Elena recognized it immediately.
It was the document she had given him.
Victor pulled out the chair opposite him.
"Please sit."
"I'm working."
"I spoke to your manager. You have ten minutes."
Elena sat cautiously.
Victor opened the folder.
"We found Daniel Reed."
For a moment, Elena could not speak.
"He's alive?"
"Yes."
She closed her eyes briefly, allowing the relief to settle.
"Where is he?"
"Somewhere safe. He is receiving medical attention, and arrangements are being made for his family."
Elena exhaled.
"Thank you."
Victor looked at her.
"Do not thank me. You were the one who brought the evidence to my attention."
"I couldn't have found him myself."
"No. But you made it impossible for me to pretend I knew nothing."
Elena looked down at the folder.
"What happens now?"
Victor placed several pages on the table.
"We have confirmed that Anthony Bell used a network of false companies to divert money. We also have evidence that he arranged Daniel's detention and attempted to frame him for the theft."
Elena's expression hardened.
"Will he be arrested?"
Victor did not answer immediately.
"That depends on what the investigators discover."
"Investigators?"
"External legal investigators. People who are not employed by me and cannot be ordered to change their findings."
Elena studied him.
"You're involving people outside your organization?"
"I should have done it sooner."
It was a simple statement.
But Elena recognized how difficult it must have been for him to say it.
Victor had built his life around controlling information and limiting the number of people who could challenge his authority. Bringing outsiders into the matter meant giving up some of that control.
It also meant accepting the possibility that the investigation might reveal things he would rather keep hidden.
Elena respected the decision, though she remained cautious.
"What do you need from me?"
"Your recording."
Her heart sank.
She had hoped that the documents would be enough.
"You know about it?"
"Daniel told us that you may have heard Anthony discussing the accounts."
Elena looked at the bodyguards.
"Who told you about the recording?"
"Nobody. I am asking whether one exists."
Elena considered her answer.
She had promised Sarah that she would not hand over evidence without legal advice.
"I have a recording," she said. "But I won't give it to you privately."
Victor's expression remained neutral.
"Why not?"
"Because you are connected to the person in the recording. I want a copy delivered directly to the investigators."
Victor nodded slowly.
"That is reasonable."
Elena had expected an argument.
Instead, Victor took out his phone and called Marcus.
"Arrange a meeting with the external investigators. Miss Carter will provide her evidence directly to them."
Marcus nodded.
"Understood."
Victor ended the call.
Elena looked at him carefully.
"You're not going to ask me to hand it over?"
"No."
"You're not going to threaten me?"
Victor glanced at the folder.
"Would that make you more comfortable?"
"No."
"Then I will refrain."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Elena almost smiled.
Victor noticed.
"You find this amusing?"
"A little."
"Why?"
"Because you're the first person in this city who has ever asked me whether threatening me would make me comfortable."
Victor gave a quiet laugh.
For a moment, the tension between them eased.
Then his expression became serious again.
"There is something I need to tell you."
Elena waited.
"I did not know what Anthony was doing. But I created an environment in which he believed he could get away with it."
She studied him.
"That doesn't make you responsible for every decision he made."
"No. But it makes me responsible for examining the system that allowed him to make those decisions."
Victor looked around the restaurant.
"People here are afraid of me. Some of that fear was intentional. I thought it kept the organization under control."
"And now?"
"Now I understand that fear can conceal as much as it reveals."
Elena nodded.
"That's true."
Victor leaned forward.
"I cannot undo everything that has happened. But I can make sure that Daniel's family receives the truth. I can make sure the evidence is not buried. And I can ensure that the people responsible cannot use my name to intimidate witnesses."
Elena's expression softened slightly.
"That would be a good start."
Victor looked at her.
"Do you always give people such modest encouragement?"
"Only when they have a great deal of work to do."
Victor smiled faintly.
It was the first genuine smile Elena had seen on his face.
Then the restaurant doors opened.
Anthony Bell walked inside.
He wore a dark suit and carried no briefcase. His expression was composed, but his eyes moved quickly across the dining room.
When he saw Victor, he stopped.
When he saw Elena sitting opposite him, his face changed.
Victor noticed.
"Excellent," he said quietly. "Now we can stop pretending."
Chapter 8: The Man Who Thought He Could Control Everyone
Anthony approached table seven slowly.
He glanced at Elena, then at Victor.
"What is she doing here?"
Victor gestured toward the empty chair beside him.
"Sit down."
Anthony remained standing.
"I would prefer to discuss business privately."
"This is business."
"Victor, we need to be careful about who hears what."
"That is exactly what I have been trying to explain to everyone."
Anthony's jaw tightened.
He looked toward the bodyguards.
"Can we speak alone?"
"No."
Anthony turned to Elena.
"Miss Carter, I believe there has been a misunderstanding."
Elena did not answer.
Anthony forced a polite smile.
"The documents you found are confidential financial records. They may appear suspicious without the proper context, but I assure you that everything can be explained."
"Then explain it," Elena said.
Anthony blinked.
"What?"
"The payments. The false companies. Daniel Reed's disappearance. Explain all of it."