Chapter 11 - The Assistant Who Disappeared|
Natalie refused to meet me anywhere connected to Dante.
We arranged to speak through Margaret, who insisted that the conversation take place in her office with a record of what was discussed. Natalie agreed, but she demanded that no one from the Morty organization be present.
When she arrived the next afternoon, she looked nothing like the polished executive assistant I remembered from family events. Her hair was pulled into a careless knot, and she wore a plain coat with no jewelry. She kept glancing at the windows as if expecting someone to appear.
“Thank you for coming,” I said.
“I didn't come to help you,” she replied. “I came because I need to stop being afraid.”
Margaret invited her to sit.
“Start with Northstar.”
Natalie placed a flash drive on the desk.
“I created the original paperwork at Victor's request. Dante told us you had approved it. I never spoke to you directly, and I never saw a signed original.”
“Then why did you submit it?”
“Because Dante was my employer, and I believed him. I thought it was a routine holding company.”
“Who forged my signature?”
Natalie lowered her eyes.
“I don't know who physically did it. I know the digital approval was entered using credentials that should have been private to you.”
“Who had access?”
“Dante's office administrator, Victor, and me. There may have been others.”
Margaret asked her to explain the transfers.
Natalie took a breath.
“Northstar was used to receive income from several properties. Some of the transactions were legitimate. Others were routed through Bellweather Consulting. The money was then moved to accounts controlled by a private investment structure.”
“Who owned that structure?” Margaret asked.
“The beneficiary was hidden behind a trust. I was told it belonged to Dante.”
“By whom?”
“Dante.”
I felt a bitter twist in my stomach.
“Why did you leave the country?”
“Because I found a payment schedule that didn't match the official books. When I asked Victor about it, he told me to stop looking. Two days later, someone broke into my apartment. Nothing valuable was stolen, but my laptop was missing.”
“Did you report it?”
“No. I was afraid the police would ask questions I couldn't answer. I quit and left.”
She opened the flash drive's folder on Margaret's computer. It contained email chains, transaction summaries, and a spreadsheet with dates that matched the disputed approvals.
One column was labeled Risk Allocation.
Beside Northstar was my name.
Beside Bellweather was Bianca's.
Beside the hidden trust was an abbreviation I didn't recognize.
“What's that?” I asked.
Natalie swallowed.
“It's the internal code for a separate investment entity. Dante used it when he didn't want the full name to appear in ordinary reports.”
Margaret leaned forward.
“Do you know who controlled it?”
Natalie nodded reluctantly.
“Victor handled the paperwork. But the final authorization came from Dante.”
I stared at the screen.
For years, I had believed that the worst thing Dante could do was stop loving me. I was beginning to understand that the greater betrayal was how little he had trusted me with the truth while using my name to protect himself.
“Why didn't you come forward sooner?” I asked.
Natalie's eyes filled.
“Because I thought he could destroy me. And because I helped create the problem. I was ashamed.”
Margaret reminded her that cooperation did not guarantee immunity, and Natalie agreed to provide a formal statement through the proper legal channels.
Before leaving, Natalie turned to me.
“There is one thing you need to know. The documents aren't just about money. They're about control of the legitimate companies if Dante is ever removed from management.”
“What does that mean?”
“If the investigation reaches the criminal side of his organization, Northstar was designed to absorb certain assets. The paperwork makes it appear that you own them.”
“So I would be left responsible.”
“Yes.”
“And Dante would claim he had nothing to do with it.”
Natalie nodded.
“He said that if anyone ever came looking, you would be the perfect explanation. You had the title, the signature, and the reputation of being the responsible spouse.”
I sat very still.
Margaret closed the folder.
“That's enough for today. We'll preserve these records and determine the next legal steps.”
Natalie stood, then hesitated.
“Mrs. Morty, I'm sorry.”
I looked at her.
“I'm sorry too. But we can't fix what happened by pretending we didn't know.”
After she left, Margaret explained that the evidence needed independent verification. We would not make public accusations or try to move assets ourselves. We would preserve the documents and cooperate with any formal inquiry.
I agreed.
That evening, Dante sent me a message.
You have until tomorrow to come home and discuss this privately. After that, I won't be able to protect you.
I read it twice.
Then I forwarded it to Margaret.
May you like
For the first time, his threat didn't make me want to obey.
It made me want to know what he was so desperate to hide.
