Chapter 7 - THE PARTNER WHO SOLD EVERYONE
Adrian Bellini had always been charming.
He was the kind of man who remembered birthdays, tipped generously, and made strangers feel important.
He also knew how to hide greed behind a friendly smile.
When Dante confronted him, Adrian acted offended.
“You think I stole from you?”
Dante placed the transfer authorization on the desk.
“Explain this.”
Adrian glanced at it.
“Routine approval.”
“For a company that doesn't exist?”
“Then accounting made a mistake.”
Dante leaned forward.
“Marcus Vale used his wife's identity to obtain financing.”
Adrian's smile faded.
“That's a serious accusation.”
“Yes.”
Dante watched him.
“And someone inside our company approved the transactions.”
Adrian stood.
“I've given you twelve years.”
Dante didn't move.
“Then give me the truth.”
Adrian stared at him.
Then laughed bitterly.
“You really don't understand.”
Dante's expression hardened.
“Understand what?”
Adrian leaned over the desk.
“You inherited a name that makes people afraid. I built the systems that made the money.”
Dante said nothing.
“And now you want to act like some righteous businessman because a waitress got hurt?”
Dante stood.
“Leave.”
Adrian blinked.
“What?”
“Your access is suspended pending an independent investigation.”
Adrian's face twisted.
“You'll regret this.”
Dante looked at him.
“Maybe.”
Then he opened the office door.
“But you won't threaten anyone in this room again.”
Adrian left.
Within hours, company servers began deleting files.
The cybersecurity team interrupted the process.
But several accounts had already been compromised.
A financial officer disappeared.
A warehouse manager stopped answering calls.
And Marcus Vale withdrew a large amount of cash.
The scheme was collapsing.
The people behind it were preparing to run.
I learned about Adrian through Elena.
She explained that his involvement could affect the investigation.
I listened.
Then asked, “Does Dante know?”
“Yes.”
“Is he cooperating?”
“So far.”
I nodded.
I wanted to call him.
Wanted to ask whether he was all right.
But I remembered the photograph.
The missing truth.
And the way my life had been shaped by men deciding what I should know.
I put my phone down.
Some boundaries were painful.
That didn't make them wrong.
That night, I received a message from an unknown number.
Marcus is going to blame everything on you.
I stared.
Then another appeared.
He has copies of your signatures.
A third message followed.
If you want the originals, come to Pier 14 tomorrow at midnight. Alone.
I showed Elena immediately.
She preserved the messages and contacted the investigators.
Then she looked at me.
“You're not going.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
She nodded.
“Good.”
I looked at the screen.
For years, Marcus had trained me to respond to threats by obeying.
Now I understood something he didn't.
May you like
I could be afraid.
And still refuse.
