Chapter 7
Simon was caught in Miami.
Of course he was.
Men like Simon always think airports are exits from consequences.
He had a fake passport.
Cash.
A folder of trust documents.
And one flash drive.
On it were videos Celeste had made of Ava.
Crying.
Scrubbing.
Begging for her phone.
But edited.
Cut to make Ava look hysterical.
Unstable.
Violent.
In one clip, Celeste stood out of frame and whispered insults until Ava screamed.
Then the video began only at the scream.
I watched two seconds and stopped.
Ava did not need to see that.
I barely did.
Simon took a deal first.
Cowardice is efficient.
He admitted Celeste planned to isolate Ava.
He admitted the evaluator was paid to diagnose “emotional volatility.”
He admitted they intended to petition for trust management before my return.
Then he said something that made Marcus go silent.
“Celeste wanted Victor declared emotionally compromised too.”
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because betrayal kept finding new rooms.
Simon’s statement revealed a second plan.
After Ava’s trust, Celeste would target my voting control at Vale Holdings.
She would argue I was unstable from grief and family conflict.
The wife would “protect” the husband.
The stepmother would “manage” the daughter.
All of us neatly caged.
Ava listened from the doorway.
I turned.
She said, “She wanted everything.”
“Yes.”
Ava stepped closer.
“But she didn’t get me.”
My throat tightened.
“No. She didn’t.”
The preliminary hearing happened two weeks later.
Celeste wore cream.
No jewelry.
Tears ready.
Her lawyer called her a misunderstood stepmother trying to guide a rebellious teenager.
Marcus played Ava’s recording.
Celeste’s voice filled the court.
“Your father loves peace. I give him peace. You give him problems.”
Ava sat beside me and did not cry.
Then Maria testified.
Then Lila.
Then Simon.
By noon, Celeste’s bail was revoked after evidence showed she had tried to send a message through a former staff member.
The message was for Ava.
Tell her if she speaks, I tell the world what Elena really left behind.
Ava looked at me.
“What does that mean?”
I did not know.
May you like
But Marcus did.
His face went pale.
