Chapter 16
Inside the envelope was a single sheet of thick, aged parchment and a vintage black-and-white photograph.
Charlotte pulled out the photograph first, her breath catching in her throat as her heart hammered against her ribs.
The photo showed her late mother, Victoria Vance, standing on a cobblestone street in Paris.
Beside her mother stood a tall, distinguished man whose face had been deliberately cut out of the image.
What caused Charlotte's blood to run cold was the timestamp printed at the bottom corner of the photograph.
It was dated August 14, 2025—two years after her mother's official funeral in New York.
Her hands began to shake violently as she put the photograph down and unfolded the aged parchment letter.
The handwriting on the parchment was written in elegant, flowing cursive using dark red ink.
'Dearest Charlotte,' the letter began, its words burning into her eyes like fire.
'You fought bravely to reclaim your father's hotel from those greedy fools, Julian and Evelyn.'
May you like
'But you must understand that your father was merely a manager hired to run the estate.'
'The Vance Hospitality Group does not belong to you, nor did it ever belong to your father.'
