Chapter 4 – The Man Who Lied for Seven Years
Richard Lancaster arrived twenty minutes later.
The chairman of Lancaster Holdings entered the ballroom expecting congratulations.
Instead, he found reporters gathering outside, guests whispering, Bianca crying, and Adrian standing beside a child who looked strangely familiar.
"What happened here?"
Nobody answered.
Adrian handed him Clara's letter.
Richard frowned.
The moment he saw the handwriting, his face stiffened.
"No..."
His hands began shaking.
"This isn't possible."
"You told me Mother stole from us."
Richard remained silent.
"You told me she abandoned me."
Still nothing.
"You told me she never wanted to see me again."
Richard closed his eyes.
Finally, after years of silence, he whispered,
"I believed what I was told."
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Who told you?"
Richard hesitated.
Then he answered with visible shame.
"Celeste Vale."
Across the ballroom, Bianca looked as though the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.
Richard continued quietly.
"She brought witnesses."
"Documents."
"Financial records."
"They all looked real."
Adrian looked toward Bianca.
"So your family's fortune..."
Richard nodded.
"...may have been built on my mother's destruction."
Lily looked from one adult to another, confused.
She tugged gently on Adrian's sleeve.
"Are people mad because Mommy told the truth?"
Adrian knelt beside her.
"No."
May you like
His voice trembled.
"They're afraid because she did."
