Chapter 12 - The Marriage Document
Theo found the document in Vanessa’s encrypted cloud account.
It was a post-marriage voting agreement.
If I married Vanessa, shares held in certain family trusts could be pooled under one household voting block.
With Anthony’s shares, it would give them effective control of Rossi Holdings.
I read the document twice.
“My signature is already on this.”
Theo nodded.
“Digitally forged.”
Elena said, “They were going to present it after the wedding as something you signed during planning.”
Sofia sat on the hospital bed drawing three stick figures holding hands.
One was me.
One was Elena.
One was her.
No Vanessa.
Claire entered with new information.
Anthony had disappeared from his attorneys’ office during a bathroom break.
His ankle monitor was found in a parking garage.
“How?”
“Someone helped him.”
Theo’s phone buzzed.
The company’s internal network was under attack.
Someone was deleting financial archives.
Anthony.
I called the board.
“Take every system offline. Now.”
Our chief technology officer hesitated.
“That would stop payroll, booking, operations—”
“Do it.”
For twenty minutes, Rossi Holdings went dark.
Hotels could still operate manually. Restaurants used paper tickets. Finance lost remote access.
Anthony lost his doorway.
Almost.
Theo found one active connection inside company headquarters.
Executive floor.
My father’s old office.
I drove there with Claire.
The room was empty.
But the wall safe stood open.
Inside was one missing item.
My father’s original trust binder.
Anthony had taken it.
On the desk, he left a note.
BROTHER - IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH ABOUT DAD, COME ALONE.
May you like
Beneath it was an address.
Our childhood home.
