Chapter 5 - THE NAME THAT OPENED AN OLD WOUND
Hannah Cooper had never known much about her father.
Michael Cooper died when she was twelve.
Her mother told her he had worked in financial compliance for a transportation company.
He traveled often.
He worried too much.
And he loved his daughter more than anything.
Then one night, he failed to come home.
The official report called it a robbery.
Hannah remembered the funeral.
The rain.
The closed coffin.
And the men in dark suits standing near the cemetery gate.
Twenty-nine years old now, Hannah had stopped asking questions.
At least, she thought she had.
On Friday morning, Lucas received a call from Gabriel Santoro, his head of security.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“We found something unusual in Hannah Cooper's background.”
Lucas looked up.
“What?”
“Her father.”
Lucas's expression changed.
“What about him?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“Michael Cooper worked for Ravalini Holdings.”
Lucas stared.
“When?”
“Seventeen years ago.”
Lucas slowly stood.
“That's impossible.”
Gabriel continued.
“He was an internal auditor.”
Lucas felt cold.
“Why wasn't that in her background report?”
“His employment records were sealed after his death.”
Lucas looked toward the window.
“Who sealed them?”
Gabriel hesitated.
Then answered:
“Your father.”
Lucas's father, Antonio Ravalini, had died seven years earlier.
He had built the family empire through shipping, construction, and illegal gambling.
He was feared.
Respected.
And ruthless.
Lucas had inherited both the business and its enemies.
But he had never heard Michael Cooper's name.
That evening, Lucas asked Hannah to join him in the library.
She entered cautiously.
“Is something wrong?”
Lucas gestured toward a chair.
“Please sit.”
She sat.
He looked at her.
“I need to ask you about your father.”
Hannah froze.
“What?”
“Michael Cooper.”
Her expression changed.
“How do you know his name?”
Lucas hesitated.
“He worked for my family.”
Hannah stared.
“No.”
Lucas nodded.
“Seventeen years ago.”
She shook her head.
“My mother said he worked for a transportation company.”
“He did.”
Hannah's eyes filled.
“Your company?”
Lucas looked down.
“Yes.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Hannah whispered:
“My father was murdered.”
Lucas looked up sharply.
“What?”
She swallowed.
“The police called it a robbery.”
Her voice broke.
“But my mother never believed them.”
Lucas stared.
Hannah continued.
“And before she died, she told me one thing.”
“What?”
May you like
Hannah looked directly at him.
“She said my father was killed because he found out what the Ravalini family was hiding.”
