Chapter 4 - Paper and Lies
Vincent stood in the executive office of Moretti Holdings on the 80th floor, overlooking the rain-slicked skyline of Chicago. It was 3:00 AM.
On his massive mahogany desk lay three thick folders. Standing across from him was Marcus, his chief of security and private investigator, looking exhausted.
"Explain it to me again," Vincent commanded, his voice dark and dangerous. He hadn't slept a wink. His hand held a half-empty glass of bourbon that he hadn't touched in an hour.
"Boss... on paper, she's clean," Marcus said, placing a finger on the top file. "Anna Bennett. Born in Seattle, raised in London. Inherited Bennett Logistics after her husband, a British national named Arthur Bennett, died in a car accident in 2022. She took over as CEO two years ago and expanded into North American markets last month."
"It's a fake," Vincent snapped, slamming his fist onto the desk. "She is my wife! I know her posture, her tone, her face! You can't fake a woman's eyes, Marcus!"
"I checked the DNA records from the crash site three years ago," Marcus continued cautiously. "The medical examiner released a report confirming human remains matched Anna Moretti’s blood type. The case was closed."
"Then the medical examiner was paid off!" Vincent barked. He walked over to the glass window, staring at his own reflection. "What about the boy?"
Marcus swallowed hard. "Leo Bennett. Born in a private clinic in Zurich, Switzerland, exactly two months after the plane crash. There are no father's details on the Swiss birth certificate."
Vincent’s breath hitched. Zurich. Two months after the crash.
"He's my son," Vincent whispered, his chest heaving with an overwhelming, painful mix of awe and rage. "He has my eyes, Marcus. He has my mother's chin. He is a Moretti."
"If she survived that fire, boss... how did she get out?" Marcus asked softly. "The aircraft exploded seconds after you got out with Ms. Carter. The entire forward cabin was incinerated."
Vincent closed his eyes. The memory scorched him. The flight attendant at the rear exit.
Anna hadn't stayed in her seat as he told her to. She had moved to the back. She had jumped into the dark smoke while he was busy dragging Sophia to safety. She had survived alone, pregnant, burned, and terrified, while he stood on the tarmac mourning a ghost.
"She hates me," Vincent said, the realization settling into his bones like liquid lead. "She rebuilt her entire identity to erase me from her life."
"What are you going to do?" Marcus asked.
May you like
Vincent turned around, his eyes burning with an obsessive, unstoppable drive.
"Bennett Logistics is bidding for the Chicago Port Infrastructure Contract," Vincent said, his voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper. "Call the mayor. Tell him Moretti Holdings wants in on the contract. I don't care if it costs us fifty million dollars. Put me in the same room with her every day until she breaks."
