Chapter 6: The Plan Hidden Behind Her Smile
Theron didn't move for several seconds.
Eirlys was crying against his chest, her little fingers knotted in his shirt. Corisande stood beneath the chandelier, staring at them as if she couldn't decide whether to deny the accusation or attack the person who had made it.
Finally, she found her voice.
"She's making that up.""
Theron looked at her.
"She's three.""
"Exactly! She doesn't understand what she hears.""
"Then explain what she heard.""
Corisande opened her mouth, then closed it.
Eirlys pressed her face against his shoulder.
"Please don't let Mommy take me away.""
Theron held her tighter.
"She isn't taking you anywhere.""
Corisande laughed sharply.
"You cannot keep making promises you have no right to make.""
"I can promise my daughter that I will protect her.""
"And what about my rights?""
"Those are for the lawyers to address.""
The words seemed to frighten her more than any shouted threat could have.
She looked at the staircase, then at the front door.
For the first time, Theron noticed the suitcase beside her feet.
"Where were you planning to go?"" he asked.
Corisande straightened.
"To a hotel.""
"Why?""
"Because you've made it impossible to live here.""
"No one is stopping you from leaving.""
She picked up the suitcase.
"You'll regret this, Theron.""
He didn't answer.
She turned toward the door, but stopped beside Eirlys.
For a second, her face softened into something almost resembling affection.
"Sweetheart, come give Mommy a hug.""
Eirlys buried her face in Theron's shoulder.
Corisande's expression hardened.
"Fine.""
She walked out.
Theron waited until the front door closed before carrying Eirlys upstairs.
That evening, he arranged for Miss Harper to remain with his daughter while he met with Julian in the study. He explained the drawing, the suitcase, and Eirlys's statement about another little girl.
Julian listened carefully.
"Don't question her further tonight," he advised.
"Let her settle. Make a record of what she said, using her exact words, and share it with the therapist.""
"What if Corisande tries to take her?""
"Then we need appropriate legal advice and immediate safeguards. But we shouldn't assume what she will do. We should prepare responsibly.""
Theron nodded.
He was beginning to understand the difference between reacting to fear and making decisions that genuinely protected his daughter.
He had already made one terrible mistake beside the pool.
He wouldn't make another.
The next morning, Julian arrived with a preliminary report from the investigator.
Corisande had contacted Margaret Vale four times in the previous month. In the most recent email, she had proposed that Amelie move into the Viremont estate before the end of the year.
She had also asked Margaret to sign a document authorizing Corisande to make certain educational and medical decisions for the child.
"She was preparing for Amelie to move in," Theron said.
"Possibly. But we don't yet know whether Margaret agreed or what Corisande intended to do with the document.""
"Can we see the email?""
Julian passed him a printed copy.
Theron read it twice.
Corisande had written that she was finally in a position to provide Amelie with the home, opportunities, and security she deserved. She had described the Viremont estate as a place where the child could have a private bedroom, a first-class education, and every advantage.
There was nothing inherently wrong with wanting to provide those things.
What troubled Theron was the next paragraph.
It is important that Amelie understands this is a fresh start. I don't want old conflicts or outside opinions interfering with our family.
Theron looked up.
"She wants Margaret to stop talking.""
"That is one possible interpretation," Julian said.
"We'll need more evidence before drawing conclusions.""
The report included another detail.
Two weeks earlier, Corisande had visited a private school in Greenwich and asked about enrollment for a ten-year-old girl. She had listed the Viremont estate as the proposed home address.
Theron leaned back.
"She was making arrangements before speaking to me.""
"Yes.""
"She intended to bring Amelie into my house without telling me.""
"It appears she was exploring the possibility.""
Theron stared at the email.
He imagined Amelie arriving at the estate, a child who had spent years wondering why her mother didn't want her, only to find herself living beside a stepfather who knew nothing about her existence and a three-year-old sister whom her mother openly resented.
It was a situation that could have hurt both children.
"What happens now?"" he asked.
"We continue gathering facts. We also make sure the therapist understands the family situation. And you should avoid using Amelie as evidence against Corisande. She's a child, not a weapon.""
Theron nodded.
"I know.""
But that afternoon, a new problem arrived.
A courier delivered an envelope addressed to Theron. Inside was a notice from Corisande's attorney requesting a formal discussion about the couple's marital assets and living arrangements.
There was also a handwritten note.
You wanted to investigate my past. Now you can explain why you think you have the right to control my future.
Theron set it aside.
He wasn't interested in fighting over money while his daughter was frightened to sleep alone.
He called his mother instead.
"Mother, do you know whether Corisande has been telling people that I intend to take Amelie away from her?""
Eleanor was silent.
"Why do you ask?""
"Because her attorney has contacted Julian, and I suspect she's preparing for a dispute.""
"Theron, I received a call from Margaret this morning. Corisande told her that you would never allow Amelie into your home unless Margaret agreed to give up her role in the child's life.""
Theron frowned.
"That's ridiculous. I've never spoken to Margaret about custody.""
"I know. Margaret was confused, too.""
"Did Corisande tell her I had agreed to anything?""
"She said you wanted to become Amelie's legal guardian.""
Theron sat up.
"What?""
"That's what Margaret told me.""
He ended the call and contacted Julian.
His attorney listened, then checked the investigator's notes.
"There may be more going on than we realized," Julian said.
"I'll speak with Margaret directly and ask her to preserve all communications.""
"Could Corisande be trying to use my name to persuade Margaret?""
"Possibly. We need to establish exactly what she said and whether she presented any documents as though you had approved them.""
Theron looked toward the garden.
Eirlys was sitting with Miss Harper beneath the magnolia tree, painting a picture of a yellow house.
He wanted to go to her. He wanted to sit beside her and spend the afternoon making certain she understood she was loved.
But there was another child somewhere in the middle of this story, a little girl who had already been abandoned once.
He couldn't allow the adults to turn either child into a bargaining chip.
That evening, Theron received a call from an unfamiliar number.
"Mr. Viremont?"" a woman asked.
"Speaking.""
"My name is Dr. Natalie Shaw. I'm a family counselor. Margaret Vale gave me your number with her granddaughter's permission to contact you.""
Theron straightened.
"Is Amelie all right?""
"She's physically safe and currently living with her grandmother. But Margaret is concerned about the recent contact from Corisande.""
"What has she told you?""
"I can't disclose private details without the appropriate consent. However, Margaret has asked for help understanding whether Amelie is ready to resume regular contact with her mother.""
Theron listened carefully.
"Do you believe she is?""
"That's not a decision I can make based on a phone call. Amelie needs to be heard in a way that doesn't pressure her to please any adult.""
He appreciated the answer.
"Can I help?""
"You can avoid making assumptions about her, and you can ensure she isn't suddenly placed in a household where the adults are in conflict. If you and Corisande separate, any decisions about the children should be handled carefully and with professional guidance.""
"I agree.""
After the call, Theron sat alone in the study.
For the first time, he considered that Corisande's secret might not simply be a shameful chapter from her past.
It might be the reason she had married him.
He opened the drawer where he kept the documents related to their marriage. Among them was a copy of the prenuptial agreement, which he had signed after Corisande insisted that financial independence was essential to her.
He remembered her exact words.
I never want to feel trapped again.
At the time, he had thought she was talking about her first marriage.
Now he wondered whether she had been talking about something else.
He called his financial adviser and asked for a routine review of the accounts and trusts associated with the estate. He made clear that he wanted a factual accounting, not unauthorized access to anyone's private information.
The next morning, the adviser returned his call.
"Theron, I found something you should discuss with Julian.""
"What?""
"Three months ago, a new account was opened through a family-services company. Your wife is the sole named beneficiary of the account, but the initial deposit came from a business associated with one of your property developments.""
Theron went cold.
"How much?""
"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.""
"Was it authorized?""
"The payment appears to have been processed through a legitimate vendor. I can't determine from the records alone whether it was improper.""
"What's the company called?""
The adviser read the name.
Theron recognized it immediately.
It was a company Corisande had recommended for a charity initiative she claimed would support children from difficult family backgrounds.
He had approved the donation because he trusted her.
"Send everything to Julian," he said.
"Don't change or move any funds. I want the records preserved.""
After the call, Theron sat motionless.
The money might have a legitimate explanation. The account might have been created for a purpose he didn't understand.
But it had been opened around the same time Corisande began contacting Amelie's grandmother, and shortly before Eirlys started asking whether she could go live with her own grandmother.
The timing troubled him.
He called Julian.
His attorney arrived within the hour and examined the records.
"We need to establish who authorized the payment and what the company actually did," Julian said.
"Don't accuse Corisande of theft until we have evidence.""
"I'm not accusing anyone. I'm asking questions.""
"Good. Keep doing that.""
Julian gathered the documents.
Before leaving, he paused.
"Theron, the investigator has also found a second company linked to the charity initiative. Its registered address is a mailbox, and its listed director appears to be a former business associate of Corisande's.""
Theron stared at him.
"What does that mean?""
"It means we need to understand where the money went.""
Julian placed a final sheet on the desk.
It was a copy of an email sent from Corisande's private account to the director of the second company.
The message was brief.
The first payment is complete. Once the household situation is settled, we can proceed with the next stage.
Theron read the sentence again.
The household situation.
He looked at Julian.
"Can you determine what she meant?""
"We're working on it.""
After Julian left, Theron went upstairs to check on Eirlys.
She was asleep, one hand resting on Buttons, whose torn seam had been carefully repaired.
Theron sat beside her and brushed a golden curl from her forehead.
Whatever Corisande had planned, he would not let his daughter become collateral damage.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
There was no greeting, no explanation, only a photograph of a handwritten page.
Theron enlarged it.
The handwriting was Corisande's.
When Eirlys is no longer an obstacle, everything will finally fall into place.
Beneath the sentence was a date.
It was the date of Theron's upcoming birthday celebration, an event Corisande had insisted on hosting at the estate.
May you like
And beside the date, someone had written a name.
*Amelie.*
