The envelope had contained proof that Celeste was stealing from employee pensions. Alexander had hidden it because Lily's mother begged him to protect her daughter until Arthur changed the will.
Lily forced the board to suspend both Alexander and Celeste pending an independent inquiry. It was her first act as controlling heir, and the executives who had dismissed her fell silent.
That night, someone trapped Lily in the hotel's service elevator. Alexander climbed down the shaft despite the suspension and pulled her through the ceiling hatch. In the darkness between floors, he admitted he had never married the heiress; the announcement had been staged.
The elevator jolted. A recorded voice filled the shaft—Lily's mother's voice, naming the person who poisoned her.
She did not name Celeste. She named Arthur Vale.