Still reeling from Rhys’s pointed questions, Clara’s heart hammered against her ribs. Every word he’d uttered about the Bellwether forgery felt like a direct hit, a deliberate probe into her secret identity. He knew. Or at least, he suspected. She had to find something definitive, something that explained his unnerving knowledge, before he made his move. Moving with a renewed urgency, she ignored the lingering scent of his expensive cologne. Her fingers brushed against the heavy oak desk, a phantom tremor running through her. The study, once a mere backdrop, now felt like a battleground. She remembered his casual remark about her being an art historian, and the way his eyes had narrowed when she’d mentioned the specific flaw in the Bellwether piece. That wasn't a coincidence. He was testing her, drawing her out. Returning to the safe, she carefully examined the documents again. The Bellwether dossier was thick, filled with legal opinions and financial assessments. One particular audit report, stamped 'Confidential - Pre-Acquisition,' caught her eye. Opening it, her gaze skimmed over the dense text, searching for anomalies. A familiar name jumped out: Bellwether. Not just the gallery, but a specific, substantial investment made by Sterling Enterprises *before* Rhys took the helm. Curiosity morphing into alarm, she pulled out more files. There were old board meeting minutes, heavily redacted, but enough remained to piece together a narrative. A heated debate about a 'high-risk acquisition' and a 'necessary write-off'. Among these, she found a series of internal communications, emails between the then-CEO of Sterling Enterprises, Arthur Finch, and his legal team. Finch’s name was notorious. He had been a ruthless corporate titan, known for his aggressive expansion tactics. Flipping through the pages, Clara’s breath hitched. Finch had pushed through the Bellwether acquisition despite dire warnings about its financial instability. The very forgery she had exposed, the one that crippled the Bellwether gallery, was instrumental in inflating its value for this deal. Her eyes scanned faster, linking the pieces. The acquisition had been a disaster, a massive financial drain on Sterling Enterprises. It had happened right around the time of Rhys’s family tragedy, the one whispered about in hushed tones: the sudden, devastating death of his younger sister. A cold dread settled in her stomach. Could it be? Was this forgery, this corporate malfeasance, connected to his personal loss? Was the former CEO, Arthur Finch, the one who covered it up, creating a ripple effect that led to Rhys’s tragedy? Further digging revealed a lawsuit, quietly settled, involving a shell corporation tied to Finch. The lawsuit concerned 'undisclosed liabilities' and 'misrepresentation of assets' related to the Bellwether deal. It was a classic corporate cover-up, designed to bury the truth and protect reputations. Clara’s fingers trembled as she connected the dots. The Bellwether forgery wasn't just a simple art fraud. It was a calculated deception, used to inflate the gallery's worth, allowing Sterling Enterprises to acquire it at an exorbitant price. And Arthur Finch, the former CEO, had orchestrated it. This meant Rhys, as the heir, had inherited not just the company, but this colossal, hidden mess. His 'tragedy' wasn't just a personal loss; it was potentially fueled by the financial fallout and the stress of the cover-up, a secret burden he’d been carrying for years. His questions earlier, about the

Chapter 25: Crimson's Reckoning