Chapter 8 - MAYA SAW HER IN ATLANTIC CITYMaya had seen more than she realized.
Six months earlier, Celeste was not merely upset at casino cashier.
She was arguing with Gavin.
Maya remembered because Celeste looked nothing like elegant woman from mansion.
Hair loose.
No makeup.
Hands shaking.
She kept saying:
“One more weekend.”
Gavin answered:
“You said that when you owed one.”
“Then three.”
“Then five.”
Maya did not understand numbers.
Now she did.
Celeste saw Maya across corridor.
Their eyes met.
For one second, both froze.
Celeste approached immediately.
“What are you doing here?”
“My sister’s birthday.”
“Did you see anything?”
Maya thought question strange.
“You were talking.”
Celeste smiled.
Then:
“You didn’t see me.”
It sounded like joke.
It wasn’t.
After returning to mansion, Celeste’s behavior toward Maya changed.
Before, she disliked her.
After Atlantic City, she wanted her gone.
Within days:
A complaint that Maya arrived late.
False.
A missing bracelet accusation almost recreated Rachel case.
Audrey found bracelet before Celeste could “discover” it in Maya’s room.
Then buyout offer.
Then threats.
Maya finally understood.
Celeste feared she would tell Adrian about gambling.
She had two reasons to remove Maya:
Maya protected Noah.
Maya had seen the financial secret.
That made her dangerous.
Adrian asked:
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Maya looked frustrated.
“I saw your rich fiancée in a casino.”
“That isn’t a crime.”
“I didn’t know she was broke.”
Correct.
No reasonable employee would accuse employer’s fiancée based on one sighting.
Celeste relied on ambiguity.
Then Gavin provided casino records voluntarily through counsel.
Losses.
Credit.
Payments.
One payment interested investigators.
$1.8 million.
Source company:
Whitmore Strategic Consulting.
Charles denied it was business payment.
It was extortion disguised.
Another:
$900,000 from entity tied to another married businessman.
Pattern of payments corresponding with Celeste’s gambling spikes.
When she lost, she returned to old targets.
When old targets refused, she found new ones.
Then there was a gap.
Four months before meeting Adrian, no payments.
Yet Celeste continued gambling.
Where did money come from?
A new source:
Harrow Women’s Arts Foundation.
Her charity.
Three withdrawals totaling $620,000 coded as “event production advances.”
No events matched.
Now charitable funds were potentially involved.
Adrian stared at report.
May you like
Every time he thought he found bottom—
there was another floor.
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