Chapter 10 - The Price of Telling the Truth
My father's living room smelled of broken plaster and rain. The intruder had forced a window and gone straight to the filing cabinet. Nothing else was missing. Dad sat at the kitchen table, ashamed of his fear. I wrapped my arms around him. “You did the right thing when you reported those invoices,” I said. “You still are.”
The police took photographs and collected the damaged lock. Margaret confirmed that scanned copies of the records were safe with her office and the investigators. Whoever had stolen the originals had acted too late. Nico offered security at Dad's house, and this time Dad accepted after speaking directly with the licensed firm providing it. Nico didn't interfere with the police work. He made calls to ensure the business records his company controlled were preserved.
The investigation revealed that the missing invoices linked Daniel Ashford to a series of fraudulent payments. Daniel had moved money through subcontractors, some of whom had connections to the Santoro family's criminal past. Nico was furious. “They used my name as cover,” he said. “They thought I'd be too afraid of scandal to expose them.” I asked whether he was afraid. “Of course,” he answered. “I'm more afraid of becoming the man they think I am.”
We started seeing each other openly, but slowly. I kept my apartment, my job, and my classes. Nico respected that, even when the gossip columns mocked him for dating a former maid. On Saturdays we visited Rosa, who pretended not to notice when our hands touched across her kitchen table. Antonio noticed everything. “About time,” he told Nico one afternoon. Nico nearly choked on his coffee.
Victoria made one final attempt to reach me. She appeared outside my office holding a photograph of Nico with a notorious former associate. “You think he changed?” she asked. “Men like him don't change.” I looked at the picture. It showed Nico ten years earlier, standing at a funeral. “Maybe he has things to answer for,” I said. “So do you.” She flinched when I mentioned the forged medical report.
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Her composure cracked. “My father told me it was the only way to save the company,” she whispered. I felt an unexpected flicker of pity. “You had choices, Victoria.” She looked away. “You don't understand what he does to people who say no.” Before I could ask what she meant, a car pulled up. Victoria hurried inside.
I told Margaret everything. She arranged for Victoria to be contacted through counsel, not privately. Within days, Victoria requested a formal meeting with investigators. She offered documents showing that Charles had instructed Daniel to manufacture the medical and financial records. In exchange, she wanted protection from her father's retaliation. Her cooperation could expose the whole scheme. But it could also put everyone she named in danger.
