Chapter 4 - FORTY MILLION DOLLARS
Eight years ago, Moretti Logistics had nearly collapsed.
Raffaele remembered the crisis clearly.
A major expansion went wrong.
Three warehouses failed.
A lender backed out.
Nearly forty million dollars vanished into bad investments and shell-company losses.
At least that was what his finance team had told him.
Sofia had believed otherwise.
Dante spread old bank records across the desk.
“She was right.”
Raffaele studied the pages.
Payments had moved through three companies.
Vale Consulting.
North Harbor Holdings.
Crescent Meridian.
Marcus owned Vale Consulting.
Celeste secretly controlled the other two.
Raffaele slowly raised his head.
“You stole from me.”
Celeste whispered, “We borrowed.”
“Forty million dollars?”
“We were going to put it back.”
Marcus scoffed.
“Stop acting like we robbed a church.”
Raffaele stared at him.
“You stole from my company while thousands of people depended on it for their jobs.”
Marcus shrugged.
“It survived.”
“Because I mortgaged half my personal assets.”
Celeste began to cry again.
“I didn’t know it would get that big.”
“You signed the transfers.”
“I was desperate.”
“For what?”
She looked away.
Marcus said nothing.
Raffaele suddenly understood.
“You were together.”
Celeste shut her eyes.
“You were sleeping with him.”
No answer.
Raffaele laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“My sister and my financial adviser.”
Marcus crossed his arms.
“We loved each other.”
“You loved my money.”
Celeste snapped, “You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
She stood.
“You controlled everything.”
“I protected you.”
“You decided where I lived. Who I worked with. What I could invest in.”
“I gave you a seat on the board.”
“A seat you could take away whenever I disagreed with you.”
Raffaele stared at her.
“So you stole forty million dollars to prove you were independent?”
Celeste’s face crumpled.
“No.”
“Then why?”
Marcus interrupted.
“We made bad investments.”
Sofia had discovered them.
She had followed the money herself.
According to Celeste, Sofia gave them seventy-two hours to return everything and confess.
“She said if we didn’t,” Celeste whispered, “she was going to you.”
Raffaele felt sick.
“So Marcus met her.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“At Bellini House.”
One of the Moretti family’s private properties near Hudson Ridge Road.
Less than six miles from the crash.
Raffaele stared at Marcus.
“What happened at Bellini House?”
Marcus smiled thinly.
“You already think you know.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
“Sofia was angry.”
“Did you touch her?”
“No.”
“Did you threaten her?”
“No.”
Celeste whispered, “Marcus…”
He shot her a warning look.
Raffaele caught it.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Celeste shook her head.
Marcus stepped closer to her.
“Don’t.”
Raffaele’s phone rang.
Dante answered before him.
He listened.
His expression changed.
“What is it?”
Dante lowered the phone.
“We found the mechanic who inspected Sofia’s car after the crash.”
Raffaele frowned.
“I thought the car burned.”
“Most of it did.”
“And?”
“The mechanic says the brake line wasn’t damaged by the crash.”
Raffaele felt the room tilt.
Dante finished.
“It was cut.”
Celeste covered her face.
May you like
Marcus ran.
He made it three steps.
