Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT VANESSA CHANGED HER STORY|
Vanessa Rossi arrived at the Ferrara mansion that evening dressed in black, carrying a bottle of wine and a smile that suggested she still believed the house belonged to her.
Claudia met her in the library.
“Roman has suspended my access to the accounts,” Claudia said. “He has also hired an outside lawyer.”
Vanessa poured herself a drink.
“Then he's more suspicious than I expected.”
“Did you tell him about the transfers?”
“I told him enough to make him question Evelyn.”
Claudia stared at her.
“Enough isn't the same as useful.”
Vanessa set down the bottle.
“You promised me he would divorce her. You promised that once the marriage ended, the company would be ours to manage without interference.”
“The divorce was supposed to be completed before he discovered the hospital records.”
“Then perhaps you should have ensured she never reached the hospital.”
Claudia's expression sharpened.
“Don't say things you can't take back.”
Vanessa laughed without humor.
“Now you're worried about consequences?”
A door opened behind them.
Neither woman noticed until Dante stepped into the room.
“Good evening.”
Vanessa spun around.
“What are you doing here?”
“Working.”
He glanced at the untouched wine.
“Mr. Ferrara requests that neither of you remove any documents or electronic devices from the house until the account review is complete.”
Claudia stood.
“This is my home.”
“It's Mr. Ferrara's property.”
Her face reddened.
“Tell him I will not be intimidated by his employees.”
Dante nodded politely.
“I'll pass along your message.”
He left.
Vanessa waited until the door closed.
“We need to talk to Roman before Evelyn fills his head with more nonsense.”
Claudia's voice dropped.
“No. We need to make sure Evelyn cannot identify the people who were at Pier 14.”
Vanessa looked at her sharply.
“She already knows.”
“Does she know who opened the gate?”
Vanessa didn't answer.
Claudia stepped closer.
“Does she know who turned off the ventilation?”
“I thought the contractor handled it.”
“You thought?”
Vanessa gripped her glass.
“Roman was supposed to die that night. Not Evelyn. Not Thomas. Roman. If he had died, his father would have signed the emergency transfer agreement, and the company would have been divided before anyone discovered the missing money.”
Claudia's face went rigid.
“You were told to make sure he survived.”
“No. I was told to make sure he was found.”
The admission hung between them.
Before Claudia could respond, a soft click came from the corridor.
Someone was standing outside the library.
Vanessa opened the door abruptly.
The hallway was empty.
Across the mansion, Roman sat in his study reviewing the first report from his private investigator. Dante entered carrying a tablet.
“We have a problem,” he said.
Roman looked up.
“What now?”
“Vanessa's car was parked outside the hospital two hours before the ambulance arrived. The traffic camera confirms it.”
Roman frowned.
“She said she came after she heard Evelyn was sick.”
“That's not all. One of the hospital's security cameras captured her entering the records corridor last week.”
“Why?”
“She requested copies of Evelyn's old medical reports.”
Roman's jaw tightened.
“Under what authority?”
“She claimed to be a family representative.”
Roman stood.
“Get me the original footage.”
“Already requested.”
Dante hesitated.
“There's another thing. The hospital's medical administrator received a payment from a company connected to Vanessa's father shortly after Evelyn's last appointment.”
Roman looked at the screen.
The payment had been labeled consulting services.
It had been made three days before Evelyn's scheduled follow-up examination.
“Find out what happened at that appointment.”
Dante nodded.
Meanwhile, Vanessa had driven to a secluded restaurant on the outskirts of the city. A man waited in a private booth, his face hidden behind the low light.
She slid a photograph across the table.
Evelyn stood outside the workshop, holding her father's old notebook.
“She has the records,” Vanessa said.
The man studied the photograph.
“Then the problem isn't the records.”
“What is it?”
He looked up.
“The fact that Roman has finally started asking questions.”
Vanessa swallowed.
“Can you stop him?”
The man smiled faintly.
“I stopped him once.”
May you like
He pushed the photograph back across the table.
“But this time, you'll have to remind him why he should be afraid of the truth.”
