Chapter 4
Brooke Hayes was not Dominic’s mistress.
Clara almost wished the explanation were that simple.
Brooke ran Hayes Strategic Image, a boutique communications and event-consulting firm.
She had worked for Sterling Hospitality intermittently for five years.
Public openings.
Crisis communications.
High-profile donor events.
Victoria trusted her.
Too much.
Over the previous three months, Brooke’s firm received $310,000 from Westbridge Heritage.
Description:
Strategic transaction positioning.
Investor communication.
Stakeholder engagement.
That was not automatically improper.
Then investigators found a side investment.
Brooke personally owned seven percent of an entity called WH Continuity Partners.
That entity held a profit participation right in Westbridge Heritage if the property sold above $38 million.
If Sterling Hospitality bought Westbridge for $42 million, Brooke’s payout could exceed $600,000.
Clara stared.
“She was financially interested.”
“Yes.”
“Did Dominic know?”
An email answered.
Brooke to Dominic:
My Westbridge carry only matters if closing clears forty. Just disclosing so nobody screams later.
Dominic:
Understood. Keep yourself out of formal valuation.
So yes.
He knew.
Then Rachel examined the family videos again.
Brooke was not merely filming randomly.
Her timestamps clustered around moments when Leo was upset.
She never sent footage of him laughing with household staff.
Playing peacefully.
Reading beside Dominic.
Eating breakfast normally before Victoria removed his chair after he complained.
Clara asked:
“Did she have instructions?”
A subpoena to Westbridge Heritage eventually produced them.
Victoria to Brooke:
Need clean documentation of current family instability before Wednesday.
Brooke:
I can record behavior. I am not fabricating anything.
Victoria:
Nobody asked you to.
Another:
Brooke:
Liam should not be part of this.
Victoria:
He’s already here. Natural comparison helps.
Brooke:
That sounds terrible when written down.
Victoria:
Then stop writing commentary.
Brooke did not leave.
That mattered.
She continued recording.
Then Dominic’s messages surfaced.
Dominic to Brooke:
No touching Leo. No yelling. Nothing that can be called abuse.
Brooke:
Your mother controls the house, not me.
Dominic:
Then keep it observational.
Clara read that line.
“Observational.”
Rachel nodded.
He had known.
Maybe not every humiliation.
Enough to understand Leo was being watched for a purpose.
Then a second message:
Dominic:
If Weller sees genuine dysregulation, counsel says temporary structure becomes easier.
Brooke:
And Clara?
Dominic:
She’s back Tuesday night. We deal with her after evaluation.
Clara had returned Monday afternoon.
May you like
One day early.
She had interrupted the sequence.
