Chapter 3 - THE SECRET HER FATHER DIED WITH|
Elena had imagined her father's death a thousand times.
She had imagined the hospital room, the phone call, the funeral, and the years afterward when her mother tried to make grief look like ordinary life. But she had never imagined that Daniel Brooks might have died because he knew something dangerous about the Moretti family.
Alessandro asked Vivienne to leave.
She refused.
"This is my future family," she said. "I have every right to know what is being discussed."
"Your future family?" Alessandro replied. "You haven't married Rafael yet."
Vivienne's eyes narrowed.
"Not for lack of trying."
Elena placed the velvet box on the desk.
"I don't want to be involved in this."
Alessandro looked at her with unexpected kindness.
"Your father would have said the same thing."
The words stopped her.
"You knew him?"
"Very well. Daniel was the family's financial investigator. He worked for Rafael's father before Rafael took over. He was honest, intelligent, and foolish enough to believe that honesty could protect him."
Elena's heart pounded.
"My father was an accountant."
"He was more than that."
Alessandro explained that Daniel had discovered irregular payments connected to a shipment at Meridian Harbor twelve years earlier. The shipment had been registered under the name of a company owned by the Sinclair family. It was supposed to contain medical equipment.
Instead, it had carried weapons.
The shipment had disappeared during a storm.
Rafael's younger brother, Luca, had been traveling near the docks that night. His car had gone off the road, and his body had been recovered the following morning.
The family called it an accident.
Daniel had not believed them.
"He found evidence that Luca's death was connected to the shipment," Alessandro said. "He wanted Rafael's father to investigate. But before he could present everything, Daniel died."
Elena shook her head.
"The police said it was a car accident."
"That's what the report said."
"And you think someone killed him?"
Alessandro did not answer.
Vivienne laughed softly.
"How dramatic. A dead accountant, a missing shipment, and a tragic accident. Are we supposed to believe this changes anything?"
Alessandro turned toward her.
"Your family was involved in the shipment."
"My family has been involved in business for generations."
"Not that kind of business."
Vivienne stepped closer to Elena.
"Listen carefully. Whatever your father did, it has nothing to do with you. You are an employee. You have a salary, a position, and a very comfortable life. Don't confuse access with importance."
Elena looked down at the pendant.
Her father had worn the same symbol on a chain beneath his shirt.
She had assumed it was sentimental.
Now she wondered whether it had been a key.
Alessandro noticed her expression.
"Does the pendant open?"
Elena turned it over.
There was a tiny seam along the edge.
She pressed it.
A small compartment opened, revealing a narrow strip of paper folded into four pieces.
Her father's handwriting covered it.
If anything happens to me, find the lighthouse account. Trust no one who asks for the original.
Elena read the words twice.
Then a sound came from the hallway.
A security guard shouted.
Someone had entered the floor without authorization.
Alessandro moved toward the door.
"Miss Brooks, take the paper and get out."
May you like
But before Elena could move, Vivienne reached for her wrist.
"Give me that."
