Chapter 11: Nora Released the Evidence to the World—But the One Person She Trusted Most Was the First to Betray Her
Chapter 11: Nora Released the Evidence to the World—But the One Person She Trusted Most Was the First to Betray Her
Three days passed.
The Moretti estate became a fortress.
Security doubled.
Every entrance was monitored.
Every employee was investigated.
Nora barely slept.
But she refused to hide.
She spent hours studying the ledger.
Every name.
Every transaction.
Every connection.
The deeper she went, the more horrifying the truth became.
Richard had built a network spanning decades.
Politicians.
Corporations.
Law firms.
Private security companies.
Even people inside law enforcement.
But there was something else.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Victor Hale.
The same man who had once been considered Giovanni's closest adviser.
Nora looked at Lorenzo.
“Victor is alive.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“We don't know.”
Giovanni entered the room.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
Giovanni placed a photograph on the desk.
Victor Hale was standing outside a restaurant in Brooklyn.
Taken two days earlier.
Nora stared.
“He's here.”
“Yes.”
“Then let's find him.”
Lorenzo shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he's bait.”
Nora looked at him.
“What if Richard is using him?”
“He probably is.”
“Then we need to know why.”
Lorenzo approached her.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
“If Victor is involved, there will be people watching him.”
Nora looked at him.
“Then we make them watch us.”
She picked up the phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Sending the ledger to a journalist.”
Lorenzo's face changed.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Because once it's public, we lose control.”
“We already lost control.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“We can still protect you.”
Nora looked at him.
“I don't want protection anymore.”
Silence.
“I want justice.”
Lorenzo stared at her.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.”
The evidence was released anonymously.
Within hours, New York exploded.
News outlets reported suspicious financial transfers.
Companies began issuing statements.
Politicians denied everything.
Richard disappeared.
Victor Hale disappeared.
And then the first attack came.
A bomb destroyed one of the Moretti warehouses.
No one was killed.
But the message was clear.
They had declared war.
That night, Nora received a text.
You trusted the wrong man.
She showed Lorenzo.
His expression changed.
“Who has access to your phone?”
“No one.”
He took it.
“Don't respond.”
But another message arrived.
Ask Lorenzo what happened to your father the night he disappeared.
Nora looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Lorenzo said nothing.
Her heart sank.
“Lorenzo.”
He looked away.
“Tell me.”
“I don't know.”
“That's not true.”
He remained silent.
Nora stepped back.
“You know something.”
“I know what my father believed.”
“What?”
“That Daniel was dead.”
“But he wasn't.”
“No.”
“Then why did you let me believe you didn't know?”
“Because I didn't.”
She stared at him.
Then she noticed something.
His hand was shaking.
“Lorenzo.”
He whispered:
“Your father came to me once.”
Nora froze.
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“Why?”
“He wanted information about your mother.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That I couldn't help.”
“Why?”
“Because my father had ordered me not to.”
Nora's face fell.
“And you obeyed?”
“I was twenty.”
“But you knew.”
“Yes.”
She stepped away.
“You knew my father was alive.”
“No.”
“You knew he might be.”
“Yes.”
“That is still lying.”
Lorenzo lowered his head.
“I know.”
May you like
Nora walked away.
For the first time since she had met him, she wasn't sure whether she could trust him.
