Chapter 2 - The Poisoned Lie
Roman stared at the bank receipt, his mind racing to process the impossible information.
Claire was soft, kind, and completely terrified of the criminal world he inhabited.
He refused to believe she was capable of orchestrating corporate espionage for a rival mafia boss.
"Where did you get this?" Roman demanded, crushing the paper in his fist.
"My father's security team intercepted her emails yesterday," Vivian lied smoothly.
Roman looked at his beautiful fiancée, suddenly realizing he did not trust a single word coming from her mouth.
He shoved past her and walked back down to the private study where Claire was recovering.
The doctor informed him that Claire's core temperature was rising and she was finally conscious.
Roman walked into the dimly lit room and pulled a chair up next to her sofa.
Claire looked incredibly small, wrapped in layers of wool blankets and shivering slightly.
"Why were you taking money from the Moretti family?" Roman asked, showing her the crushed receipt.
Claire's pale eyes widened in absolute shock and horror.
"I have never taken a dime from the Morettis in my entire life," she whispered defensively.
"Then explain this debt Vivian claims you are paying off."
Tears welled up in Claire's eyes as she confessed the truth about her late father's terrible mistake.
She told him about the one hundred eighty-four thousand dollars she owed for her paralyzed sister's medical care.
"I pay the lender every single month in cash, but the balance never goes down," she cried.
Roman felt a sickening twist of guilt in his gut for ever doubting her innocence.
"Who is the private lender?" he asked gently.
Claire hesitated, terrified of the consequences of speaking the name aloud.
"His name is Marcus," she finally whispered.
Roman felt the air leave his lungs in a violent rush.
Marcus was not just a random loan shark operating in the city.
Marcus was Roman's right-hand man, his most trusted advisor, and the underboss of the DeLuca empire.
Roman stood up quickly, his mind spinning with the terrifying implications of this betrayal.
If Marcus was secretly extorting the staff, he was likely stealing from the family as well.
Roman pulled out his encrypted phone and dialed his chief accountant.
"I need you to audit Marcus's personal offshore accounts immediately," Roman ordered.
May you like
"Sir," the accountant replied, his voice trembling with fear.
"Marcus just withdrew twenty million dollars from the family trust ten minutes ago."
