Chapter 9: Camille’s Testimony
Federal investigators interviewed Camille in a government office far removed from Manhattan’s luxury towers.
There were no chandeliers.
No champagne.
No people eager to impress her.
Only a table, a recorder, and questions.
Camille wore a simple black suit. Every piece of jewelry Nathaniel had given her had been surrendered to her attorney.
The lead investigator opened a file.
“When did your relationship with Mr. Cross begin?”
“Fourteen months ago.”
“Did you know he was married?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know his wife was pregnant?”
Camille hesitated.
“I learned later.”
“That is not what your messages show.”
Her attorney leaned toward her.
“Answer truthfully.”
Camille looked at the investigator.
“Yes. I knew.”
She described the hotels, gifts, property promises, and consulting contracts.
Nathaniel had told her she was helping him move personal investment funds. He instructed her never to discuss the companies with accountants.
He promised Sophia would be blamed if questions arose.
The investigator paused.
“He specifically mentioned blaming his wife?”
Camille nodded.
“He said her signatures were already on everything.”
Across town, Nathaniel sat in his attorney’s office as the criminal complaint was unsealed.
Conspiracy.
Wire fraud.
Theft involving charitable funds.
Falsification of business records.
His attorney, Charles Mercer, removed his glasses.
“This is no longer primarily a divorce matter.”
Nathaniel paced.
“Camille is lying to save herself.”
“Some of her statements are supported by messages you sent.”
“They’re being taken out of context.”
“Then explain the context.”
Nathaniel stopped.
He had no explanation that did not sound like guilt.
At the hospital, Sophia received updates while sitting beside Benjamin’s incubator.
Her son’s tiny fingers curled around hers.
Olivia entered quietly.
“Camille has agreed to testify.”
Sophia looked down at Benjamin.
“Will that help recover the money?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what matters.”
Olivia studied her.
“You don’t want to know what she said about Nathaniel?”
“No.”
“That doesn’t surprise you?”
Sophia’s expression remained calm.
“I spent years trying to understand what he said when I wasn’t in the room.”
She gently touched Benjamin’s hand.
“I don’t live in those rooms anymore.”
That evening, Camille released a statement through her attorney.
She admitted the affair.
She acknowledged accepting gifts.
She denied knowing the source of the money.
Public sympathy was limited.
But her cooperation shifted the case.
For the first time, investigators possessed testimony from inside Nathaniel’s private world.
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And for the first time, Nathaniel understood that charm would not save him.
Everyone he had used was beginning to speak.
