The Invitation
Chapter 09 - The Invitation
Two weeks after the hallway incident, Adrian announced that the Hope Fund’s annual Founders’ Gala would continue as scheduled. The decision shocked the press and angered investigators, but Lena had approved every detail.
The gala would take place at Vale Tower. Donors, board members, hospital leaders, and journalists would attend. An independent auditor would present preliminary findings, supposedly limited to minor accounting errors. The announcement was designed to make Richard believe the worst had passed.
Celeste received a formal invitation.
Adrian’s message said he wanted to avoid further scandal and discuss a private resolution before the presentation. It sounded like surrender. Richard advised his daughter to attend, smile for the cameras, and remind the board that the Marlowe name still controlled half the room.
Emma would also attend—not as staff, but as a protected witness and representative of the hospital that had lost the mobile clinic funding.
The idea terrified her.
Celeste had humiliated her in an empty hallway. Facing her beneath television lights felt even more dangerous. Noah reminded Emma of their mother’s letter: justice meant making sure the next person did not have to be afraid.
Adrian arranged no expensive dress or dramatic makeover. Emma chose a simple navy suit and wore Rose’s silver watch. She wanted the room to see the person Celeste had tried to erase, not a version designed for wealthy guests.
Before the event, the team placed recording devices in Adrian’s private conference room under a legal warrant. The recovered ledger was locked in a secure archive, but a convincing duplicate sat inside Adrian’s briefcase.
The plan was simple. Adrian would imply that the original ledger had gaps and that Grant was refusing to cooperate. Emma would pretend she was considering Richard’s settlement. If Celeste or Richard tried to buy, threaten, or instruct them to destroy evidence, investigators would hear everything.
Plans are always simple before people enter the room.
Thirty minutes before the gala, Emma received a message from an unknown number.
Your brother is alone at the hospital.
May you like
She called Noah. No answer.
Then the lights in Vale Tower flickered, and every elevator stopped at once.
