Chapter 10 - The Night Before the Lounge
Lucian Hale spent the night before the meeting destroying evidence.
Dominic knew because the company's new monitoring software recorded him doing it.
At 1:17 a.m., Lucian logged into an external server.
At 1:26, he attempted to delete seven years of Meridian Maritime correspondence.
At 1:31, the system mirrored everything to Dominic's legal team.
By dawn, Samuel Keene had enough evidence for an injunction.
But Dominic wanted the person behind Lucian.
G.R.
So he waited.
Valeria was less careful.
She called Margaret at 7:03 a.m.
"You should think about Emma."
Margaret sat upright.
"What did you say?"
"Children suffer when families become ugly."
"You stay away from my granddaughter."
"I'm trying to help you."
"You broke into my room."
"Can you prove that?"
Margaret said nothing.
Valeria laughed softly.
"You can't."
Margaret looked toward the handbag on the chair.
"What are you afraid is inside this bag?"
Silence.
For the first time, Margaret had surprised her.
Then Valeria whispered, "Nothing."
Margaret smiled.
"Then why did you search it?"
The call ended.
Dominic entered seconds later.
"Who was that?"
"Valeria."
"What did she want?"
"To frighten me."
"Did it work?"
Margaret looked at him.
"Yes."
Dominic was surprised.
Margaret continued.
"Being afraid is not the same as surrendering."
He nodded slowly.
That sounded like Angelo.
At noon Dominic received the forensic report on Margaret's forged signatures.
All were digital reproductions.
The originals had been copied from documents signed years earlier.
One source signature came from a hospital consent form after Dominic's birth.
Margaret stared at the report.
"They used a paper I signed when you were a baby."
Dominic felt physically ill.
Nothing had been sacred to them.
At three, Samuel called.
"We traced the shell companies."
"To Lucian?"
"Partially."
"What does that mean?"
"Lucian benefited. Valeria benefited. But the largest transfers went elsewhere."
"Where?"
"A private trust registered in Delaware."
"Name?"
"GR Legacy Trust."
Dominic closed his eyes.
G.R.
"Beneficiary?"
"Sealed."
"Can you unseal it?"
"Eventually."
"I don't have eventually."
Samuel lowered his voice.
"Dominic, there is another problem."
"What?"
"One of the old transfer authorizations bears your father's genuine signature."
Dominic stared out the window.
"You're sure?"
"Forensics says yes."
"Then Dad was involved?"
"Not necessarily."
The room seemed to tilt.
Angelo had investigated the scheme.
Yet Angelo had also signed a transfer connected to it.
Margaret entered while Dominic was still on the call.
She saw his face.
"What happened?"
He told her.
Margaret sat down.
"No."
"The signature is real."
"No."
"Mom."
"Your father would never steal from the company."
"I didn't say he stole."
"But you're thinking it."
Dominic said nothing.
Margaret's eyes filled with anger.
"Angelo built that company for you."
"Then why did he authorize the transfer?"
"I don't know."
Dominic looked at the handbag.
"Maybe the ledger tells us."
Margaret protected it instinctively.
"Not yet."
"Why are you still holding back?"
"Because your father told me to."
"My father is dead."
Margaret flinched.
Dominic immediately regretted it.
He lowered his voice.
"I'm sorry."
Margaret stood.
"You're angry."
"I am."
"Good."
He looked at her.
"Be angry at the people who earned it."
She walked out.
Dominic remained alone.
At 5:40 p.m., Valeria and Lucian arrived.
Margaret was upstairs.
Emma played in the lounge.
Dominic watched Lucian enter beneath the chandelier.
For a moment he remembered another night.
His father's funeral.
Lucian standing beside him.
"If you ever need anything, I'm here."
Dominic now understood the darkest kind of betrayal.
Sometimes the person offering to hold you up is simply waiting for you to become dependent enough that they can decide when to let go.
Dinner began politely.
Lucian talked about business.
Valeria talked about charity.
Dominic pretended to listen.
Then Margaret entered.
She wore the old blouse.
The faded skirt.
The scuffed shoes.
And the battered handbag.
Valeria saw it.
Her wineglass stopped halfway to her mouth.
Dominic saw the fear immediately.
Lucian did too.
Margaret walked toward the lounge.
May you like
Valeria stood.
And the trap closed.
