Chapter 5 - A Kiss Meant for the Cameras
The following morning, Alex arrived at Ashford Tower carrying the silver key his mother had left behind.
He expected Elena to refuse to see him.
Instead, her assistant led him directly to the executive floor.
Elena stood beside a wall of windows overlooking Manhattan. She wore a tailored white suit, her dark hair pinned back, and an expression that made the room feel colder than the winter sky outside.
“You came,” she said.
“My father told me to stay away from you.”
“And yet here you are.”
“I have questions about my mother.”
Elena turned.
“So do I.”
He showed her the key.
For the first time since the ballroom, her composure cracked.
“Where did you get that?”
“My father gave it to me. He said my mother stole something from your grandfather's study.”
Elena walked toward him and examined the engraved letters.
“E.A. Could mean Ashford Estate.”
“Or Elena Ashford.”
“Or something else entirely.”
She handed it back.
“I won't pretend I trust you, Alex.”
“I wouldn't expect you to.”
“But I think our families have been lying to both of us.”
He nodded.
“Then let's find out why.”
For several minutes, they examined the old photograph and the financial documents Alex had brought. The picture showed his mother standing beside Arthur Ashford and Richard Whitmore.
Elena noticed something she hadn't seen before.
A reflection in the yacht's window revealed a fourth person taking the photograph.
A young woman with long dark hair.
Elena enlarged the image on her phone.
“That woman looks like my aunt, Vivian.”
“Your aunt was there?”
“Apparently.”
Alex looked at the clock.
“My father is hosting a charity luncheon tomorrow. Vivian Ashford will be there.”
“Then we'll attend.”
“Together?”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
“Would that bother you?”
“No.”
“Good. Because I want everyone to see us together.”
He stared at her.
“You want to make your family think we're involved?”
“I want them to become careless. They already believe you can be manipulated by your ego. Let's give them something new to worry about.”
Alex smiled despite himself.
“And what exactly are we supposed to be?”
Elena considered him.
“Business partners.”
“That sounds disappointing.”
“Would you prefer enemies?”
“I'm beginning to think enemies would be safer.”
For the first time, she laughed.
The sound surprised them both.
Then Alex stepped closer.
“There is one problem,” he said quietly.
“What problem?”
“My girlfriend believes we're about to announce our engagement.”
Elena's smile disappeared.
“Then you should tell Vanessa the truth.”
Before he could answer, the office door opened.
Vanessa walked in holding a magazine with Elena's photograph on the cover.
Her eyes moved from Alex to Elena.
Then she smiled.
“Perfect,” she said. “Now that you're both here, we can discuss the wedding.”
Elena stared at her.
“What wedding?”
Vanessa placed the magazine on the desk.
“Alex and me, of course.”
She turned to Alex.
“Unless you haven't told your new business partner that our engagement contract was signed last week.”
Alex's face drained of color.
Elena slowly looked at him.
May you like
“Engagement contract?”
And suddenly, the man helping her uncover a family conspiracy had become the newest mystery she needed to solve.
