Chapter 5 - The Imposter
Vincent stared at Isabella, his dark eyes burning with absolute, unfiltered rage.
The Romano family was a rival syndicate from the city, brutal and notoriously deceitful.
“Is it true?” Vincent asked, his voice deathly quiet.
Isabella stopped crying instantly.
Her fearful expression melted away, replaced by a cold, calculating smirk.
She reached up and unclasped the silver pendant, dropping it carelessly onto the floor.
“Sofia was always too smart for her own good,” Isabella admitted without an ounce of remorse.
Dominic raised his weapon and aimed it directly at Isabella’s head.
“You planted her here to spy on us,” Dominic growled.
Isabella crossed her elegant legs, completely unbothered by the gun pointed at her.
“I wasn't just planted here to spy,” Isabella corrected him smoothly.
“I was planted here to legally inherit your empire once Charles arranged your tragic accident tonight.”
Vincent felt sick to his stomach, realizing he had almost signed his entire life away.
“Where is my wife, Isabella?” Vincent demanded, taking a dangerous step closer.
Isabella laughed a harsh, mocking sound.
“I have absolutely no idea, Vince,” she lied effortlessly.
“Charles handled the cleanup three years ago.”
Vincent knew she was stalling for time.
Her extraction team was probably already on their way back to the estate.
“Take her down to the holding cells in the basement,” Vincent ordered Dominic.
“And make sure she doesn't try anything clever.”
Dominic grabbed Isabella by the arm and hauled her forcefully out of the ballroom.
Vincent turned back to the cracked phone, listening to the rest of the voicemail.
Sofia’s voice was rushed and panicked.
“I hid the real financial ledgers at the old boathouse, Vince,” she whispered on the recording.
“If they find them, our family is completely ruined.”
The message abruptly cut off with the sound of a struggle and breaking glass.
Vincent gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning entirely white.
He looked over at Grace and Emily, who were watching him with wide, fearful eyes.
“You saved my life tonight, Emily,” Vincent said softly, kneeling down again.
“I will make sure your family is protected forever.”
Vincent stood up and grabbed a heavy tactical coat from the coat rack.
He had to get to the old boathouse before Charles’s men found the hidden ledgers.
He sprinted out the back doors of the mansion and headed toward the frozen river.
The night air was bitterly cold, biting through his clothes as he ran through the snow.
He reached the edge of the property and saw the silhouette of the old wooden boathouse.
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But he was already too late.
Two black SUVs were parked near the docks, and armed men were swarming the small building.
