Everyone watched Victoria raise her hand against a helpless elderly woman, but only one waitress dared to stop her—and seconds later, Chicago’s most powerful billionaire walked straight toward them. / Chapter 20 / 191

Chapter 20 - Unraveling Truths

Vincent released Arthur with a shove that sent the elder brother stumbling back two paces.

"Get out," Vincent commanded, his voice trembling with contained savagery. "Before I forget that there are witnesses."

Arthur straightened his jacket, adjusting his crimson pocket square with casual elegance. He shot one last, mocking glance at Emma. "The truth always surfaces, Miss Carter. Sleep well tonight."

With a mocking salute, Arthur turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd, exiting toward the private VIP suites accompanied by the foreign diplomatic security.

The atmosphere in the ballroom was shattered. Vincent grabbed Emma’s hand, his grip uncharacteristically tight, and led her out through the service exit toward the waiting armored motorcade. Neither spoke a single word during the entire twenty-mile drive back to the estate through the blinding rainstorm.

When they arrived at the estate, Emma pulled her hand free the moment they stepped into the grand marble foyer.

"Emma, wait," Vincent said, reaching out to stop her.

"Did your father buy my family's land?" Emma demanded, turning on him, her eyes ablaze with hurt and suspicion. "Did your company profit off my father’s death?"

Vincent stood in the entryway, the water dripping from his overcoat onto the black Italian marble. He looked at her, his face pale, unable to hide the bitter truth.

"Yes," Vincent said softly.

The word hit Emma like a physical blow. She staggered back a half-step, pressing a hand to her chest. "How could you? How could you sit there and pretend to be my benefactor, giving me jobs, giving me protection, when your entire life of luxury was built on the misery of families like mine?!"

"I didn't know!" Vincent roared, the sheer raw emotion shattering his stoic exterior for the first time. "I was twenty-two years old, serving in the naval intelligence corps overseas when your father died! My father ran this company like a medieval warlord, and Arthur was his willing executioner! When I inherited Moretti Global, I spent years untangling the illegal shell companies and black-ops accounts my father and brother left behind!"

Vincent walked over to his massive mahogany desk, ripped open the bottom drawer with an electronic keycard, and pulled out a thick, faded ledger. He slammed it onto the desk.

"This is my father’s private journal from 2014," Vincent said, his chest heaving. "Look at it, Emma. Read it. My father didn't burn your warehouse to hurt your family. Arthur burned it because your father refused to smuggle weapons for him. And when my father found out what Arthur had done, he bought your family's land through a trust at five times the market value to keep your mother and you from ending up on the streets! The insurance denial wasn't my father's doing—it was Arthur forged in our father's name!"

Emma approached the desk with trembling hands. She opened the yellowed pages.

There, written in the distinct, archaic cursive of Vincent’s late father, were the records: *October 12, 2014. Arthur has committed an unforgivable sin against David Carter. I must secure the Carter children’s future through the South Side Trust without Arthur discovering my interference...*

Tears blurred Emma’s vision. Her father had not died forgotten. The web of deceit was vaster, darker, and more tragic than she had ever imagined.

"Vincent..." Emma breathed, looking up at him, her throat tight with remorse. "I... I didn't know."

Vincent took a slow, agonizing breath, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of her. He gently cupped her face in his large, warm hands, brushing away her falling tears.

"I don't care about the Moretti empire, Emma," Vincent whispered, his voice thick with raw devotion. "I don't care about the board, or the billions, or the family name. But I will tear the world apart before I let Arthur harm you or Liam again."

Emma looked into his eyes, seeing no billionaire titan, no untouchable elite—only a man who had carried the sins of his family alone in the dark for five years.