Chapter 10 - The Brother Who Lied
Luca Romano’s voice came through speakers.
He wanted Harper.
Not Victor.
Not Arthur.
Harper contained the access sequence to an offshore archive holding decades of financial evidence.
Victor whispered, “Don’t answer him.”
Harper looked around.
Cameras.
Speakers.
Doors.
Luca was watching.
“I don’t remember any sequence.”
Thomas said, “You do.”
Caleb suddenly stepped forward.
“Harper.”
She looked at him.
His face was filled with guilt.
“What?”
“I know the first part.”
Thomas stared.
“How?”
Caleb swallowed.
“Dad taught me too.”
Harper’s anger returned.
“You said nothing?”
“I didn’t understand.”
“Apparently nobody in this family thought I deserved to understand anything.”
Victor stepped between them.
“Later.”
Harper glared.
“Stop telling me when I’m allowed to be angry.”
Victor lowered his voice.
“I’m telling you we survive first.”
She hated that he was right.
Luca’s voice returned.
“Harper, give me the sequence and the child goes home.”
Evelyn’s daughter cried quietly.
Harper looked at her.
“No.”
Victor turned.
Harper walked into the spotlight.
“I’ll give you half.”
Thomas grabbed her arm.
“No.”
She pulled free.
“Trust me.”
Victor did.
That surprised her.
Harper recited numbers from a childhood rhyme.
A door unlocked across the warehouse.
Victor understood.
Luca believed her.
They followed.
Inside was a control room.
Empty.
One monitor displayed a video feed.
Luca sat somewhere else.
Older than Victor.
Same dark eyes.
Same Romano jaw.
“Very good,” Luca said.
Victor stepped into view.
“Come face me.”
Luca laughed.
“That was always Antonio’s weakness. He thought courage required standing in the same room.”
The monitor switched.
It showed the Romano estate.
Harper’s stomach dropped.
Someone was inside.
Walking toward Victor’s study.
A figure opened the hidden drawer.
Removed the red ledger.
Victor looked at Harper.
“The ledger we brought was a copy.”
Harper nodded.
The original remained at the estate.
Only three people knew.
Victor.
Harper.
And Caleb.
Everyone turned toward him.
Caleb’s face collapsed.
“I’m sorry.”
Harper whispered, “What did you do?”
Caleb began crying.
“They said they’d kill you.”
“Who?”
“I told someone where the original was.”
“When?”
“This morning.”
Victor’s expression hardened.
“Who did you tell?”
Caleb looked toward the monitor.
A woman entered the study.
She removed the original ledger.
Harper recognized her.
Evelyn.
But Evelyn was supposed to be under guard.
The camera zoomed in.
Evelyn looked directly into it.
Then someone walked into frame behind her.
Caleb whispered the name before anyone else could.
“Mom?”
May you like
Harper stopped breathing.
Their mother had been dead for fourteen years.
