Chapter 3 - Skeletons In The Ash
By dawn, Vincent was standing in his penthouse office overlooking the grey, restless expanse of Lake Michigan. He hadn't slept a single wink. Empty scotch glasses littered his mahogany desk, but the alcohol failed to numb the raging fire in his mind.
Marcus entered silently, holding a thick leather folder. He didn't speak until he placed it directly in front of his boss.
""What did you find?"" Vincent demanded, pouncing on the documents.
""Julian Vance married Vivienne St. Claire in a private ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, two and a half years ago,"" Marcus explained methodically. ""According to her official dossier, she is the orphaned daughter of a French-Canadian real estate investor. Clean background. Elite schooling in Lausanne. No prior ties to the United States.""
Vincent flipped through the fabricated paperwork, his eyes narrowing dangerously. ""It's a ghost cover. Vance has the resources to manufacture a whole lineage out of thin air. What about medical records? Birth certificates?""
""Leo Vance was born thirty-three months ago at a private clinic outside Geneva. The records are sealed under heavy international privacy locks. But Boss... I managed to track the flight manifests around the Rockies the day of your crash."" Marcus hesitated, his eyes flickering toward the floor.
""Speak, Marcus,"" Vincent growled, slamming his palm onto the desk.
""Your plane didn't explode right away when you exited,"" Marcus said quietly. ""The tail section sheared off when the aircraft slid into the ravine, creating an opening before the main fuel tank ruptured. A local search-and-rescue team operating a medical chopper on a separate emergency mission spotted the smoke. They pulled a pregnant woman from the snowbank behind the broken tail just seconds before the blast.""
Vincent’s breath hitched in his throat. He slumped back into his leather executive chair, burying his trembling hands in his hair. ""She fell through the snow... she didn't burn. She was alive... and she let me bury an empty casket.""
""There is more, Mr. Moretti,"" Marcus added carefully. ""The search team wasn't local government. Their transponder traced back to a private charter funded by Vance Logistics. Julian Vance was already in Colorado that day inspecting an alpine terminal. He took her straight to an airfield and flew her to Europe on an unmarked medevac jet. She didn't want to be found.""
Vincent felt a bitter tear carve a line down his stubbled cheek. Anna had run. She had intentionally erased herself from the world so he would believe she was dead. She had stripped him of fatherhood, stripped him of redemption, and chosen another man to raise his son.
The office door burst open, and Sophia stormed inside without knocking, her designer sunglasses pushed up into her bleached-blonde hair.
""Vincent, this is madness!"" she exclaimed, waving a morning tabloid in her hand. ""The Tribune is running front-page photos of you harassing Vivienne Vance last night! The board of Moretti Enterprises is calling emergency meetings. Our wedding is supposed to be in six weeks, and you are throwing away our reputation over a figment of your imagination!""
Vincent didn't look up from the folder. ""The wedding is canceled.""
Sophia froze mid-stride, her face draining of color. ""What did you just say?""
""I said the wedding is canceled, Sophia,"" Vincent replied, his tone devoid of warmth, emotion, or mercy. ""Get out of my apartment.""
""You can't do this!"" she shrieked, rushing toward his desk. ""I stood by you when you were shattered! I gave you three years of my life! You chose me, Vincent! On that plane, in front of God and death itself, you chose me over her!""
Vincent slowly raised his eyes. The sheer, predatory fury burning in his dark pupils made Sophia take an involuntary step backward.
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""I made the biggest mistake of my life on that plane,"" Vincent said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. ""And every single breath I take around you reminds me that I traded my soul for a coward. If you ever mention that day again, Sophia, I will strip your family's firm of every contract we own and leave you with nothing. Leave.""
Sobbing with a mix of fury and terror, Sophia fled the office. Vincent turned back to Marcus. ""Find out where she is taking my son today.""
