Chapter 3 - TWENTY-FOUR MILLION DOLLARS MISSING
Dominic had known Elena came from money.
He had not known how much.
That was partly because his wife had hated discussing it.
“My family has spent three generations confusing money with personality,” she once told him.
Dominic had laughed.
Then married her anyway.
When Elena died seven years earlier, Dominic had been too consumed by grief and raising a one-year-old to care about trust documents beyond the pages lawyers placed in front of him.
Sebastian had handled everything.
Elena’s brother.
Ethan’s godfather.
The person Elena trusted enough to administer the fortune she inherited from their parents.
At seven the next morning, Dominic sat in his study with three attorneys, an independent forensic accountant, Rocco, and Sophia.
Sophia had objected.
“This is family business.”
Dominic answered:
“Your daughter is now a witness in my family business.”
That ended the argument.
Ethan and Lily were upstairs with a police-vetted caregiver and Dr. Harris.
Dominic opened the trust document.
The value printed on the original schedule made Sophia blink.
One hundred fourteen million dollars.
Elena had placed nearly everything in trust for Ethan.
Sebastian was granted full management authority until Ethan’s eighth birthday.
After that date, control automatically shifted to an institutional co-trustee and independent annual audits began.
Sophia understood first.
“Today.”
“Yes.”
“The audit starts today.”
The forensic accountant, Daniel Cho, nodded.
“We started preliminary reconciliation at five this morning.”
Dominic looked at him.
“And?”
Cho placed one sheet on the desk.
“Twenty-four point six million dollars cannot currently be accounted for.”
Silence.
Sophia whispered:
“Twenty-four million?”
“Possibly transferred through affiliated investment entities. Possibly legitimate.”
Dominic looked at him.
“You don’t believe that.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because six of the entities share registered addresses with companies associated with Sebastian Vale.”
Rocco swore softly.
Dominic did not.
He had moved beyond anger into a colder place.
One attorney said:
“Sebastian’s team claims the funds were alternative investments authorized under the trust.”
“Show me returns.”
“We asked.”
“And?”
“Nothing yet.”
Dominic looked at Sophia.
She was watching him carefully.
Not frightened.
Evaluating.
He had grown accustomed to that.
It irritated him less than it should.
A knock came.
Miles Corbin entered.
Chief of estate security.
Tall.
Fifty-one.
Gray at the temples.
He looked tired but steady.
“You wanted me?”
Dominic gestured toward the camera logs.
“Administrator override.”
Miles read.
“M-4.”
“Yours?”
“One of mine.”
“One?”
“Security maintains rotating emergency codes.”
Rocco’s face tightened.
“That code was assigned to you this month.”
Miles looked at him.
“It was.”
“Did you disable the cake-room camera?”
“No.”
“Who had access to your credentials?”
“No one.”
Dominic watched.
“Your office?”
“Locked.”
“Home?”
“I don’t write passwords down.”
“Then explain it.”
Miles met his gaze.
“I can’t.”
That answer was better than a convenient lie.
But not comforting.
Sophia spoke.
“Where were you between ten thirty-three and ten forty-four?”
Miles looked at her, surprised.
“West entrance.”
“Why?”
“Senator Klein’s driver had a firearm improperly stored.”
“Camera?”
“Yes.”
Rocco checked.
There he was.
Miles at the west entrance throughout the entire window.
Sophia exhaled.
“Then someone copied his access.”
Miles nodded.
“Or used my terminal.”
“Who can enter your office?”
“Dominic. Rocco. Two shift supervisors.”
“And Sebastian?”
Miles hesitated.
Dominic noticed.
“What?”
“Mr. Vale requested access two nights ago.”
“To security?”
“He said he wanted to review birthday logistics.”
Dominic’s chair moved backward.
“You let him into the security office?”
“For six minutes.”
“Alone?”
“I stepped into the hall for a call.”
Rocco stared.
“You left an outsider alone at an administrator terminal?”
Miles’s face hardened.
“He is Ethan’s godfather.”
Dominic spoke quietly.
“That is not a security clearance.”
Miles looked ashamed.
“No.”
Someone had trusted family more than procedure.
Dominic knew that mistake intimately.
The estate entrance camera showed Sebastian arriving at nine that morning.
Right on time.
He entered the study wearing a charcoal suit and an expression of wounded disbelief.
No gold watch.
Dominic noticed instantly.
Sebastian noticed him noticing.
“What?”
“Your watch.”
Sebastian touched the empty vest pocket.
“What about it?”
“Where is it?”
A pause.
“Missing.”
Sophia’s eyes sharpened.
“When?”
Sebastian looked at her.
“And why is the housekeeper in this meeting?”
Dominic answered:
“Because I want her here.”
That ended it.
Sebastian sat.
“My watch disappeared last night.”
“Convenient.”
His jaw tightened.
“You think I poisoned Ethan?”
“I think a three-year-old described your watch on the person who touched his cake.”
Sebastian went pale.
Not angry.
Pale.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t in the kitchen.”
“Where were you?”
“Ballroom. Terrace. Library.”
“All covered by cameras?”
“Mostly.”
“Mostly is not useful.”
Sebastian looked genuinely shaken.
“Dominic, I love that boy.”
“So did Elena.”
His face changed.
“Don’t.”
“Then explain twenty-four million missing from her trust.”
Silence.
There.
For the first time, Sebastian stopped performing innocence.
His eyes went to the attorneys.
Then back.
“You started the audit.”
“The trust started it.”
“I can explain the investments.”
“Do it.”
“Not in front of staff.”
Sophia stood immediately.
“I’ll go.”
Dominic said:
“Sit.”
Sebastian stared at him.
“You’re humiliating me.”
“No.”
Dominic leaned forward.
“I am refusing to hide you.”
That landed.
Sebastian loosened his jaw.
“The money went into distressed shipping assets.”
“Which companies?”
He named three.
Cho pushed a folder forward.
“All three are controlled through Vale Advisory.”
Sebastian’s face hardened.
“I disclosed that.”
“No.”
Cho shook his head.
“You did not.”
Dominic stared.
“Did you steal my son’s money?”
“No.”
“Did you borrow it?”
Silence.
“That is not the same answer.”
Sebastian stood.
“My firm took positions using temporary trust liquidity.”
“Without authorization.”
“It was going to be replaced.”
“How much did you lose?”
Sebastian looked away.
“Sebastian.”
“Eleven.”
“Million?”
“Yes.”
Sophia exhaled.
“And the rest?”
“Tied up.”
“So midnight mattered.”
Sebastian looked at Dominic.
“Yes.”
There.
Motive.
But then he said:
“Which is exactly why I would never touch Ethan.”
Dominic frowned.
“If Ethan died before midnight, the trust did not revert to me.”
One attorney checked.
“What happens?”
Sebastian pointed.
“Section twelve.”
Pages turned.
Dominic read.
If Ethan Moretti died before attaining his eighth birthday, the trust assets transferred not to Sebastian—
but to Elena’s charitable foundation.
An independent board took control.
Sebastian would lose authority immediately.
Sophia frowned.
“So Ethan dying last night wouldn’t save you.”
“No.”
Sebastian looked at Dominic.
“It would expose me faster.”
The room shifted.
The financial crime was real.
The attempted murder motive was suddenly less clean.
Dominic hated messy truth.
Sebastian continued:
“I took money. I lied about it. Arrest me if you want.”
He leaned forward.
“But I did not poison my nephew.”
Sophia asked:
“Then who stole your watch?”
He looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
Rocco’s phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then turned toward Dominic.
“Police found something.”
“What?”
“The missing watch.”
Sebastian stood.
“Where?”
Rocco’s face went hard.
“In Sophia Carter’s staff apartment.”
Nobody moved.
Sophia stared at him.
“What?”
“Inside your bedroom dresser.”
Her face drained.
Dominic looked at her.
Six years of service.
His house.
His son.
Her daughter.
The gold watch Lily had described.
Now sitting inside Sophia’s private room.
Sebastian gave a bitter laugh.
“There’s your poisoner.”
Dominic stood slowly.
Sophia looked directly into his eyes.
“If you believe that…”
Her voice shook once.
“…then fire me now.”
Dominic did not answer.
Because downstairs, police were carrying the most important piece of evidence in the house inside a clear plastic bag.
May you like
And someone had gone to extraordinary trouble to make sure it pointed at the woman whose daughter had saved Ethan’s life.
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