Chapter 5 - The Dead Woman Who Left Me a Message From the Grave

Daniel Mercer arrived before sunrise.

He entered my mansion without armed guards.

That was either courage or stupidity.

Maybe both.

He placed a folder on the table.

"I worked with Isabella."

I stared at him.

"How?"

"She contacted me before the accident."

My chest tightened.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She instructed me not to."

"Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't."

That answer surprised me.

Mercer opened the folder.

Inside were bank records.

Shipping manifests.

Photographs.

Voice transcripts.

And one medical file.

Isabella's.

The official cause of death had been trauma from the crash.

The real cause was different.

Poisoning.

The same substance found in Leo's feeding bottle.

I stared at the report.

"Victor killed her before the crash."

Mercer nodded.

"The crash was staged to conceal the poisoning."

I felt rage rising.

"Why did the hospital report say otherwise?"

"Because three people altered the report."

He handed me another page.

Their names.

One had already fled.

One was dead.

One was my family physician.

Dr. Harrington.

I looked up.

"You're saying my doctor poisoned my wife?"

"He assisted with the cover-up."

That was the moment I understood how deep this went.

My entire household had been contaminated.

Not by one traitor.

By a network.

Mercer continued.

"Victor wants the Rossi trust."

"Why?"

"It's larger than you think."

He explained that the trust contained property purchased anonymously across multiple states.

Restaurants.

Warehouses.

Companies.

Political donations.

Construction projects.

It wasn't simply two billion dollars.

It was infrastructure.

The financial backbone of an organization.

Victor wanted it because whoever controlled the trust could control hundreds of people.

"And Leo?"

"Leo is the legal beneficiary."

"Meaning if he dies—"

"Marco becomes temporary trustee."

I looked at Marco.

He had been standing silently near the window.

Mercer turned toward him.

"That's why Victor tried to frame you."

Marco nodded.

"Yes."

I asked Mercer, "What does Victor want?"

"Control."

"Of what?"

"Everything."

That afternoon, the mansion came under attack.

Not bullets.

Gas.

Security guards collapsed in the eastern wing.

We moved Leo into the underground bunker.

Nina stayed beside him.

I stayed with her.

The gas didn't enter the bunker.

For six hours, we waited.

Then the phone rang.

Victor.

I answered.

"Lorenzo."

His voice was calm.

"You have your son's life."

"You have no idea what I have."

"I have something you want."

I stared at the door.

"What?"

"Your wife's final message."

My entire body went still.

"She's dead."

"I know."

"You have no recordings."

He laughed.

"I have her last conversation."

He sent a file.

I opened it.

Isabella's voice filled the room.

"Victor, leave my son alone."

Then another voice.

His.

"I don't care about the child."

I felt my stomach twist.

"Then why?"

"Because Lorenzo does."

The recording ended.

Victor had wanted me broken.

He wanted me to choose emotion over strategy.

He miscalculated.

For the first time in my life, I wanted justice more than revenge.

We staged an exchange.

Victor expected me at the warehouse with Leo.

Instead, we sent an empty vehicle.

The real target was his communications network.

Mercer had tracked the signal.

We raided six locations.

We found documents.

Weapons.

Cash.

And a room filled with photographs of my family.

Isabella.

Leo.

Me.

Marco.

Nina.

Someone had been watching us for years.

Then we found one photograph that changed everything.

Nina was standing beside Victor.

I looked at her.

She went pale.

"Lorenzo, I can explain."

"You'd better."

"I met him before I came here."

"Why?"

"Because he found me."

"When?"

"After Rachel's crash."

I stared at her.

"What did he want?"

"Information."

"Did you give him anything?"

"No."

"Then why are you in this picture?"

She stepped closer.

"Because I was pretending to work for him."

I didn't know whether to believe her.

She pulled a small recording device from her pocket.

"I've been recording him."

She pressed play.

Victor's voice.

"Stay close to Leo."

Nina's voice.

"I can't promise that."

"If he dies, Lorenzo becomes unstable."

"What do you want?"

"The trust."

"And Isabella?"

A pause.

"She knew too much."

My fists tightened.

The recording continued.

Victor said something else.

Something that made the room go silent.

"Rachel is awake."

Nina's eyes widened.

We rushed back to the clinic.

Rachel had opened her eyes.

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And the first word she whispered was:

"Victor."