Chapter 6 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Victor wanted a meeting.
Not at a warehouse.
Not at a hidden office.
At the restaurant where Lorenzo's parents had first met.
Lena went with him.
Elena stayed behind.
Victor was waiting at a table near the window.
He looked exactly like the photographs.
Older.
Stronger.
Perfectly composed.
“Lorenzo.”
“You're alive.”
Victor smiled.
“So are several people who were supposed to be dead.”
Lena sat beside Lorenzo.
Victor looked at her.
“You resemble your father.”
“You knew him.”
“I did.”
“And you tried to kill him.”
Victor laughed softly.
“Your father was impossible to kill.”
“Where is he?”
“Safe.”
“Bring him to me.”
Victor smiled.
“You've inherited his temper.”
Lorenzo leaned forward.
“What do you want?”
“The ledger.”
“No.”
“Then Graham will continue.”
Lena frowned.
“What does Graham have to do with you?”
“Nothing anymore.”
Victor looked tired.
“I created the machine.”
“What machine?”
“The network.”
“The one that stole companies?”
“Yes.”
“The one that destroyed families?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Power.”
His answer was simple.
“No one respects a man they can ignore.”
Lorenzo looked at him.
“You became a criminal.”
“I became a survivor.”
“You murdered people.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“Do you think your family built an empire by being gentle?”
Lorenzo stood.
“Don't compare us.”
Victor smiled.
“You're exactly like your father.”
Lena interrupted.
“If you wanted the ledger, why didn't you take it?”
“Because I need the heirs.”
She froze.
“What heirs?”
“You and Lorenzo.”
Victor explained.
The trust had been split between their families.
Only the combined heirs could unlock the final assets.
But there was a catch.
Both had to consent.
“That's why everyone wanted us married.”
“Yes.”
“And if we don't?”
“The trust remains frozen.”
“So you're threatening us.”
Victor shook his head.
“I'm warning you.”
Lena looked at Lorenzo.
“What's in the trust?”
Victor smiled.
“Enough to buy every company Graham owns.”
Lorenzo understood.
“And enough to destroy his network.”
“Yes.”
That was why Graham was desperate.
The trust wasn't merely money.
It contained controlling ownership.
Whoever controlled it could dismantle the empire Graham built.
They left.
Halfway home, Lorenzo received a call.
His driver was missing.
Then Nolan called.
“There was a breach.”
“Where?”
“The safe house.”
Lorenzo's face changed.
“Elena.”
They raced back.
The house was empty.
No blood.
No broken furniture.
Just another white orchid.
And a note.
One life for another.
Lorenzo's jaw tightened.
Victor had taken Elena.
Lena looked at him.
“We're getting her back.”
“I know.”
“Together.”
He looked at her.
“Together.”
The rescue took twelve hours.
Victor had left enough clues to make sure they found the location.
That was the point.
He wanted them there.
Inside the abandoned factory, Lena and Lorenzo found Elena.
Then Victor stepped from the shadows.
“This is where you decide.”
“Decide what?”
Victor pointed to two briefcases.
“One contains the ledger.”
The other contained evidence that could clear Lorenzo's name from old accusations.
“Choose.”
Lena stared.
Victor smiled.
“Save your husband or save your family.”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“Don't.”
She understood.
It was another attempt to force them to choose.
She stepped forward.
“We choose both.”
Victor laughed.
“How?”
She pointed at the security camera.
“By refusing your rules.”
Then Nolan's team entered.
Victor escaped.
But Elena was safe.
The entire confrontation had been recorded.
The proof exposed Victor's network.
Graham's accounts were frozen.
But there was one remaining problem.
May you like
Victor had vanished.
And the trust still remained.
