Chapter 13 - The Secret Ledgers
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Sophia collapsed back into the chair, gasping for air, her entire body shaking violently. She had just watched her husband execute her abusive ex, effectively erasing the nightmare that had chased her for three years.
Ten agonizing minutes passed.
Finally, the heavy steel door of the vault hissed, the locking mechanisms grinding open.
Alessandro stood in the doorway. He was battered, bleeding, and covered in dust, but he was alive.
Sophia didn't hesitate. She launched herself across the room, throwing her arms around his neck, careful to avoid his wounded shoulder. She buried her face in his chest, sobbing with pure, overwhelming relief.
“You came back,” she wept.
“I always keep my promises to you, Sophia,” Alessandro groaned softly, wrapping his uninjured arm tightly around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head.
He looked over her shoulder at Emma, who was fast asleep on the cot, completely exhausted by the trauma.
“It’s over,” Alessandro whispered, kissing the top of Sophia’s head. “Mateo is dead. The Vipers are broken. We are safe.”
A team of syndicate doctors flooded the vault minutes later, quickly going to work on Alessandro’s shoulder. It was a clean through-and-through shot, painful but not life-threatening.
While the doctors bandaged him, Sophia paced the vault to burn off the residual adrenaline. She noticed a heavy, iron safe sitting open in the corner. In his rush to lock them in, Alessandro hadn't secured his private files.
Curiosity, fueled by the lingering paranoia of the night, got the better of her. She pulled a thick leather ledger from the safe.
She opened it. As someone who had spent her life managing tight budgets and calculating tips, she had a mind for numbers.
She scanned the columns, her brow furrowing. The ledgers detailed the syndicate's off-the-books cash flow. But there was a massive, glaring anomaly.
Millions of dollars had been funneled out of the family’s accounts over the last ten years, hidden under fake charitable donations and ghost payrolls.
“Alessandro,” Sophia said quietly, interrupting the doctors. “Who manages these physical ledgers?”
Alessandro winced as a bandage was pulled tight. “Vincent. He’s the only one with access to the master books. Why?”
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Sophia looked up from the book, her eyes wide with a horrifying realization.
“Vincent didn't betray you to the Vipers because he was being blackmailed, Alessandro,” Sophia breathed. “He allied with them to cover his tracks. He has been embezzling from your family for a decade.”
