The Mafia Boss Walked In as His Supervisor Whipped the Shy Employee—Then the Entire Office Froze!
Chapter 9
Clara wanted to quit.
For the first time since the investigation began, she admitted it.
“I can’t do this.”
Matteo didn’t argue.
They sat in his office late at night.
Rain tapped against the windows.
“I understand.”
Clara looked at him.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Then why aren’t you telling me to stop?”
“Because it’s your choice.”
She stared at him.
“You’re not afraid?”
“I am.”
“For me?”
“Yes.”
The answer came too quickly.
Clara looked away.
Matteo continued:
“I’ve spent years dealing with dangerous people. Fear is useful. It tells you when you’re walking toward something you don’t understand.”
“Then why keep going?”
“Because your father died trying to expose it.”
Clara’s eyes filled.
“And because someone hurt you to stop you from looking.”
He paused.
“I don’t like unfinished business.”
She smiled weakly.
“That sounds like the mafia boss talking.”
“It is.”
For the first time in days, Clara laughed.
It was small.
But real.
Matteo smiled.
The investigation continued.
They discovered that the ledger wasn’t a physical book anymore.
It had been copied.
Parts were hidden in shipping manifests.
Other parts were buried inside financial records.
Thomas Bennett had created a system of clues.
No single document proved anything.
Together, they showed the theft.
But there was one missing piece.
The final account.
The account that connected Adrian Cole to the money.
Nina discovered an old server backup.
It was scheduled for destruction within forty-eight hours.
Matteo ordered it preserved.
But before they could access it, someone inside the company triggered a fire alarm.
Smoke filled the server room.
Employees ran outside.
Clara saw a man leaving through the rear corridor.
She recognized him.
Dawson.
She followed.
“Mr. Dawson!”
He turned.
For the first time, he looked terrified.
“Don’t.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I had no choice.”
“You beat me.”
His face collapsed.
“I was ordered to.”
“By whom?”
Dawson looked toward the exit.
“Cole.”
Clara stepped closer.
“And my father?”
Dawson said nothing.
“Did Cole hurt him?”
Dawson’s eyes filled with tears.
“I wasn’t there.”
“But you know.”
Dawson nodded.
Then whispered:
“Your father hid the ledger before they killed him.”
Clara froze.
“They killed him?”
Dawson looked at her.
“Yes.”
A loud crash came from the building.
Matteo appeared behind Clara.
Dawson suddenly shouted:
“You don’t understand!”
“What?” Matteo asked.
Dawson pointed toward the burning building.
“The ledger wasn’t hidden for you.”
He swallowed.
“It was hidden for Cole.”
