Chapter 11 - THE CONTINUITY AGREEMENT|
Nathan spent the next forty-eight hours searching the records available to him for any reference to the Continuity Agreement.
He found three mentions.
One appeared in an email between Richard Cole and a corporate administrator. Another was listed in an invoice for legal services. The third appeared in a note attached to a bank transfer.
None included the agreement itself.
“What does the document supposedly do?” Victoria asked.
“We don't know. The title could refer to business succession, emergency management, or something else entirely.”
“Could it make me responsible for Alexander's actions?”
“Not automatically. A signature doesn't establish criminal liability by itself. But depending on the terms, it could affect control of assets or create civil obligations.”
Victoria leaned back.
“I need to see it.”
“So do I.”
They requested records from the relevant companies through lawful channels. Nathan also asked Sophia to preserve every message and document she had received from Richard.
Meanwhile, Alexander had begun conducting his own investigation.
He contacted the retired attorney who had handled his father's estate and asked about the Continuity Agreement.
The attorney went silent when he heard the name.
“Where did you learn about that?”
“Answer the question.”
The older man sighed.
“Your father insisted on creating a contingency document years ago. He believed the business would eventually face a serious ownership dispute.”
“Did Victoria sign it?”
“I cannot confirm that without reviewing the original file.”
“Then review it.”
The attorney agreed to search his archived records.
That evening, Alexander called Victoria.
“I want you to hear this from me before someone else tells you.”
“I'm listening.”
“My father created an agreement involving the old partnership between the Moretti and Bennett families.”
“The Continuity Agreement?”
He was silent.
“You know about it.”
“I know the name. I don't know what it contains.”
“Neither do I. I'm trying to find the original.”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“Alexander, did you ever sign a document transferring responsibility for your business to me?”
“I don't remember doing that.”
“That's not an answer.”
“I know.”
His voice sounded exhausted.
“I spent years signing whatever my father and Richard placed in front of me. I thought they were protecting the business. I never imagined they would use your name.”
Victoria felt anger rise.
“You never imagined it because you never checked.”
He said nothing.
“You made me believe that trusting you was the same as being safe with you. You used my name, hid your affair, and expected me to accept your explanations.”
“I know.”
“No, Alexander. You're beginning to know.”
She ended the call.
The next morning, the retired attorney contacted Nathan.
He had located a sealed archive containing a copy of the Continuity Agreement and several supporting documents. The original was missing, but the copy appeared to be a formal record.
Nathan arranged to review it.
The agreement contained provisions allowing an emergency administrator to control certain assets if the business faced insolvency or a legal challenge.
It also contained a clause referring to Victoria's separate inheritance.
But the most disturbing section appeared near the end.
Under certain circumstances, the administrator could attribute financial decisions to the person listed as the authorized family representative.
Victoria's name appeared in that section.
“So they could make it look as though I approved everything,” she said.
Nathan shook his head.
“The agreement doesn't automatically establish that. Its validity and scope would need to be examined. But it could explain why someone wanted your signature on the associated documents.”
They turned to the final page.
The signature blocks were clear.
Alexander Moretti.
Victoria Moretti.
Richard Cole, witness.
Victoria stared at her signature.
It looked like hers.
But beneath it, the printed date was six months earlier than the date she remembered signing any document connected to the family business.
Nathan pointed to a faint mark near the bottom margin.
“Look at this.”
A handwritten note had been added after the page was printed.
Activate only if both principals remain unaware.
Victoria felt the blood drain from her face.
Someone had not merely planned to use her name.
Someone had anticipated that neither she nor Alexander would understand what they had signed.
May you like
And the witness to the agreement was the same man who had been moving their money for years.
Richard Cole.
