Chapter 7 - THE WAITRESS WHO OWNED A MAFIA EMPIRE
For years, Derek had told me I couldn't manage a checking account.
Now my attorney was explaining that I might own a substantial share of one of Chicago's largest shipping companies.
I stared at Rachel's face on the screen.
"That can't be right."
She looked serious.
"The documents are being verified, but your father's estate appears to hold a forty-percent interest in a Moretti Maritime holding company."
Alexander stood beside the window.
His expression was unreadable.
I turned toward him.
"Did you know?"
He shook his head.
"No."
"How could you not know?"
"Because my father's estate was divided through several private trusts. I inherited operational control, but some ownership interests remained under independent administration."
I swallowed.
"And my father was one of the owners?"
"Apparently."
My head spun.
All those years struggling to pay rent.
All those nights Derek counted every dollar I spent.
All the times I believed I had nothing.
And somewhere, hidden behind legal documents, was an inheritance nobody had told me existed.
Rachel continued.
"However, Derek's claim is legally questionable. Marriage alone doesn't give him automatic ownership of your inherited property."
I exhaled.
"Then why file it?"
"Because he wants to create confusion and delay."
Alexander looked toward me.
"Richard Hayes may have been trying to gain control of those shares for years."
I sat down.
The pieces began fitting together.
My father's supposed death.
My mother's murder.
Derek's marriage to me.
The constant financial control.
It had never been only about me.
It was about money.
Power.
Ownership.
I looked at Alexander.
"What happens if those shares are mine?"
He answered carefully.
"You'll have rights that must be respected under the company's governing documents."
"And you?"
He paused.
"I'll have to work with you."
I almost laughed.
"The most feared man in Chicago has to work with a woman who can't even afford new shoes?"
He looked at my bare feet.
Then smiled faintly.
"I suspect you're going to be difficult to impress."
I surprised myself by smiling back.
For the first time in days, the room didn't feel entirely filled with fear.
But the moment ended when Marcus arrived.
"Boss, we located Richard Hayes."
Alexander straightened.
"Where?"
"At a private residence in Wisconsin."
"Is Derek with him?"
"No. Derek remains under investigation here."
Marcus hesitated.
"Richard is preparing to leave the country."
Rachel immediately contacted the investigators handling the financial case.
But Marcus wasn't finished.
"There's something else."
He placed a photograph on the desk.
It showed Richard Hayes standing beside a woman outside a private airfield.
The woman was elegant, silver-haired, and wearing a dark red coat.
Alexander went pale.
"Impossible."
I looked at him.
"Who is she?"
He stared at the photograph.
Then whispered:
"My mother."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"But you said she died ten years ago."
Alexander didn't answer.
Marcus turned over the photograph.
The date was from the previous week.
Dr. Eleanor Moretti.
May you like
Alive.
And standing beside the man responsible for my family's destruction.
