s tablet.
A video opened.
Melissa appeared on screen, crying.
“If you’re watching this, Adrian knows I tried to leave.”
Behind her stood shelves filled with files.
“I helped him hide the complaints. I helped him move money. But I didn’t know he was planning to destroy Bellarose.”
She looked directly into the camera.
“The truth is in the Founder's Vault, but the vault cannot be opened by Eleanor’s key alone.”
The recording ended abruptly.
Then a final image appeared.
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Victor Kane, alive and uninjured, standing beside Adrian Vale.
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