Dominic's expression was cold.
"Then obtain it."
Rebecca looked at him.
"Can you do that?"
Dominic turned toward her.
"Yes."
She studied his face.
"How?"
He hesitated.
Then he answered.
"Because I own the bank."
Rebecca stared at him.
For a moment, she almost laughed.
"Of course you do."
Dominic's expression softened.
"Rebecca—"
"No. It's fine."
She looked back at the ledger.
"I am beginning to understand why people are afraid of you."
Dominic said nothing.
Rebecca turned toward him.
"But I am not afraid of you."
The words seemed to surprise him.
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"Good."
Marcus returned with a second document.
"Sir, there is another issue."
Dominic took it.
"What?"
Marcus pointed to a series of transactions.
"The funds were transferred through a company called Sterling Maritime Holdings. It was created six months before Thomas Sterling's death."
Rebecca frowned.
"That company didn't exist."
"It did," Marcus replied. "But it was registered under a different name."
He enlarged the document.
A name appeared.
Hale International.
Dominic went still.
Rebecca looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Dominic stared at the screen.
"It means my father was involved."
The room fell silent.
Rebecca's heart began to race.
"Your father helped Adrian?"
Dominic shook his head.
"I don't know."
He looked at the ledger.
"But I intend to find out."
Chapter 16: The Betrayal of the Father
Dominic had spent his life believing that his father was a complicated man.
A ruthless businessman.
A distant parent.
A man who had built an empire through sacrifice and ambition.
He had never believed him to be a criminal.
The records suggested otherwise.
Dominic stood alone in the private archive, staring at a photograph of his father.
Alexander stood beside him.
Both were young.
Both were smiling.
The photograph had been taken before everything changed.
Before the fire.
Before the funeral.
Before Dominic had learned that grief could become a permanent part of a man's identity.
Marcus entered quietly.
"Sir."
Dominic did not turn.
"What did you find?"
"The company was registered under your father's name. The account was active for eleven months. It was closed three days after Alexander's death."
Dominic closed his eyes.
"Who authorized the closure?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Your father."
Dominic turned.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
Dominic stared at him.
For a moment, he could not speak.
Then he looked back at the photograph.
"Bring me everything."
Marcus nodded.
When he left, Dominic remained alone.
He had spent twelve years searching for the man who killed his brother.
Now he was beginning to wonder whether the answer had been sitting across the dinner table all along.
Rebecca found him an hour later.
He stood near the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
She approached quietly.
"Dominic?"
He turned.
She saw the pain in his eyes.
"What happened?"
He looked at her.
"My father was involved in the Black Ledger."
Rebecca stopped.
She knew what that meant.
The same truth that had destroyed her family was now threatening to destroy his.
She stepped closer.
"Do you know how?"
"No."
"Then we find out."
Dominic shook his head.
"What if he knew?"
Rebecca took his hand.
"What if he didn't?"
He looked at her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rebecca said, "You told me to trust what I could verify."
Dominic nodded.
"Yes."
"Then we do that."
He looked down at their joined hands.
A faint, almost disbelieving smile appeared on his face.
"You are becoming very difficult to protect."
Rebecca smiled.
"I was never easy."
Dominic laughed softly.
It was the first time she had heard him laugh without restraint.
The sound made her heart ache.
Then the secure telephone rang.
Dominic answered.
His expression changed.
"Where?"
A pause.
"When?"
Another pause.
He ended the call.
Rebecca looked at him.
"What is it?"
Dominic's eyes were cold.
"Gregory Vance has been found."
"Where?"
"At the Sterling headquarters."
Rebecca frowned.
"Why?"
Dominic looked at her.
"Because he has taken control of the company."
Chapter 17: The Crown of Ashes
The Sterling headquarters stood in the heart of the financial district.
Its glass towers rose above the city like monuments to ambition.
Rebecca had not entered the building since Gregory had taken control of the trust.
Now she stood before its doors, her hand resting on Dominic's arm.
The lobby was crowded.
Employees watched from behind their desks.
Security guards stood near the elevators.
At the center of the room, Gregory waited.
He wore a dark suit and a smile that Rebecca had once mistaken for affection.
"Rebecca."
She stepped forward.
"Gregory."
He looked at Dominic.
"Mr. Hale."
Dominic's expression was unreadable.
"Vance."
Gregory laughed.
"I suppose you have come to reclaim what belongs to you."
Dominic glanced at Rebecca.
"No."
He looked back at Gregory.
"We have come to reclaim what belongs to her."
Gregory's smile faded.
Rebecca stepped forward.
"You stole my father's company."
Gregory shook his head.
"I protected it."
"You forged his signature."
"I acted in the interests of the trust."
"You murdered him."
Gregory's expression hardened.
"Be careful."
Rebecca looked directly into his eyes.
"No."
The word was quiet.
But it carried more power than any of the threats she had made before.
"You spent eighteen months convincing me that I was weak. You convinced me that I needed you. You convinced me that my father's death was a tragedy I had to accept."
She stepped closer.
"You were wrong."
Gregory's face twisted.
"You have no idea what you are doing."
Rebecca smiled faintly.
"Then perhaps you should explain it to the court."
She handed him a document.
The legal notice.
The injunction.
The evidence.
Gregory looked down.
His expression changed.
Dominic stepped forward.
"The Sterling Trust has been frozen. The board has been notified. Your accounts are under investigation."
Gregory stared at him.
"You cannot do this."
Dominic's voice was cold.
"I already have."
Gregory looked toward Rebecca.
For the first time, she saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before.
Fear.
Not the fear of being hurt.
The fear of losing control.
He took a step toward her.
"You will regret this."
Dominic moved between them.
"Try it."
Gregory stopped.
The security guards approached.
Rebecca watched as they escorted him toward the elevators.
She did not feel triumphant.
She felt tired.
But beneath the exhaustion, something else was beginning to grow.
Hope.
Chapter 18: The Last Testament
The Sterling Trust was opened three days later.
Rebecca sat in the conference room with Dominic, Marcus, and the company's legal representatives.
The documents were spread across the table.
Her father's final will.
The original trust agreement.
The Black Ledger.
And a sealed envelope.
The envelope had been recovered from the safe at Berth 14.
It was addressed to Rebecca.
In her father's handwriting.
She opened it.
Inside was a letter.
My dearest Rebecca,
If you are reading this, then I have failed to protect you from the truth.