Chapter 8 - Following the Money
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Chloe went stark white. Her arrogant posture crumbled instantly. She realized, with terrifying clarity, that the sister she had mocked her entire life now held the power of life and death over her.
“I... I was just checking on her,” Chloe stammered, backing toward the heavy front doors. “Daddy wanted to make sure the debt was settled. That you were satisfied with the arrangement.”
Adelaide stepped out of Mateo’s embrace, walking slowly toward her older sister.
“Tell Rockford the debt is far from settled,” Adelaide said, her voice turning to ice. “Tell him I am auditing the books. Tell him I know about the shell companies.”
Chloe’s eyes widened in genuine panic. It was a microscopic reaction, but Adelaide caught it. Chloe knew something about the money.
“I don't know what you’re talking about,” Chloe squeaked, fumbling for the door handle.
“Run home, Chloe,” Adelaide whispered. “And tell Evelyn to start packing.”
As Chloe fled the estate, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind her, Mateo looked at his wife with intense admiration.
“She knows something,” Adelaide told him, turning back around. “When I mentioned the shell companies, she panicked. My father didn't act alone, but I think Evelyn is the mastermind on their end. Chloe is too stupid to build a financial web, but Evelyn is ruthless enough to try.”
“If Evelyn is the contact point,” Mateo mused, “who is she contacting inside my house?”
Adelaide walked back toward the stairs. “That’s what I’m going to find out tonight. I need access to your capos' private bank records. All of them.”
Mateo didn't hesitate. In the mafia world, giving someone access to the capos' personal finances was a massive breach of trust, a move that could start a civil war. But Mateo trusted the woman with the scar more than he trusted men he had known for decades.
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“I’ll have Marco bring you the encrypted drives in an hour,” Mateo promised.
As Adelaide went back to work, the puzzle pieces began to align. The fifteen million dollars wasn't lost. It was stolen. And the thieves were about to learn that the "ugly" sister was the most dangerous predator in the room.
