“Then what was it?”
Celeste’s voice dropped.
“Cruelty.”
The word hung between us.
She wiped at her face.
“Vanessa has spent her entire life believing money would protect her.
Richard taught her that people either have power or they become useful to those who do.”
“And you?”
Celeste stared at me.
“I taught her to look away when something ugly happened.”
For the first time, I saw a woman beneath the polished surface.
Not a good woman.
Not yet.
But perhaps a frightened one finally admitting the truth.
She slid one final paper across the table.
It was a communication from Richard’s attorney concerning the disputed access documentation.
The language was cautious.
The implication was not.
Richard intended to argue that Thomas had approved the arrangement before his death.
And Jared had agreed to support that account.
I whispered, “He’d lie about his dead father.”
Celeste looked away.
