Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO OWNED THE RIVER
Dante Valerio had inherited a kingdom built on silence.
His father, Victor, had controlled the docks for decades.
Legitimate freight companies.
Warehouse contracts.
Construction partnerships.
And criminal operations buried beneath layers of respectable paperwork.
When Victor died, Dante inherited everything.
He had spent years trying to separate the legitimate businesses from the criminal ones.
But the past refused to disappear.
Now Samuel Bellwood's daughter had returned.
And Dante knew the truth was coming.
He met with Tomas in the study.
"Find every record from the winter Samuel died."
Tomas frowned.
"That's four years of archived material."
"Then start with the manifests."
Tomas nodded.
"And the old security team?"
Dante's expression hardened.
"Interview them through counsel. Preserve the records."
Tomas hesitated.
"Some of those men still work for us."
"I know."
"Victor trusted them."
Dante looked up.
"That doesn't mean I should."
The investigation began quietly.
But word traveled.
Within days, Dante received a phone call.
An unfamiliar voice spoke.
"Leave the Bellwood girl alone."
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"Who is this?"
"Someone who remembers what happened to her father."
The line went dead.
Dante stared at the phone.
Then called his attorney.
"Preserve the call record."
May you like
He paused.
"And tell Evelyn Price I have information she needs to see."
