Chapter 8
The contract had never reached Lorenzo for final signature.
Camille apparently expected it to.
Arden Residential Management would have taken over staffing administration, event purchasing, vehicle scheduling, household procurement, and vendor coordination at the Bellini estate.
Annual value:
$1.2 million.
Lorenzo stared at it.
“Who drafted this?”
“Camille’s lawyer,” Rachel said.
“Did anyone from my side approve it?”
“No.”
“Did Samuel?”
“He reviewed an early version and rejected it.”
Samuel, the estate manager, was brought in.
He looked embarrassed.
“Why didn’t I know?”
“You were planning a wedding.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No.”
Samuel inhaled.
“Ms. Arden told me you wanted her family integrated into household operations after marriage.”
“And you believed her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Samuel looked directly at him.
“Because you gave her authority everywhere else.”
Lorenzo could not argue.
That was his responsibility.
He had allowed engagement to become a credential.
Camille exploited it.
Rachel explained the significance.
If Arden Residential took over after the wedding, Nora’s department would effectively disappear.
Camille’s brother would control the same purchasing and staffing processes where disputed invoices had already appeared.
The obvious move was to terminate every Arden contract privately.
Pay verified invoices.
Ban Camille.
Move on.
Lorenzo refused.
Not because he wanted revenge.
Because the forged approvals used Nora’s identity.
Because Mia had been drawn into the attempt to discredit her.
And because his own sloppy authority had helped create the problem.
He authorized three things.
A full independent forensic review of Bellini estate procurement for the entire period Camille held purchasing access.
Preservation of all electronic records.
And referral of any suspected identity misuse, falsified approvals, or fraudulent billing to outside authorities rather than returning the matter to Lorenzo for “family resolution.”
Rachel looked at him.
“Understand the scope.”
“I do.”
“Your household accounts touch several Bellini-controlled companies.”
“I know.”
“Reviewers may find unrelated irregularities.”
“I know.”
“Some may involve people you care about.”
Lorenzo thought of Mia on one knee with coats scattered around her.
“Then they should have kept their names off irregular paperwork.”
Rachel held his gaze.
“Once we transmit evidence, you cannot simply call everyone back because the result becomes inconvenient.”
“That is why I am doing it.”
He signed.
That was the irreversible decision.
By evening, investigators had records.
Independent auditors had server copies.
The story could no longer be contained inside the Bellini estate.
Camille called him personally.
He almost ignored it.
Then answered on speaker with Rachel present.
“You’re destroying Owen’s company.”
“No.”
“You froze payments.”
“I froze disputed payments.”
“Twenty-three people work there.”
“I know.”
“You don’t care.”
“I care enough to pay every verified invoice.”
Camille was silent.
Lorenzo continued.
“What I’m not doing is paying false ones because your brother employs people.”
Then Camille said:
“Nora planned this.”
Lorenzo looked at Rachel.
Rachel’s expression changed.
Camille continued.
“She has been collecting things for months.”
“What things?”
Silence.
“Camille.”
She hung up.
Lorenzo stared at the phone.
May you like
For the first time, he realized Camille had not merely been afraid Nora might discover something.
She believed Nora already had.
