Chapter 3 - The Contract Sofia Never Signed
The Grand Bellamy Hotel had emptied by midnight.
The guests were gone.
The musicians had stopped playing.
The polished floors reflected only the remaining staff and the security team moving quietly through the ballroom.
But Adrian Moretti was still standing at the main table.
The folder remained open in front of him.
The contract.
The signatures.
The approval documents.
Everything that had almost changed the future of the Moretti Foundation without Sofia knowing.
Sofia sat across from him.
For once, Adrian did not speak first.
He waited.
Lily noticed.
She stood near the table, unsure whether she should leave.
“You can go,” Adrian said.
Lily nodded.
But before she turned away, Sofia reached for her hand.
Then she signed.
Stay.
Lily looked at Adrian.
He studied his sister.
Then nodded.
“She stays.”
Lily sat down.
Adrian opened the documents again.
“Sofia, tell me everything.”
Sofia looked at him.
A small, almost sad smile appeared on her face.
She typed on her phone.
Now you want to know?
The message hit harder than any accusation.
Adrian lowered his eyes.
“Yes.”
Sofia stared at him.
Then she began signing.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Lily translated.
“She says she tried to tell you three weeks ago.”
Adrian frowned.
“About the theater?”
Lily nodded.
“She says she sent messages. Emails. She requested a meeting.”
Adrian looked toward his assistant.
“Find them.”
The assistant immediately picked up his phone.
Seconds later, his expression changed.
“Mr. Moretti…”
Adrian looked up.
“What?”
“There are no messages in your inbox.”
Sofia typed again.
Because someone deleted them.
The room went quiet.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
Only a few people had access to his private communication system.
Marcus was one of them.
But Adrian refused to accuse someone without proof.
Not even family.
Especially not family.
“Why would Marcus do this?” Lily asked.
The question surprised everyone.
Adrian looked at her.
“You believe he did?”
Lily shook her head.
“I don't know.”
She looked at Sofia.
“But I know your sister has been trying to tell people something for weeks, and everyone kept deciding they already knew the answer.”
The words were simple.
But they carried weight.
Adrian looked away.
Because they were true.
---
The investigation began immediately.
By morning, Adrian's private security team had recovered deleted files.
Emails.
Meeting schedules.
Audio recordings.
And one disturbing discovery.
The interpreter assigned for the event had not canceled because of illness.
Someone had paid her to disappear.
The payment came from an account connected to a consulting company.
A company controlled by Marcus Vale.
Adrian stood in his office overlooking the city.
Lily stood near the door.
She had been called there because Sofia insisted.
“You should not be involved in this,” Adrian said.
Lily crossed her arms.
“Your sister disagrees.”
Adrian almost smiled.
Almost.
“She has a habit of being stubborn.”
Lily looked at him.
“She learned from someone.”
Adrian looked away.
The comment should have annoyed him.
Instead, it made him think.
For years, Sofia had fought to prove she was capable.
And Adrian had spent those years proving she needed protection.
Maybe they were both stubborn.
Just in different ways.
The office door opened.
Sofia entered.
She looked at Adrian.
Then signed:
I want to be part of this.
Adrian immediately responded.
“No.”
Sofia stared.
Lily translated her next words.
“She says that was exactly the problem.”
Adrian frowned.
“What?”
“She says everyone decides what she can handle before asking her.”
The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
Because Adrian knew she was right.
Finally, he nodded.
“Okay.”
Sofia looked surprised.
Adrian continued.
“But you make the decisions yourself.”
Sofia smiled slightly.
A small victory.
May you like
But an important one.
---
