Chapter 6 - The Rose Garden Secret
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. Margaret began to sob quietly, completely broken by her daughter's confession. Adrian didn't raise his voice. He didn't pull a weapon. He simply looked at Marcus.
"Take her down to the basement," Adrian ordered smoothly. "Call the federal prosecutor’s office. I want every asset tied to the Moretti family froze by midnight, and I want Vanessa handed over to federal custody with the evidence we retrieve from that bank box."
Vanessa’s eyes widened in terror. She had expected Adrian to execute her on the spot, but handing her to the federal authorities alongside evidence that would dismantle the Moretti empire was a far worse fate. She would spend the rest of her life in a maximum-security prison, hunted by the very syndicate she had tried to sell out to.
"Adrian, please!" Vanessa shrieked as Marcus grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. "Adrian, don't do this! Please!"
Her screams faded down the hallway as Marcus dragged her away.
Adrian turned to Margaret, who was weeping uncontrollably in the chair. "Margaret, you had no part in this. You will remain the head of this house for as long as you wish, and you will be taken care of."
"I am so sorry, Adrian..." Margaret sobbed. "I had no idea... I am so sorry..."
Adrian stepped out of the study and walked down the long grand staircase toward the conservatory behind the rose garden. The sky outside had cleared, warm golden sunlight breaking through the clouds.
He reached the fifth stone step under the glass dome of the old greenhouse. Using a steel rod, he lifted the loosened flagstone. Beneath it lay a dark, waterproof document pouch.
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Inside were ledger printouts, bank account numbers linking Vanessa to Moretti’s shell companies, and a hand-written letter from Claire.
Adrian held his wife's handwriting to his chest, closing his eyes as tears finally spilled down his cheeks. The truth was finally out. The ghost that had haunted his mansion for eleven months was finally laid to rest.
