CHAPTER 5 — The Real Target
CHAPTER 5 — The Real Target
Daniel ended the call without another word.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
The only sound in the hallway was the soft hum of the nursery monitor and Matthew's sleepy coo drifting through the speaker.
Finally, Daniel looked up.
"Her name is Grace Holloway."
"Who is she?"
"A former executive assistant. She worked with Valeria six years ago."
"Where?"
"A private wealth management firm in Manhattan."
My stomach tightened.
Daniel continued.
"She says Valeria never chased wealthy men because she wanted their money."
"Then why?"
"She wanted access."
An hour later, Grace sat across from us in the library.
She looked exhausted, as though carrying years of silence had become physically heavy.
She wrapped both hands around a cup of tea before speaking.
"I've been waiting for someone to stop her."
I exchanged a glance with Daniel.
Grace reached into her purse and removed an old photograph.
Three women stood together outside a luxury charity gala.
One was unmistakably Valeria.
The second was Grace.
The third...
I had never seen before.
"Who's she?"
Grace answered immediately.
"Celeste Moreno."
The name meant nothing to me.
"It should," Grace replied quietly.
"She disappeared four years ago."
Grace explained everything.
Valeria had built a method.
She never rushed relationships.
She volunteered at hospitals.
Fundraisers.
Foundations supporting grieving families.
She became exactly what lonely people needed.
Patient.
Compassionate.
Reliable.
Then, little by little, she encouraged changes.
New attorneys.
New accountants.
Updated insurance policies.
Revised estate plans.
Nothing dramatic.
Just enough paperwork to move influence from one person to another.
Most victims never noticed.
Some engagements ended.
Others simply drifted apart.
But every relationship left Valeria wealthier than before.
Daniel leaned forward.
"What about Celeste?"
Grace hesitated.
"Celeste tried to expose her."
The room fell silent.
"Two weeks later she disappeared."
Police had investigated.
Nothing.
No body.
No evidence.
No charges.
Grace lowered her eyes.
"I quit the company after that."
"Why come forward now?" I asked.
She looked toward the nursery.
"Because those babies."
She swallowed.
"When I heard children were involved..."
"...I couldn't stay quiet anymore."
That afternoon detectives searched Valeria's financial records again.
This time they weren't looking for fraud.
They were looking for people.
Previous fiancés.
Former business partners.
Disappeared assistants.
Within hours another pattern emerged.
Every victim had one thing in common.
Widowed.
Divorced.
Or completely alone.
Valeria never targeted wealthy families.
She targeted wealthy people with no one left to protect them.
Until now.
While investigators worked downstairs, I carried Leo outside into the garden.
He reached toward the fountain where Elena used to sit every afternoon.
Rosita followed with Matthew.
The boys laughed together as butterflies drifted through the roses.
For the first time since Elena died...
The house sounded alive.
Rosita smiled.
"They missed this."
"So did I."
She looked away.
"I almost left."
I stopped walking.
"What?"
She nodded.
"Three weeks ago."
"I had already packed."
My heart sank.
"What changed your mind?"
Rosita looked down at Leo.
"He grabbed my finger."
Her voice trembled.
"And wouldn't let go."
That evening Daniel called again.
"We recovered deleted messages."
"From Valeria?"
"Yes."
"They're between her and Adrian."
I closed my eyes.
"Read them."
Daniel hesitated.
"'Once the wedding is over, he'll transfer everything into the family trust.'"
Another message.
"'The twins are inconvenient, but children grow up.'"
Then another.
"'Just keep him emotionally dependent until the paperwork is complete.'"
Every word sounded colder than the last.
But the final message changed everything.
"'His company isn't the prize.'"
Daniel stopped.
"What is?"
He answered slowly.
"'His father's foundation.'"
I felt the blood leave my face.
The foundation.
My father had established it thirty years earlier.
Hundreds of millions of dollars funded children's hospitals, scholarships, and medical research.
Valeria had never wanted my fortune alone.
She wanted influence over a charitable empire.
Money that wasn't even mine.
Money meant for children.
Suddenly every charity gala...
Every fundraiser...
Every carefully staged photograph...
Made perfect sense.
She hadn't been building a marriage.
She'd been building credibility.
Late that night, I stood outside the twins' room.
Leo slept with one tiny hand stretched across the crib.
Matthew clutched the old silver rattle Elena had loved.
Rosita had fallen asleep in the rocking chair beside them after another long day.
A blanket had slipped from her shoulder.
Without waking her, I gently covered her.
Some people earn trust by making promises.
Others earn it by quietly showing up every single day.
Rosita had never once asked for recognition.
Only for the twins to be safe.
Just after midnight my phone rang.
It was Detective Harris.
"We've located Adrian Keller."
"Where?"
"He was trying to board a flight."
"Did you arrest him?"
A pause.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because he agreed to cooperate."
I frowned.
"What changed his mind?"
May you like
Detective Harris answered with one sentence.
"Apparently... Valeria had another fiancé."
