Chapter 6: When the Lie Looked Stronger
Detective Mara Ellis asked Elena to sit.
Dominic remained beside her while the boys stayed with Teresa at the other end of the room.
“You are not questioning her without an attorney,” Dominic said.
Victor lifted his glass.
“An innocent woman would answer.”
Elena looked directly at him.
“An innocent woman learns quickly when a Moretti has already written the answers.”
Dominic called Claire Donnelly, the family attorney who had once refused Victor’s offer to join the company board.
She arrived twelve minutes later and placed her briefcase between Elena and the detectives.
“Show me the emails,” Claire said.
Detective Ellis handed them over.
Claire studied the pages.
“These contain information about the children,” Ellis said.
“School names, medical appointments, and photographs.”
Elena’s chair scraped backward.
“Those were stored in my private account.”
Dominic looked at Victor.
“Who had access?”
“Perhaps the woman who owns it,” Victor replied.
Claire pointed to the time stamp.
“This message was routed through a Moretti Security server.”
Victor set down his glass.
“Thousands of employees use that system.”
“Then you won’t object to preserving the server.”
“The board suspended Dominic’s access ten minutes ago.”
Dominic’s phone buzzed.
His company email, security credentials, and building access had all been disabled.
Sloane stepped closer.
“Come with me now and tell everyone this was a misunderstanding.
Victor will restore everything.”
“You’re offering me my own life in exchange for abandoning my sons.”
“I’m offering to save you from a woman who has lied for six years.”
Elena stood so quickly that the chair tipped.
“I woke every birthday wondering whether that year’s envelope would contain a photograph of Dominic hurt.”
“You could have called him,” Sloane said.
“I did.
Your people answered.”
Dominic turned.
“What people?”
Elena pulled an old phone from her purse.
“I saved one message.”
She pressed play.
A man’s voice spoke through the damaged speaker.
“Mr.
Moretti wants no contact.
Call again, and the consequences will reach your children.”
Dominic’s hand closed around the edge of the table.
Victor shrugged.
“An unidentified voice proves nothing.”
The doors opened again.
A tall man with gray at his temples walked in, holding a laptop.
“Owen?” Sloane whispered.
Her brother placed the computer in front of Detective Ellis.
“My sister used an account at my media company to purchase location data.”
Sloane moved toward him.
“You stole my files.”
“You charged the service to my business.”
Owen opened a payment record.
“Monthly transfers went from Sloane’s private account to Gavin Pike.”
Victor’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth.
Sloane pointed at Owen.
“You have always resented me.”
“I came because four children were followed to a hotel.”
Dominic looked at Sloane.
“You paid Gavin?”
“For protection.”
“From whom?”
She glanced at Victor.
Owen clicked another folder.
Photographs of Elena and the boys appeared, arranged by year.
Then the screen went black.
“What happened?” Dominic asked.
Owen typed quickly.
“Someone triggered a remote wipe.”
Folders vanished one after another.
Victor picked up his coat.
“It appears your evidence no longer exists.”
Owen stared at the empty screen.
May you like
Across the room, Sloane smiled.
Then every light in the conservatory went out.
