Chapter 8 - [THE ASHES OF TOMORROW]
Answer one: Camille had escaped the warehouse during the police raid. Knowing her life was over, she decided to destroy the one place that connected all the evidence: the bakery.
Open two: Why is the bakery burning so important if they already have Posie and the ledger? And what is hidden in the ashes?
“Let it burn,” Delphine said fiercely, clutching Posie to her chest. “I don't care about the bakery. My daughter is safe.”
Victor shook his head, his jaw locked tight. “You don't understand, Delphine. The bakery isn't just a front. It’s built on top of my father’s original safehouse. If the fire reaches the basement, the gas lines will ignite and level the entire city block.”
Rosalind’s face paled. “Victor, the vault...”
“I know,” Victor said. He grabbed the pilot’s headset. “Turn around. Get us to the bakery.”
They landed in an empty parking lot three blocks away.
The sky above the bakery was glowing an angry, violent orange. Sirens wailed in the distance, but the fire trucks hadn't arrived yet.
Victor handed Posie to his mother. “Take her to the clinic. Do not let her out of your sight.”
Rosalind nodded, holding the sleeping child close. “Be careful, my son.”
Victor looked at Delphine. “Stay here.”
“No,” Delphine said, stepping forward. “That’s my bakery too. I’m coming.”
Victor didn't argue. They sprinted down the wet streets toward the burning building.
The front windows of Au Bord d’Or had blown out. Thick black smoke poured into the street. The smell of burnt sugar and ash was suffocating.
Through the flames, they saw a figure moving inside the kitchen.
Camille.
She was violently swinging a fire axe against the heavy steel door of the basement.
“She’s trying to breach the vault!” Victor yelled.
He ran into the burning building, kicking the shattered doorframe aside. Delphine followed, covering her mouth with her wet coat.
“Camille!” Victor roared over the roar of the fire.
Camille spun around, dropping the axe. She was covered in soot, her eyes wild with madness.
“It’s mine!” Camille screamed. “I worked for him for ten years! I deserve what’s down there!”
Victor raised his gun. “Step away from the door.”
But Camille smiled. She pulled a detonator from her pocket.
“I rigged the gas lines, Victor. You shoot me, my thumb slips, and we all go to hell together.”
Delphine’s heart pounded. She remembered what Victor had done at the warehouse.
She didn't need a gun. She knew this bakery better than anyone.
Delphine grabbed a heavy, brass fire extinguisher from the wall behind her. She pulled the pin.
She didn't aim at Camille. She aimed directly at the massive, industrial flour bin hanging above Camille’s head.
Delphine squeezed the handle.
The high-pressure foam hit the latch of the bin.
Two hundred pounds of raw flour dumped directly onto Camille.
The thick cloud of flour hit the open flames of the kitchen.
A massive dust explosion blasted through the room.
The shockwave knocked Camille backward, slamming her head against the steel basement door. She dropped the detonator and collapsed, unconscious.
Victor tackled Delphine to the floor, shielding her from the blast with his body.
The fire sprinklers finally kicked on, dousing the flames in a heavy, dirty rain.
Victor coughed, lifting his head. He looked down at Delphine, who was pinned beneath him.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice rough.
“I’m fine,” she breathed, staring up into his dark eyes.
Victor stood up, pulling her with him. He walked over to Camille’s unconscious body and kicked the detonator away.
He looked at the steel basement door. It was warped from the heat, but the lock was intact.
“It held,” Victor said.
Sirens wailed outside. The fire department had arrived.
Victor looked at Delphine. “The police will handle her now. Thomas is dead. The corruption is over.”
He took her hand. “Let’s go home.”
They walked out of the smoking ruins of the bakery, Victor’s arm wrapped tightly around Delphine’s shoulders.
The nightmare was finally over.
A week later.
The Castellano estate was bathed in warm spring sunlight.
Delphine sat on the expansive back patio, drinking a cup of perfectly brewed espresso. She wore a simple, elegant silk blouse, her dark circles completely gone.
Across the lawn, Posie was running wildly, chasing a golden retriever puppy Victor had bought her. The little girl was laughing, her lungs clear, completely safe and fiercely loved.
Rosalind sat beside Delphine, reading a newspaper.
“The city is quiet,” Rosalind smiled, folding the paper. “You brought peace to this family, Delphine. More than you know.”
The heavy glass doors opened.
Victor stepped out. He wore a crisp white shirt, his sleeves rolled up, looking relaxed and devastatingly handsome.
He walked over and handed Delphine a thick, leather folder.
“What’s this?” Delphine asked.
“Open it,” Victor said softly.
She opened the folder. Inside was a legal deed.
The deed to Au Bord d’Or bakery. But it didn't belong to the Castellano company anymore.
It was in Delphine’s name.
“You’re the owner now,” Victor said, sitting beside her. “You rebuilt my family’s legacy. It’s only right you own your own.”
Tears welled in Delphine’s eyes. She looked at the man who had fought for her, who had protected her child with his life.
“Victor... I don't know what to say.”
Victor leaned in, his hand gently cupping her face. “Say you’ll stay. Say you’ll let me take care of you. Both of you.”
He kissed her, a deep, passionate promise that sealed their future together.
It was a perfect, beautiful happy ending.
But as Delphine pulled back, smiling through her tears, Victor’s phone buzzed on the table.
Victor glanced at it. His smile faded.
He picked up the phone and showed it to Delphine.
It was a picture of the steel basement door at the bakery.
The door was wide open.
May you like
And spray-painted in red across the metal was a single word:
LIAR.
