Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Blood
Marcus scrambled toward the sideboard with trembling limbs, his fingers fumbling desperately as he snatched the manila folder and shoved it toward Matteo.
Matteo didn't take it. He glanced sideways at an operative carrying a sleek tactical tablet. ""Scan it.""
The operative took the folder, flipped open the tablet's camera, and digitized every page within three seconds. A low chime sounded on the screen.
""Document authenticated through Cook County emergency electronic portal at 17:14 today,"" the operative reported in a crisp, military tone. ""Notarized by a mobile agent named Donald Vance—distant cousin of the stepmother. Conveyance reflects total transfer of title from the estate of Robert Vance directly to Marcus Keller and Evelyn Vance, completely bypassing Clara Vance based on an alleged power-of-attorney clause executed in 2021.""
Matteo took a slow drag of his cigarette, his eyes never leaving Marcus's sweating forehead.
""Clara Vance has been my confidential secretary for six years,"" Matteo said, his voice smooth as crushed glass. ""She manages my offshore manifests. She holds keys to safe deposit boxes in Zurich and Singapore. Do you truly believe, Marcus Keller, that a woman who handles billions of dollars of my personal assets without a single cent unaccounted for would carelessly sign away her own childhood home?""
""She did sign it!"" Chloe shrieked from the dining room, clutching her mother’s arm. ""She was stupid! She signed whatever Marcus put in front of her! It's legal! You can't touch us! We have rights!""
Matteo turned his gaze toward Chloe. His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the silk blouse and the pearl comb in her hair.
""Dominic,"" Matteo said, not looking back. ""Strip that comb from her head. Now.""
Before Chloe could scream, two operatives crossed the room with terrifying speed. One pinned Chloe’s arms behind her back with casual efficiency, while the other reached up and sharply unpinned the pearl comb from her hair. Chloe wailed in pain as a few strands of hair were pulled loose, but the operative merely wiped the comb with a clean microfiber cloth and handed it to Matteo.
Matteo held the small piece of jewelry in his gloved palm, looking at the delicate seed pearls. ""Her mother gave her this. Clara keeps a photograph of her mother wearing it on her desk. She looks at it every morning before she starts her shift.""
He pocketed the comb, then turned back to Marcus.
""You used company stationery to draft this fraudulent conveyance,"" Matteo noted, pointing to the watermarked margin on page four. ""You utilized Bellini Logistics' third-party notary accounts to cover the courier and processing fees. That means you committed felony wire fraud, grand larceny, and corporate embezzlement using my digital signatures.""
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Marcus’s face drained of what little color remained. ""No... no, Mr. Bellini, it was an administrative oversight! I can repay the filing fees! It’s only three hundred dollars!""
""You misunderstand your position,"" Matteo said, dropping his cigarette into Evelyn’s crystal wine glass, where it hissed and died in the red cabernet. ""You did not steal from Clara. By using my systems to commit this theft, you stole from me. And in my organization, thieves do not receive severance packages.""
