Chapter 14 - The Confrontation in the Penthouse
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An hour after the detective left the hospital, Matteo stood inside his penthouse, staring at the floor where Elena had bled. The stain was gone—cleaned by Enzo—but in Matteo’s mind, the outline of her body remained visible like chalk.
The front door unlocked. Vivian Rinaldi walked in, wearing an expensive trench coat, carrying a briefcase.
"Matteo," Vivian said, stepping inside. "Your father’s lawyers told me to meet you here. We need to sign off on the liquid asset transfers before the courts issue an injunction."
Matteo didn't move. He turned around slowly, holding a tablet computer in his hand.
"Take a look at this, Vivian," Matteo said, tossing the tablet onto the sofa.
Vivian frowned, picking up the device. On the screen was the crystal-clear security camera footage from the penthouse service entrance. The timestamp showed 4:41 p.m. on the day of the attack. It clearly showed Vivian entering with the thick document envelope and leaving thirty-eight minutes later without it.
Vivian’s face drained of color, but she quickly recovered her composure. "Matteo, I can explain—"
"You planted them," Matteo walked toward her, his voice trembling with terrible rage. "You used my master keycard, walked into my home, set those files on Elena’s desk, and waited for me to come home and kill her for you!"
"She was going to destroy us!" Vivian yelled back, abandoning her lies. "She was collecting evidence for eighteen months! She was talking to federal prosecutors! I did what had to be done to protect the company!"
"You didn't do it to protect the company!" Matteo screamed, grabbing her by the collar of her coat. "You did it because you wanted her out of the picture! You wanted her position! You wanted me!"
Vivian didn't flinch. She looked Matteo dead in the eye, her lips curling into a sneer.
"I gave you the papers, Matteo," Vivian whispered venomously. "I didn't tell you to beat your pregnant wife into a coma. You did that all by yourself."
Matteo froze. Her words hit him like a physical blow, shattering the last remaining piece of his ego.
He slowly let go of her coat. "Get out."
"Matteo—"
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"GET OUT!" he roared. "Before I do something that lands me in prison forever!"
Vivian grabbed her bag and fled the penthouse, her heels clicking frantically against the floor.
