Chapter 3 - THE MISSING FILE
The police arrived before midnight.
But Vincent Moretti did not call them because of the stolen envelope.
He called them because someone had entered the gala's private security room during the blackout.
The security footage had been erased for exactly ninety-two seconds.
Ninety-two seconds.
Long enough for someone to disappear.
Long enough to steal the envelope.
Long enough to prove that the confrontation between Victoria and Isabella had not been accidental.
Emma was asked to remain in a private lounge.
She sat alone for nearly twenty minutes before Daniel entered.
“You're not being fired.”
Emma looked up.
“Are you sure?”
Daniel nodded.
“Mr. Moretti made that very clear.”
Emma let out a breath.
“I still don't understand why.”
Daniel gave a nervous laugh.
“Neither do I.”
The door opened.
Vincent entered.
Daniel immediately stood.
“I'll give you two a moment.”
Emma watched him leave.
Vincent remained near the doorway.
“You can go home.”
Emma blinked.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“What about the police?”
“They'll contact you if they need a statement.”
Emma stood.
Then hesitated.
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Yes?”
“I didn't know who your mother was.”
“I know.”
“I wasn't trying to impress anyone.”
“I know.”
“I just…”
Vincent waited.
Emma looked down.
“She looked scared.”
Something shifted in his expression.
“That was enough for you.”
“Yes.”
Vincent nodded.
“My mother says you saved her.”
Emma shook her head.
“I only stopped a hand.”
“Sometimes that's what saving someone looks like.”
Emma didn't know what to say.
Then Vincent added, “There is something you should know.”
She looked at him.
“Victoria Langford has already contacted your employer.”
Emma's stomach dropped.
“What?”
“She wants you removed.”
Emma closed her eyes.
“Of course.”
“I won't allow it.”
Emma opened her eyes again.
“Why?”
Vincent paused.
“Because she is trying to punish you for doing the right thing.”
Emma stared at him.
Then she said quietly, “You don't have to fix my life.”
“I know.”
“I can handle losing a job.”
“Can you?”
Emma didn't answer.
Vincent saw the truth on her face.
“You have medical bills.”
Emma stiffened.
“How do you know?”
“Your manager told security your emergency contact information when they prepared an incident report.”
Emma felt embarrassed.
“My father's sick.”
Vincent nodded.
“And your sister is in college.”
Emma's eyes narrowed.
“How did you—”
“I didn't investigate you.”
He reached into his jacket and placed a card on the table.
“A position is available at one of my hotels.”
Emma stared at it.
“I don't want charity.”
“It isn't charity.”
“What is it?”
“A job.”
She looked at him.
“Why would you give me one?”
“Because you worked a double shift tonight, protected a stranger, and stayed calm while a room full of powerful people watched you.”
Vincent turned toward the door.
“You have more courage than most executives I've hired.”
Emma picked up the card.
“Thank you.”
He paused.
“And Emma?”
“Yes?”
“Don't trust anyone who tells you tonight was just a misunderstanding.”
The door closed.
Emma remained still.
Then she turned the card over.
A handwritten number was on the back.
Under it were four words:
Ask about the blue ledger.
Emma frowned.
She had no idea what a blue ledger meant.
But across town, in a dark office overlooking the river, Victoria Langford was staring at a photograph.
It showed Emma.
Walking into the gala.
Carrying her tray.
Victoria's assistant stood beside her.
“She's just a waitress.”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
She placed another photograph on the desk.
This one showed Isabella meeting Arthur Bellamy six months earlier.
“She is now connected to Vincent.”
The assistant looked confused.
“So?”
Victoria's expression hardened.
“So she must be removed before she learns what the old woman knows.”
The assistant hesitated.
“And the ledger?”
Victoria stared toward the window.
“If Isabella remembers where it is, Vincent will find everything.”
“What exactly is in it?”
Victoria slowly turned.
“Enough to destroy three families.”
She opened a drawer.
Inside was a newspaper clipping from twenty-three years earlier.
The headline read:
MORETTI FAMILY ACQUIRES LANGFORD SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Victoria touched the photograph beneath it.
A younger Isabella.
A younger Victoria.
And a man standing between them.
Emma's father.
May you like
Victoria whispered:
“Before Vincent learns whose money built his empire, we have to make sure Emma Carter never opens that door.”
