Chapter 13 - The Man Vincent Was Protecting
Clara and Dominic reached Evelyn’s safe house in twelve minutes.
The front door stood open.
No body.
No blood.
Only Isabella’s recording playing on a laptop.
They watched.
Isabella looked exhausted.
“The Kingmaker is not one man. It is a position.”
Clara’s stomach tightened.
“Richard Vale inherited it.”
Dominic understood.
Inherited.
Which meant someone had held it before.
And someone could hold it after.
Isabella continued.
“Vale believes Enzo doesn’t know his successor.”
The video glitched.
“But he does.”
A photograph appeared.
Father Michael.
Tommy’s face hardened.
“No.”
The priest who had helped them.
The man who had been shot.
The fifth member of their parents’ group.
Michael had not merely witnessed the conspiracy.
He had inherited it.
They rushed to the hospital.
His room was empty.
A nurse had received forged transfer papers.
Clara called her mother again.
No answer.
Then Vincent entered.
He looked devastated.
“I knew.”
Dominic turned.
“What?”
“I knew Michael was involved.”
“You said nothing.”
“I thought he was helping us.”
“For how long?”
“Six months.”
Dominic’s anger exploded.
Vincent stood his ground.
“Michael gave me access to the Crown Club. He gave me Vale.”
“He used you.”
“I know that now.”
Clara stepped between them.
“Later.”
She examined Michael’s forged transfer.
Destination: St. Agnes.
The church where Isabella and Enzo had married.
They arrived at dusk.
Michael stood before the altar.
Evelyn sat in the first pew.
Untied.
Clara stopped.
“Mom?”
Evelyn looked at her.
“I came willingly.”
Michael lowered his head.
“I never wanted Clara involved.”
“You kidnapped her mother,” Dominic said.
“No.”
Evelyn stood.
“I called him.”
Clara stared.
Michael explained.
He had inherited the Kingmaker network after Vale’s arrest only technically.
The network automatically transferred control through financial authorizations.
Michael wanted to destroy it.
But destroying it required one final authorization from the person Isabella had designated decades earlier.
Clara.
She was not merely Evelyn’s daughter.
Isabella had legally created a dormant trust in Clara’s name.
The trust controlled the financial mechanism behind the Crown Club.
Clara laughed in disbelief.
“You’re telling me I own the machine that corrupted half the city?”
“On paper.”
“And you need me to shut it down.”
“Yes.”
“Then give me the papers.”
Michael hesitated.
Dominic noticed.
“What aren’t you saying?”
“To dissolve it, Clara must sign away the entire trust.”
“How much?”
Michael looked at her.
“Approximately eight hundred million dollars.”
Clara blinked.
Vincent whistled.
Clara held out her hand.
“Pen.”
Michael stared.
“You should think.”
“I’m an accountant. I did.”
She signed.
Eight hundred million dollars ceased being a private instrument of political control.
The assets would transfer into independently supervised public charities and restitution funds.
Michael looked relieved.
Then Dominic noticed a second signature line.
Already signed.
D. CASTELLANO.
His signature.
Forged.
Clara saw it too.
Michael’s face changed.
“I didn’t do that.”
Dominic’s phone vibrated.
A live video opened.
Tommy Moretti appeared.
He stood inside Dominic’s private office.
Behind him were armed men.
Tommy looked directly into the camera.
“Sorry, brother.”
May you like
Then he turned the camera toward the final document.
And beneath Dominic’s forged signature was Tommy’s name.
