Chapter 3
By eight the next morning, Paolo’s family attorney, Daniel Roth, was sitting across from him with copies of every document Carmela had given Elise.
Daniel was fifty-nine, cautious, and unimpressed by the Ventresca name.
“That guardianship paper would not simply hand your mother custody,” he said. “Family court does not work that way.”
“I know.”
“But it could have been used to establish that Elise voluntarily believed she was unable to cope.”
Elise sat beside Paolo.
“So they wanted my signature.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel looked toward Paolo.
“Possibly leverage.”
Paolo understood.
He and Elise had married fourteen months earlier after a short relationship that Carmela never fully accepted.
Talia had been more subtle.
For years, she had expected to take a larger role in Ventresca Holdings when Paolo stepped back.
Then Ava was born.
Paolo changed his long-term plans.
He wanted the family businesses professionally managed so his daughter would never be forced into them simply because of her name.
Talia had been furious.
“She told me I was letting a baby erase thirty years of family tradition,” Paolo said.
Daniel looked at the trust papers again.
“If you died, Talia would still not automatically take control.”
“Unless Elise signed enough temporary authorizations before she got independent advice.”
Exactly.
Paolo called his chief financial officer, Steven Marks.
“Freeze Talia’s discretionary authority.”
Steven hesitated.
“She runs three divisions.”
“Not anymore.”
“That’s going to stop payments.”
“Then stop them.”
Next, Paolo revoked Carmela’s access to the estate and suspended every employee credential Talia controlled.
The reaction took less than twenty minutes.
Carmela called.
Paolo did not answer.
Talia called twelve times.
He ignored those too.
Then Steven called back.
“We’ve got a problem.”
“How big?”
“I don’t know yet.”
A company account used for executive travel had paid $18,500 three weeks earlier to a specialty automotive service outside Yonkers.
The expense description said security modification.
The vehicle listed on the invoice was Paolo’s SUV.
“I never approved that.”
Steven lowered his voice.
“Talia did.”
Paolo looked at the repair receipt sitting on the table.
May you like
The same SUV had failed unexpectedly the previous morning.
And his sister had secretly paid someone to work on it three weeks earlier.
