Chapter 5
Veronica did not have the necklace anymore.
She claimed Elena gave it to her as thanks for helping expose Richard’s billing problems.
Richard laughed when she said it.
A short, bitter sound.
Veronica turned toward him.
His eyes were no longer protective.
They were angry.
“You're going to put all of this on me?”
Her voice sharpened.
“You were the one stealing.”
“I was keeping the company alive.”
Matteo watched them.
Neither sibling seemed to remember he was in the room anymore.
That was useful.
Richard’s security firm had been collapsing.
Two major clients left.
Insurance premiums doubled.
He began padding invoices to Vaughn businesses to cover payroll and debt.
Elena noticed because she managed several foundation accounts during her illness.
She confronted Veronica first.
Not Richard.
Why?
Because Veronica handled bookkeeping for her brother.
Matteo looked toward her.
“You knew.”
Veronica’s shoulders tightened.
“I knew the company was struggling.”
“That's not what I asked.”
Her breathing slowed.
“Yes.”
Matteo’s eyes remained fixed on her.
“And Elena trusted you enough to ask for help.”
Veronica looked away.
“Yes.”
The word barely came out.
Richard leaned back.
His confidence returned slightly.
“Now ask her what she did.”
Veronica’s eyes snapped toward him.
Matteo saw fear again.
Not fear of Richard’s violence.
Fear of his mouth.
“What did she do?”
Richard smiled.
“Nothing.”
Veronica stood.
“Stop.”
Richard’s smile widened.
“She did exactly what she always does when choosing between what’s right and family.”
Matteo did not move.
Veronica’s hands trembled now.
Richard finished:
“She warned me.”
Silence.
Elena had approached Veronica believing she would help expose Richard.
Veronica betrayed her confidence and told her brother everything.
Matteo’s gaze stayed on his fiancée.
She looked smaller now.
But still defiant.
“He was my brother.”
“Elena was dying.”
“I know.”
“She trusted you.”
“I know.”
Matteo’s voice became almost a whisper.
“And afterward you entered my life.”
Veronica looked at him.
No answer.
Then Matteo’s security director entered carrying a storage inventory from Elena’s office.
One item had been removed three days after her funeral.
A locked correspondence box.
May you like
Signed out by Richard Hayes.
The missing letters had started disappearing years before Lily ever wrote her first one.
