Chapter 3
Claire opened the drive inside a secured office with two independent witnesses present.
Serafina stood behind her.
Anthony remained near the door.
Victor and Nolan were kept downstairs with attorneys now on the way.
The drive contained no dramatic confession.
Mostly spreadsheets.
Invoices.
Transfer records.
Contract numbers.
Serafina recognized the pattern almost immediately.
For eleven years, money had moved from legitimate Bellandi construction projects into consulting vendors that barely existed.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger.
Never enough in one quarter to trigger attention.
Together, they exceeded fourteen million dollars.
Claire exhaled slowly.
“That’s deliberate.”
Serafina’s eyes remained on the screen.
“Who authorized them?”
Claire opened the signature records.
Victor Bellandi.
Nolan Bellandi.
And—
Serafina.
Her hand stopped on the back of the chair.
Anthony looked at her.
Claire enlarged the approval page.
SERAFINA BELLANDI.
Digital authorization.
Correct credentials.
Correct timestamp.
Victor’s voice came from the doorway.
“I told you.”
Everyone turned.
He had arrived with his attorney.
His smile had returned.
“You handle numbers, Serafina.”
He stepped inside.
“Those are your numbers.”
Anthony moved toward him.
Serafina raised one hand.
Anthony stopped.
Victor enjoyed that.
“You spent years telling everyone you kept the family clean after Lorenzo died.”
Serafina’s breathing slowed.
Victor placed both palms on the table.
“What happens when they discover you approved the same payments?”
Claire looked toward Serafina.
The room had changed.
Ten minutes earlier, the drive looked like evidence against Victor.
Now it implicated Serafina too.
She searched her memory.
The timestamps went back six years.
The first year after Lorenzo’s death.
A year when she barely slept.
A year when Victor routinely placed documents in front of her and said:
Just keep the company moving.
Trust me.
But trust was not a defense.
Her credentials were there.
Victor straightened.
“That’s why the capos are protecting you?”
His voice carried mock sympathy now.
“Because they think you're different?”
Serafina looked toward Anthony.
He did not lower his eyes.
Victor noticed.
Then Claire clicked another tab.
A folder appeared.
AUTHORIZATION AUDIO.
Victor’s expression changed.
Claire opened the first file.
Serafina’s own voice filled the office.
“Yes. Approve all of them.”
Serafina went completely still.
Victor smiled.
But Claire was staring at the file date.
“Serafina…”
“What?”
“This recording was created three months before these payments existed.”
May you like
Victor’s smile disappeared.
Someone had been using Serafina’s voice for years.
