Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Blood
Adrian opened the notebook.
As he turned the pages, the terrible, horrifying truth unfolded before his eyes.
Thomas Carter, his faithful accountant, had uncovered a massive, multi-million-dollar siphoning operation within the Moretti organization. For over four years, funds had been systematically diverted from shipping ports, real estate holdings, and shell corporations into offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and Zurich.
The architect of the embezzlement was not the Valenti family.
It was Marcus Vale.
Adrian’s breath grew cold. He read further.
Marcus had been stealing for years, but three years ago, Adrian had announced he was taking a full day off to spend with his family—a day when he planned to review the annual financial audits personally. Marcus knew that if Adrian spent a quiet day reviewing the books, the embezzlement would be discovered within hours.
So Marcus had placed a military-grade explosive under Adrian’s car.
The bomb was never meant to kill rival syndicate members. It was meant to execute Adrian, Claire, and Sophie, erasing the only people who held the keys to the empire.
When Adrian survived the blast, Marcus altered the plan. He hired Dr. Harold Vance—a disgraced toxicologist—to poison Adrian slowly with low doses of thallium sulfate and organic toxin derivatives. The goal was to make Adrian appear mentally incompetent and physically dying, allowing Marcus, as the primary power of attorney, to assume total control of the Moretti billions before quietly putting Adrian out of his misery.
And Claire… and Sophie…
They had died not because of a mob war, but because Marcus Vale wanted to protect his stolen money.
Adrian closed the notebook.
His face was completely devoid of emotion, transformed into a mask of pure, absolute ice. The grief that had paralyzed him for three years burned away, replaced by an ancient, merciless vengeance.
He looked down at Lily. The little girl was watching him without fear.
“Lily,” Adrian said gently, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Did anyone see you give me this book?”
“No,” she whispered. “I hid it in my rabbit.”
“You are the smartest girl in the world,” Adrian said, his voice trembling with emotion. He pulled her into a tight hug. “You saved my life, Lily. Do you understand that? You saved me.”
“Are you going to be my real daddy now?” she asked softly.
Adrian looked into her hazel eyes—the eyes of the child who had restored his mind and given him a reason to live.
“I am,” Adrian promised. “Always. But first, your daddy has to clean house.”
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Adrian knew he had to play the long game. If Marcus or Dr. Vance suspected that Adrian knew the truth—or that his mind was returning—they would act immediately to eliminate both him and Lily.
He needed to pretend he was still dying. He needed to play the helpless cripple in the wheelchair for just a little longer, until every rat in his organization was caught in the trap.
