Chapter 6 - The Hidden Vault Contained a List of Names Powerful Enough to Bring Down Half of New York
Thomas survived.
The bullet had missed his heart by inches.
But the doctors warned that recovery would take months.
Harper sat beside his hospital bed until Roman forced her to eat.
She glared at him.
“I can feed myself.”
“I know.”
“Then stop ordering me around.”
“No.”
“You're impossible.”
“So are you.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Harper smiled.
It was small.
But real.
Roman noticed.
He didn't mention it.
The key from the necklace was the only clue they had.
The Moretti family vault was beneath the oldest Moretti property.
Roman had never been inside.
His father had forbidden it.
Victor had never discussed it.
Maria knew about it.
And now Maria was missing.
They found the entrance behind a false wall.
Roman inserted the key.
Nothing happened.
Harper looked at the mechanism.
“It's mechanical.”
“I know.”
“You need two keys.”
Roman looked at her.
“Where's the second?”
She examined the lock.
“Not a key.”
She turned the dial.
“Combination.”
Roman understood.
The numbers came from the recipe.
Harper remembered the financial records.
She entered the dates.
The vault opened.
Inside were boxes.
Documents.
Photographs.
Hard drives.
Bank ledgers.
And one enormous black book.
Harper opened it.
Names.
Hundreds.
Judges.
Police officers.
Business leaders.
Politicians.
Bank executives.
International contacts.
Roman stared.
“This is the network.”
Harper nodded.
“No.”
She pointed at the first page.
“This is the network's ownership structure.”
Roman frowned.
She traced the numbers.
“This isn't Victor's money.”
“Then whose?”
Harper's face changed.
“Yours.”
Silence.
Roman stared.
“My father?”
“No.”
She turned another page.
The money had been moved into trusts.
The trusts were controlled by Roman.
But Roman had never known.
His father had secretly placed the legitimate empire in Roman's name.
Victor had been stealing from it for decades.
Harper looked at him.
“Your father wasn't building a criminal empire.”
“He was building a shield.”
Roman swallowed.
“For me?”
“Yes.”
Harper continued.
“He knew Victor would eventually try to take everything.”
“So he put it beyond Victor's reach.”
“Exactly.”
Roman looked at the documents.
His father had sacrificed himself to protect the company.
His mother had disappeared to protect Roman.
Thomas had disappeared to protect Harper.
Maria had hidden Harper.
Everyone had paid a price.
Except Victor.
Until now.
A sound came from the corridor.
Roman raised his weapon.
Maria appeared.
She was holding a gun.
But she lowered it immediately.
“Did you find it?”
Roman nodded.
She entered.
Harper looked at her.
“You saved me.”
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I promised your mother.”
Harper stepped closer.
“My mother trusted you.”
“She did.”
“Then help us finish this.”
Maria nodded.
“There is one problem.”
“What?”
“Victor knows the vault has been opened.”
Roman's expression hardened.
“How?”
Maria looked at the black book.
“Because he has someone inside your security team.”
Harper immediately thought of the ballroom.
The sniper.
The escape.
The perfect timing.
“Who?”
Maria shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Roman's phone rang.
He answered.
A voice spoke.
“Your father made one mistake.”
Roman recognized it.
Victor.
“He trusted people.”
Roman said nothing.
Victor continued.
“Now I'm correcting that mistake.”
“What do you want?”
“The book.”
“No.”
“Then Leo dies.”
Roman's eyes closed.
Victor continued.
“And Harper's father.”
Harper stepped forward.
Victor laughed.
“You thought the hospital was safe?”
Harper's blood froze.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing yet.”
Roman said, “If you touch him—”
“Bring me the book.”
“Where?”
“Bellamy Grand Hotel.”
Harper looked at Roman.
The same place.
The same ballroom.
Victor wanted to finish this where Harper had humiliated Roman.
Roman agreed.
“Fine.”
Victor laughed.
“Midnight.”
The call ended.
Harper looked at Roman.
“It's a trap.”
“Yes.”
“We're going.”
“Yes.”
She stared.
“You didn't even argue.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you are going whether I approve or not.”
She smiled.
“Good answer.”
Roman looked at her.
“Harper.”
“Yes?”
“If things go wrong tonight—”
“They will.”
“Let me finish.”
She became serious.
“If things go wrong, you run.”
“No.”
“You run.”
“Roman.”
“I spent six months lying to you because I thought controlling the situation was the only way to keep you alive.”
He stepped closer.
“I was wrong.”
Harper stared.
“You don't control me.”
“I know.”
“You don't get to decide whether I stay.”
“I know.”
“Then why tell me to run?”
“Because I love you.”
Silence.
Harper's heart stopped.
Roman looked almost angry with himself for saying it.
“I didn't plan to.”
She whispered.
“When did it happen?”
“I don't know.”
He looked at her.
“Maybe the first time you yelled at me.”
She laughed softly.
“That's romantic.”
“I'm not good at this.”
“No.”
She touched his cheek.
The red mark from her slap was long gone.
“I love you too.”
Roman closed his eyes.
Then kissed her.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't desperate.
It was slow.
Careful.
Like both of them were afraid that one wrong movement would destroy something they had spent six months building without realizing it.
When they separated, Harper smiled.
“Now we can go to the trap.”
May you like
Roman smiled.
“Together.”
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