Chapter 18 - The Last Bargain
Vincent refused to meet Victor alone. He entered the interview room with two investigators present. Victor looked older than he had in the video, but his confidence remained.
"You think this ends with Vanessa?" Victor asked. "Your father built a business on secrets. I only used the ones he left behind."
"You threatened my wife. You hid my daughter. You killed my brother."
Victor smiled. "Daniel was a mistake. He should have stayed out of it."
Vincent leaned forward, but the investigator put a hand on the table.
"Don't give him what he wants," she said.
Victor offered the location of a second ledger in exchange for immunity. The investigators refused immunity but agreed to document the information. The ledger connected the clinic, the security company, the trust transfer, and the payments made after Daniel's crash.
It also showed that Victor had planned to use Vanessa's marriage to Vincent to gain control of the remaining assets. The wedding would have triggered a transfer clause that placed several properties under a joint holding company.
The wedding was canceled. The transfer was frozen. Vanessa and Victor were charged with fraud, conspiracy, witness intimidation, and their roles in the crimes against Elena and Daniel.
When Vincent returned to the mansion, Clara was on the porch, one hand resting on her belly.
"Is it over?" she asked.
"The danger is contained. The court will decide the rest."
She nodded, but her eyes stayed on the dark garden.
"Daniel would have wanted to see this."
Vincent stood beside her.
"He should have been here."
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Victor tried to make Vincent angry, because anger had always been his easiest weapon. This time Vincent stayed seated. He gave the investigators the full ledger and let the law build the case. It was the first time in years he had chosen patience over revenge.
Then Clara's phone rang. The hospital wanted her admitted that night.
