Chapter 5 - the hidden ledger
By nightfall, Moretti Plaza was under absolute military-grade lockdown.
In the subterranean private quarters beneath the mansion—a sprawling, fortified underground estate equipped with private security suites, medical facilities, and executive offices—Dominic sat at a long glass table reviewing financial files with Marco.
Anna sat nearby in a cozy leather armchair, wearing a comfortable beige sweater provided by the estate's wardrobe staff. Lily was fast asleep on a plush sofa nearby, wrapped in a soft cashmere blanket, her stuffed rabbit tucked under her arm.
"We ran the forensic analysis on the letters from the shoebox, Boss," Marco reported, setting a thick blue folder on the glass table. "Every envelope was sealed with official Moretti Group wax eight years ago. None of them have been tampered with."
Dominic opened the first envelope. Inside was a handwritten journal entry from his late father, dated two months before his death.
Dominic, the letter read in Lorenzo's distinct cursive, if you are reading this, it means I am gone, and the betrayal I feared has taken root within our house. Julian Vance has been quietly redirecting offshore shipping accounts into a private firm in the Caymans. He thinks I am blind to it. But I have hidden the master ledger where he can never reach it—in the care of the only person in this company who possesses absolute honesty.
Dominic’s jaw tightened as he read the words aloud. He looked up at Anna. "My father trusted you more than his own board of directors."
Anna looked bewildered, resting her cup of tea on her lap. "I don't understand, Mr. Moretti. I was just a twenty-three-year-old receptionist back then. Why would your father choose me?"
Dominic picked up the third letter from the stack, unfolding it carefully.
"Because eight years ago," Dominic read from his father's writing, "you refused to accept a fifty-thousand-dollar bribe from Julian Vance to delete an entry from the executive visitor logbook. You reported the bribe directly to my father."
Anna blinked, memories from eight years ago slowly resurfacing. "I... I remember that. A man came to my desk offering cash to erase the name of a visitor who met with Mr. Vance late at night. I told your father because I thought it was against company policy."
"That visitor was a hitman from the Chicago Syndicate," Dominic revealed, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet tone. "The same hitman who was linked to my father's sudden heart failure two weeks later."
Anna gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in pure terror. "Oh my God..."
"Julian killed my father," Dominic said, his dark eyes blazing with cold, terrifying clarity. "And he kept you hidden in the basement for eight years so you would never connect the dots."
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Marco’s phone buzzed sharply. He picked it up, listened for a moment, and looked up at Dominic.
"Boss... our team just tracked Julian Vance's personal vehicle. He's heading to the private airfield in Teterboro. He has a private jet prepped for departure to Geneva in twenty minutes."
