Chapter 8 - The Woman in the Red Heels
Victoire's confidence broke in small pieces.
First her shoulders.
Then her voice.
"I didn't know until after you checked in."
"Who told you?"
"Sébastien."
He stared at her.
"Don't be stupid."
"You texted me her passport photo."
Victoire spoke faster now.
"You said she was coming to cause trouble. You told me to make her uncomfortable so she'd leave before morning."
Elise remembered the missing reservation, the suddenly unavailable room, the luggage sent to the wrong wing, and the cart that knocked her down. None of it had been random.
"You had me injured to protect a loan signing?"
"I never told anyone to hurt you."
"You told them to remove me."
Victoire looked away.
Sébastien laughed quietly.
"She's saving herself, Elise."
"Maybe."
Elise turned to Vincent. "Pull every message between them from company devices."
"Already preserving the phones."
Sébastien's hand moved toward his jacket.
Vincent stepped closer.
"Don't."
Sébastien froze.
Antoine's computer chimed.
"Another transfer attempt."
"Block it."
"I can't. Founder protocol froze outgoing payments, but this request is coming from an escrow account outside our bank."
"Amount?"
"Nine hundred thousand."
Elise leaned over him.
The beneficiary name was familiar.
DUMAS HERITAGE TRUST.
Victoire whispered, "That's not supposed to be there."
Elise looked at her.
"What's not supposed to be there?"
Victoire covered her mouth.
Sébastien said, "Don't say another word."
That was enough.
Elise turned back to the screen.
"Who is the beneficiary?"
Antoine clicked through the registration file.
His face drained.
"Victoire Delmas."
Mireille stared at her.
Elise did too.
May you like
The woman who had ordered her thrown out was not merely protecting Sébastien.
She was being paid.
