Vanessa's Locked Drawer
Chapter 08 - Vanessa's Locked Drawer
While the family lawyers worked on Lily's case, investigators examined Vanessa's finances. The first findings revealed payments from a charitable trust Rose had established to a consulting firm controlled by Vanessa's cousin, Dominic Vale. Some transfers had legitimate explanations; others did not.
A search authorized through legal process uncovered draft consent forms, correspondence with Bellwether, and photographs of Rose entering the hospital. The material raised serious questions about identity documents used in Lily's placement.
Vanessa contacted Adrian through her attorney and denied any wrongdoing. She claimed Rose had asked her to arrange a confidential adoption because the Moretti name would place a child in danger.
Adrian read the claim twice. There was something in it that could not be dismissed simply because Vanessa had said it. Rose had feared the violence surrounding his business. She had criticized the men he employed and asked him to walk away from illegal work more than once.
He remembered telling her he'd change after one final deal. There was always one final deal.
"What if Rose truly wanted Lily away from me?" he asked his lawyer.
"Then we look for reliable evidence of her wishes," she replied. "We don't guess because it's painful."
Emma listened when he repeated the question later. "Rose wanted you to change. She also wanted you to know Lily existed. Both things can be true."
May you like
He nodded.
That night he called his business partners and began the slow process of leaving the criminal enterprises that had once defined his authority. He couldn't repair three years overnight. But he could stop handing the future to the same dangerous machinery.
