Chapter 3
“She is a liability. Give the order, and I will throw her from the balcony.”
Tessa felt cold.
She forced herself to stand with the cashmere blanket held tightly around her.
Then she approached the monitors.
A complex series of financial statements filled the screens.
It was the master ledger for Oakmont Holdings.
Her eyes moved through offshore routing codes, shell-company transfers, and columns of transactions.
Numbers were her language.
Numbers did not lie.
“He is lying.”
Tessa’s voice cut through the room.
Gabriel became still.
His hand moved toward the holster beneath his jacket.
“Excuse me?”
His face hardened.
“You arrogant little rat. I will kill you.”
“Be silent, Gabriel.”
Victor’s command was quiet.
He finally turned toward Tessa.
“Explain.”
She pointed toward the illuminated spreadsheet.
“I spent 2 weeks penetrating Oakmont’s public filings while searching for a legal weakness that could save Liam.”
Her finger moved toward a column.
“I memorized your routing structures.”
Tessa indicated the information in Column D.
“These are transfers through Cayman National Bank.”
She drew a breath.
“During the past 4 months, $30 million was systematically removed from your primary holding accounts.”
Tessa followed the transactions.
“The money was transferred into a hidden corporation called Ironclad Logistics.”
All color disappeared from Gabriel’s face.
“She is insane.”
His voice rose.
“She is inventing this to protect herself.”
“Ironclad Logistics is incorporated in Delaware,” Tessa continued.
“Its controlling shareholder is a trust in Zurich.”
She looked directly at Victor.
“The signature attached to the trust is not yours.”
Tessa selected the digital record.
“It matches the electronic footprint of a subsidiary owned entirely by Gabriel’s cousin, Donovan.”
Silence reached the breaking point.
The city below seemed to disappear.
“She is lying!”
Gabriel drew his weapon.
Victor moved before he could raise it.
His speed was almost impossible to follow.
The silver Glock pressed against the center of Gabriel’s forehead.
The movement of its hammer sounded enormous inside the penthouse.
“Thirty million dollars.”
Victor’s voice contained no emotion.
“You sold my life to the Sullivans for $30 million.”
His eyes remained cold.
“Then you attempted to blame them for the attack and conceal your theft.”
“Victor, please.”
Perspiration covered Gabriel’s pale face.
“It was business.”
“My business is loyalty.”
Victor’s answer was smooth.
“You are officially bankrupt.”
The suppressed gunshot was soft.
Gabriel collapsed onto the floor.
He was dead before his body settled.
Tessa gasped and stumbled backward.
Both hands covered her mouth.
She had grown up poor and desperate, surrounded by men capable of cruelty. Watching an execution inside a luxury penthouse was still beyond anything she was prepared to understand.
She expected Victor to point the gun toward her.
Tessa had seen too much and understood too much.
Instead, he placed the weapon calmly onto the desk.
Victor stepped over Gabriel’s body and approached her.
He took her wrists and gently lowered her hands from her face.
His thumb moved across her cheek and removed a mark of ash and dirt.
“You did more than save my life.”
Victor’s dark eyes held hers.
“You saved my empire.”
His voice became quieter.
“Gabriel was a spreading corruption I failed to identify.”
He looked toward the financial records.
“You found it in 5 minutes.”
“My brother.”
Tessa’s entire body continued shaking.
“Liam’s debt no longer exists.”
Victor’s answer was immediate.
“He will wake tomorrow without it and receive a warning never to gamble again.”
His attention returned completely to her.
“You, however, will not return to serving champagne to corrupt politicians.”
“What do you want from me?”
Her heart beat violently.
Victor leaned down until his lips nearly touched her ear.
The contact sent an electric shiver through her.
“I require an accountant who cannot be purchased.”
His voice was low.
“I require an adviser who recognizes what everyone else overlooks.”
Victor stepped back slightly.
“I believe I also need a partner who is not afraid to invite the devil to dance.”
He offered her his hand exactly as she had offered hers in the ballroom.
It was an invitation into power, danger, and a world she would never be permitted to leave.
Tessa looked at Gabriel’s blood on the floor.
Then she looked at Victor Moretti.
She did not hesitate.
May you like
Tessa placed her hand inside his.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. Any names, characters, places, or events are fictitious or used fictitiously. No real person or organization is intended to be portrayed.
