Chapter 41
“Blair,” Peters said in greeting before turning to Roman’s office. “Is he ready for me?”
She nodded, pressing the intercom. “Roman, Peters is here,”
“Send him in,” Roman’s voice came through.
Blair waved him through, watching as he disappeared into Roman’s office. Something was going on. Peters had been in Roman’s office a lot lately. Curiosity itched at her, but she pushed it aside and turned back to her work. She was not going to think about this coming weekend.
Roman leaned back in his chair, eyes sharp as he regarded his head of security. “Is there any update on the missing money?”
Peters shook his head. “There hasn’t been another transaction, but when that happens, we have everything in place to catch whoever it is.”
Roman’s jaw tightened. “I hate that someone is stealing from me.”
“I’ll keep digging. It could be some time before they try again,” his head of security assured him. “We will look for any other financial discrepancies in the sales department’s invoices. I have one of my team on the inside. She will go over everything.”
Roman’s expression darkened. “Excellent.”
“Our inside person has noticed that Dan is very interested in what she is doing.”
Roman smirked coldly. “I wonder if he is stupid enough to steal from me. Just tell her to be careful.”
“He could be involved, or he could be covering for someone else. Either way, he’s a problem. He hasn’t said anything to anyone yet about you and Blair, but he is a piece of shit.”
Roman exhaled slowly. “Keep following the money. I want undeniable proof of who it is before I make my move. Keep an eye on Dan. I don’t want him anywhere near Blair.”
“Understood. Do you want someone on her if she leaves this office?”
Roman nodded. “And one more thing, keep this quiet. Especially from Blair. I don’t want her to know we have someone keeping her safe. She is very independent.” Roman grinned. She would have his balls for this. But it was for her safety and he took that very seriously.
His security lead didn’t question him, only gave a firm nod before standing. “I’ll update you as soon as I have more.”
Roman leaned forward, his gaze steely. “Good. I’m done letting people get away with things they shouldn’t.”
Peters hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “There’s one more thing. I started digging into the history of Warner Industries.”
Roman’s expression shifted, his interest piqued. “And?”
“I haven’t found anything concrete yet, but from what I can tell, the company wasn’t in financial distress six months before Blair’s parents‘ accident. In fact, they were about to expand internationally.”
Roman’s fingers drummed against his desk. “Which means someone made sure that it didn’t look that way when the estate was going through probate.”
“Exactly.” Peters nodded. “It could be coincidence, but the timing is too perfect. Shortly after their deaths, all financial records became convoluted. The lawyer overseeing the estate handled everything. He didn’t include any other lawyers from his firm. Then, your gut feeling about her uncle and aunt? It fits. I’m having my people do a deeper dive into every
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transaction, every signature, and any discrepancies in the legal documents from that time. I’m looking into the lawyer because someone had to pay him off. Or maybe he was offered a cut. I have someone looking for the original will.”
Roman’s smirk was lethal. “Good. I want the full picture. If they stole from Blair and her sisters, I’ll burn them to the ground.”
Peters nodded once. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more.”
As Peters exited, Roman exhaled slowly, his mind racing. If this turned out to be true, Blair and her sisters had been robbed of more than just a company. They had been stripped of their rightful legacy. And he wasn’t going to let that stand.
He picked up his phone and dialed his lawyer, who answered within a few rings. “It’s Roman. I want another set of eyes on the Warner estate dealings. Someone independent. I don’t trust a single document that was signed after their deaths. Find me a forensic accountant who can tear through the books and uncover every single inconsistency. And keep this under wraps. Blair can’t know until we have something solid.”
Hanging up, Roman sat back in his chair, jaw set. He wasn’t just doing this for Blair; he was doing it because he despised the idea of powerful people abusing their influence to strip away someone’s future. The way Blair’s family had treated the girls growing up–they needed to pay for that.
And if her aunt and uncle were behind anything criminal, they were about to learn firsthand what it meant to deal with him.
Roman stared at his computer screen, pulling up the archived financial reports of Warner Industries that Peters had sent this morning. If Peters‘ suspicions were right, then there had to be a trail. Even if it was buried under layers of falsified documents, somewhere, the truth existed.
He clicked through old financial statements, scanning the numbers with a practiced eye. His business acumen had allowed him to build an empire, and now he would use that same skill to dismantle the lies woven around Blair’s family legacy.
After a few minutes, something caught his attention, a sharp dip in reported earnings just months before the accident. But it didn’t make sense. From what he recalled, Warner Industries had been thriving. Then, as if overnight, they had plummeted. into financial instability?
He rang Peters. “I found something. Go back five months before the accident. There’s a discrepancy in the earnings report.. Someone fudged the numbers.”
Peters replied without hesitation. “I’ll cross–reference the bank transactions from that period.”
Roman’s brows drew together. “If they faked the financial distress, it means the company was taken from them intentionally.”
“And if that’s the case,” Peters added, “then her aunt and uncle could be looking at jail time.”
Roman’s pulse thrummed. If someone had orchestrated this, then the deaths of Blair’s parents might not have been an accident at all.
He had to be sure before he told Blair. But once he had proof?
He ——–
“Th
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