Elena continued toward the service station.
She did not know whether Victor would investigate the evidence or destroy it.
She did not know whether Anthony Bell was responsible for Daniel's disappearance.
And she did not know that, across the city, a black car had already left a parking garage with instructions to locate her.
All she knew was that she had finally placed the truth in front of the one man who might have the power to uncover it.
Now she would have to live with the consequences.
Chapter 3: The Boss Begins to Doubt His Own Men
Victor did not finish his dinner.
He sat silently for several minutes after Elena left, staring at the closed folder.
His bodyguards had seen him angry countless times. They had seen him threaten men twice their size, dismiss executives with a single sentence, and walk away from confrontations that would have frightened ordinary people.
But they had rarely seen him uncertain.
That evening, uncertainty had settled over him like a shadow.
He opened the folder again.
The first payment was dated six months earlier.
The second had been approved three weeks later.
The third had been transferred through a company he did not recognize.
Victor took out his phone.
"Get me Anthony Bell."
One of his men immediately stepped aside to make the call.
Anthony answered on the second attempt.
"Victor. Is everything all right?"
"Where are you?"
"At the office."
"Good. Come to the Bellmont."
A pause followed.
"Now?"
"Did I ask you to come tomorrow?"
"No, of course not."
"Bring the Northbridge Logistics records."
Another pause.
This time it was longer.
"What records?"
Victor's eyes hardened.
"The ones you should already know about."
Anthony gave a nervous laugh.
"I handle dozens of accounts. You'll have to be more specific."
"Then you should have no difficulty bringing all of them."
Victor ended the call.
He sat back and watched the rain strike the windows.
His relationship with Anthony had begun long before either man became wealthy.
They had met in a cramped office above a repair shop. Victor had been trying to build a legitimate construction business while navigating the dangerous world he had inherited from his father. Anthony had been a young accountant who believed that numbers could solve almost any problem.
Anthony was clever, disciplined, and loyal.
At least, that was what Victor had believed.
When Victor's mother became ill, Anthony helped him arrange the financial affairs that allowed her to receive treatment.
When Victor's first construction company nearly collapsed, Anthony found a way to save it.
When rival organizations tried to interfere with Victor's shipping contracts, Anthony negotiated with suppliers and creditors until the business recovered.
Over time, Anthony became more than an employee.
He became a trusted adviser.
Victor had never imagined that the man who helped build his empire might also be quietly stealing from it.
But the documents in front of him were difficult to dismiss.
The payments followed a pattern.
Money moved from one company to another, passing through several accounts before disappearing into businesses with no real employees.
The transactions were small enough to escape immediate attention but frequent enough to accumulate into a substantial sum.
And every transfer had been authorized through a system that only a handful of senior employees could access.
Victor called his head of security, Marcus Hale.
"Find Daniel Reed."
Marcus frowned.
"We have already searched for him."
"I know what we were told. I want to know what actually happened."
"Do you suspect someone inside the organization?"
"I suspect everyone until I have answers."
Marcus looked toward the folder.
"Where did you get this?"
"A waitress."
For the first time in years, Marcus appeared completely lost for words.
"A waitress?"
"Her name is Elena Carter."
"Should we bring her in?"
Victor's gaze sharpened.
"No."
Marcus seemed surprised.
"Sir?"
"Nobody touches her. Nobody follows her. Nobody contacts her family. If anyone asks about her, you tell me."
Marcus nodded.
"Understood."
Victor lowered his voice.
"And find out who else has been looking for Daniel Reed."
Marcus left the table.
Victor remained seated.
For years, he had believed that loyalty was the foundation of power. He rewarded people who followed instructions, punished those who betrayed him, and surrounded himself with men who understood that hesitation could be dangerous.
But perhaps he had confused loyalty with obedience.
Perhaps the people who agreed with him most readily were the ones who had the most to gain from keeping him ignorant.
The thought made him angrier than the possibility of stolen money.
Money could be replaced.
Trust, once broken, was far more difficult to recover.
Twenty minutes later, Anthony Bell entered the restaurant.
He was a narrow-faced man in his late forties, dressed in a charcoal suit with a silver tie. His hair was neatly combed, and he carried a leather briefcase.
He smiled when he saw Victor.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Traffic was terrible."
Victor did not return the smile.
"Sit down."
Anthony placed his briefcase beside the chair.
"What is this about?"
Victor slid the folder across the table.
"Explain these payments."
Anthony opened it.
His expression remained composed for the first few seconds.
Then his eyes moved to the photograph.
Victor noticed.
Anthony quickly turned the page.
"Where did you get this?"
"That is my question."
Anthony cleared his throat.
"These transactions appear to be related to warehouse operating expenses. Some of the entries may have been duplicated during a software migration."
"All of them?"
"I would need to examine the original records."
"You will."
Anthony closed the folder.
"I'll have my team review everything tomorrow."
"No. Tonight."
Anthony stared at him.
"Victor, this is a complex accounting matter. We should handle it properly."