Chapter 8 - BOX SEVENTEEN|
Victoria refused to visit the storage facility with Alexander.
Instead, Nathan arranged for a licensed investigator to inspect the property, document its contents, and coordinate with the appropriate authorities if evidence of wrongdoing was found.
Alexander protested.
“You're treating me like a criminal.”
Nathan looked at him evenly.
“We're treating the records as potential evidence. If you're innocent, preserving them protects you, too.”
Alexander had no answer.
The storage facility stood behind an industrial building on the outskirts of Chicago. Its corridors smelled of dust and cold metal. The investigator located Box 17 in a locked unit registered to a company that had been dissolved several years earlier.
Inside were old accounting books, envelopes of invoices, and a small external drive.
The original ledger was wrapped in brown paper.
When Nathan received the inventory, he called Victoria immediately.
“The records appear to cover transactions from the first year Northbridge operated.”
“Does it say who controlled the accounts?”
“Some entries identify Richard Cole. Others refer to an unnamed investor.”
“Can we identify the investor?”
“Not from the pages we've seen.”
The external drive was sent for forensic examination. Investigators created a verified copy and preserved the original so that the contents could be examined without compromising the evidence.
Two days later, Nathan called again.
“We found correspondence.”
Victoria sat upright.
“From whom?”
“Several people. Richard, a financial administrator, and someone using an encrypted business account. We haven't established who controlled the last account.”
“What does the correspondence say?”
Nathan took a breath.
“One message discusses moving assets into accounts connected to your foundation. The writer says that using your name would provide a cleaner paper trail.”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“Who wrote it?”
“The message is signed with the initials A.M.”
Alexander Moretti.
She felt sick.
“Does that prove he sent it?”
“Not yet. Initials aren't enough. We need authentication and context.”
“Then authenticate it.”
Nathan's voice softened.
“Victoria, there's another issue. Some of the entries suggest that the transfers were part of a much larger scheme involving several companies. If the records are genuine, the investigation may expand beyond the Moretti businesses.”
“Into whose businesses?”
“That's what we're trying to establish.”
Victoria looked toward the window.
For years, she had imagined Alexander's empire as a dangerous but contained world. He made the rules, protected his people, and handled his enemies.
Now she wondered whether he had ever truly controlled it.
That evening, Alexander called her.
“I need to see you.”
“No.”
“Please. I found a second notebook.”
Victoria hesitated.
“Where?”
“In my father's old office.”
His father had died six years earlier. The office had remained locked, preserved almost like a museum.
“What does it contain?”
“Names. Payments. Instructions. Things I don't remember.”
“Why would your father have records of Northbridge?”
“I don't know.”
Victoria heard paper rustling on his end.
Then Alexander said something that changed the conversation.
“Your grandmother's name is in the notebook.”
Victoria went completely still.
“My grandmother died before I married you.”
“I know.”
“She had nothing to do with your business.”
“I know that, too.”
“Then why is her name there?”
Alexander exhaled.
“Because the first transfer into Northbridge was made using a company that once belonged to her family.”
Victoria felt the room tilt.
Her grandmother had built a modest investment portfolio and left Victoria a protected inheritance. She had never mentioned a connection to the Moretti empire.
“Send me a copy.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because someone removed several pages.”
Alexander paused.
“And the last page still in the book contains a handwritten warning.”
“What warning?”
He read it aloud.
“If the Moretti heir ever discovers the original ownership, the entire arrangement must be terminated.”
Victoria gripped the phone.
“Original ownership of what?”
May you like
Alexander's voice dropped.
“I think the company that started everything belonged to your grandmother.”
