Chapter 9: The Accident That Wasn't
The truth came out in pieces.
That was almost worse than hearing it all at once.
Dad had been driving home from a meeting with my mother when a truck crossed the center line.
His car rolled three times.
He survived.
My mother didn't.
At least, that was the story I had been told.
I stared at him across the conference table.
“You said it was an accident.””
“It was.””
“Then why did you just say you were supposed to die?””
“Because the truck wasn't random.””
Detective Harris leaned forward.
“Dominic, tell her everything.””
Dad looked at me.
“I found evidence that someone had been following your mother.””
“Who?””
“I didn't know.””
“Brandon?””
“No.””
That answer surprised me.
Dad continued.
“Your mother discovered the money trail. She told me she had names.””
“The ledger.””
“Yes.””
“She was going to expose them.””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
Dad rubbed his forehead.
“She called me the night before she died.””
I could hear the tremor in his voice.
“She said, ‘If I don't make it home, don't trust anyone around Elena.’”
My eyes filled with tears.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you were twenty-five.””
“I deserved to know.””
“You deserved a life.””
I stood.
“You don't get to decide that for me.””
Dad flinched.
For the first time that night, he looked like an old man.
Not the legendary investigator.
Not the man who had spent decades putting criminals behind bars.
Just my father.
“I was wrong,” he said.
The words stopped me.
He rarely apologized.
“I thought if I kept you away from the investigation, you'd be safe.””
“And Brandon?””
“I didn't know he was connected until years later.””
“How?””
Dad pulled out another document.
“Your mother left instructions about six people.””
He tapped the page.
“Five were financial intermediaries.””
“And the sixth?””
“Brandon.””
I shook my head.
“He met me in 2017.””
“Exactly.””
“Mom had been dead six years.””
“Yes.””
“Why would someone she suspected still be around?””
Dad looked at me.
“Because the person behind the network wasn't on her list.””
A chill ran through me.
“Who was?””
Dad didn't answer.
Detective Harris did.
“We believe Brandon was recruited to gain access to Rossi Design Group.””
“To steal?””
“To control it.””
Rachel added, “The money was only one part of the operation.””
“What was the other part?””
Rachel opened a laptop.
“Your company has worked with dozens of high-net-worth clients. Celebrities. Developers.
Politicians. Investment firms.””
“Yes.””
“Through the private purchasing network, someone could move valuable assets without attracting attention.””
I understood.
“Jewelry.””
“Jewelry. Art. Rare furniture.””
“The Sapphire Room.””
“Yes.””
Brandon hadn't simply stolen money.
He had been using my company as a pipeline.
And I had unknowingly signed the invoices.
I sat down.
“Why divorce me?””
Dad's expression changed.
Rachel answered softly.
“Because you were becoming a liability.””
My stomach turned.
“What?””
“Your company was undergoing an audit. You were asking questions.””
I remembered.
Brandon had become distant six months earlier.
He stopped coming home.
Started sleeping in hotels.
Then Savannah appeared.
I had assumed he wanted a younger woman.
Maybe he wanted something else.
“Savannah,” I whispered.
Dad looked at me.
“What about her?””
“She wasn't random.””
Rachel nodded.
“We believe she was part of the operation.””
The door opened.
Detective Harris's partner stepped inside.
He whispered something.
Harris's face hardened.
She turned to me.
“Your office was breached again.””
I stood.
“Again?””
“Someone bypassed security.””
“Did they take anything?””
“No.””
“What were they looking for?””
She hesitated.
“The ledger.””
Dad looked at me.
“They know we have it.””
My phone vibrated.
A new message.
No number.
Just a photograph.
I opened it.
It was a picture of my house.
Taken from across the street.
The caption read:
*You should have listened to your husband.*
Another message arrived.
*Give us the ledger, Elena.*
Then:
*Or your father won't survive a second accident.*
Dad reached for my phone.
But I stepped back.
“No.””
“Give it to me.””
“No.””
I stared at him.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't looking at my father for protection.
I was looking at him for answers.
“Where is the original ledger?””
Dad's face went pale.
“It's not here.””
“Where is it?””
He hesitated.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
A voice came through the speaker.
A voice I recognized immediately.
Brandon.
“Dominic,” he said calmly.
“You should have burned that book eleven years ago.””
Dad closed his eyes.
Brandon laughed softly.
“And Elena?””
I held my breath.
May you like
“I think it's time she met the person who really owns her company.””
The call ended.
