CHAPTER 6 — THE SILVER CASE
Vanessa’s vehicle was found abandoned near Union Station.
The silver case was gone.
Damian claimed he had no idea where she was.
Evelyn refused to answer questions.
Adrian Locke disappeared from his Manhattan apartment before federal investigators arrived.
For the first time, Isabella understood that freezing the accounts had not ended the war.
It had forced everyone to move.
By evening, Samuel completed his sworn testimony.
The forged marital agreement was officially challenged.
The board restored Isabella’s voting rights pending a full hearing.
Damian’s attempt to seize Montrose Global had failed.
Temporarily.
Isabella returned to headquarters and opened every Cross Meridian financial report from the previous four years.
The pattern was worse than she expected.
Each time she had saved Damian’s company, someone had redirected a small portion of the emergency funds into foreign accounts.
The amounts were carefully divided.
Never large enough to attract immediate attention.
Together, they totaled eighty-seven million dollars.
“Adrian used you,” Claire said. “You believed you were rescuing Cross Meridian. He was using each rescue as cover.”
“Damian knew.”
“He approved every transfer.”
Isabella stared at the transaction history.
Damian had called her ungrateful while stealing from the company she was quietly using to protect him.
Alexander entered the office.
“I should have told you the truth about Cross Meridian.”
Isabella looked up.
“What truth?”
“Damian’s grandfather did not build the company. Your mother did.”
Isabella felt the room shift.
Alexander explained that before Isabella was born, her mother, Eleanor Montrose, had financed a struggling construction business owned by Damian’s grandfather.
She had placed the assets into a private holding trust.
The Cross family was permitted to operate the company.
They were never given ownership.
“Why did no one tell me?”
“Your mother wanted you to have a normal life before inheriting the full estate.”
“And Damian knew?”
“I believed he did not.”
Isabella opened the file Samuel had recovered.
Damian had known before their first date.
He had targeted the daughter of the woman whose trust controlled everything his family claimed to own.
Marcus entered with an update.
“We located Vanessa.”
“Where?”
“She contacted a private attorney and requested immunity.”
Claire folded her arms.
“In exchange for what?”
“The silver case.”
Isabella’s phone rang.
Vanessa’s name appeared on the screen.
She answered.
Vanessa sounded breathless.
“Damian is going to blame everything on me.”
“You planted the necklace in my purse.”
“Yes.”
“You helped forge the agreement.”
“Yes.”
“You knew why he married me.”
A long silence followed.
“Yes.”
Isabella tightened her grip on the phone.
“Then why should I help you?”
“Because the silver case contains the original records.”
“What records?”
“The ones proving Damian was never the person in charge.”
Vanessa’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Evelyn Cross planned this before Damian was old enough to understand what Montrose even was.”
A noise sounded in the background.
Vanessa inhaled sharply.
Then the call disconnected.
Seconds later, Isabella received a photograph.
Vanessa was seated inside a dark room.
May you like
Behind her stood Evelyn Cross.
And in Evelyn’s hand was the silver case.
